Nairobi
696 km²
Santiago
838 km²
Kenya
Chile
Area Comparison
Nairobi is 1.2x smaller than Santiago
Population Comparison
Nairobi has 1.3x fewer people than Santiago
In terms of area, Santiago is 1.2x the size of Nairobi. Santiago spans 838 km² (324 mi²) while Nairobi covers 696 km² (269 mi²) — a difference of 142 km².
To put Nairobi's size in perspective, its area of 696 km² is about 1.1x smaller than New York City. Meanwhile, Santiago at 838 km² is roughly the same size as Berlin.
Nairobi's footprint is roughly about 97,000 American football fields, 12 times the area of Manhattan, or 7 times the area of Paris — pick whichever unit feels intuitive. For Santiago, that's about 117,000 American football fields, 14 times the area of Manhattan, or 8 times the area of Paris.
Nairobi is the capital and largest city of Kenya, located in the south-central part of the country. As of 2024, it has a population of 4.8 million and a metropolitan population of 5.7 million, making it the 11th most populous city in Africa. Nicknamed the "Green City under the Sun", Nairobi is uniquely notable for being the only capital city in the world that hosts a national park within its boundaries. Its name originates from the Maasai phrase Enkare Nyirobi, meaning "place of cool waters".
Known as "Green City under the Sun", Nairobi covers 696 km² with a population of 4.7 million. The city was established in 1899. Nairobi is known for Nairobi National Park, Giraffe Centre, Karen Blixen Museum, among other attractions. The city's main transit system is the Nairobi Commuter Rail.
Nairobi is the only capital city in the world that hosts a national park within its boundaries.
Santiago, also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile and one of the largest cities in the Americas. Located in the Chilean Central Valley within the Santiago Basin, between the Andes to the east and the Chilean Coastal Range to the west, it anchors the Santiago Metropolitan Region and its conurbation of Greater Santiago, which comprises more than forty communes and concentrates over a third of the national population and around 45% of Chile's GDP.
Also known as "Santiago de Chile", Santiago has an area of 838 km² and is home to 6.3 million people. It was established in 1541. Visitors come for Cerro San Cristóbal, Gran Torre Santiago, Plaza de Armas, and much more.
Santiago sits in the Chilean Central Valley between the Andes and the Coastal Range, anchoring over a third of Chile's population.
Nairobi has a population density of 6,796 people per km² — a densely populated city. Santiago, with 7,470 people per km², is a densely populated city. Both cities have comparable density, though Santiago is slightly more compact.
History
Santiago is ~358 years older
Nairobi covers 696 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Tehran (730 km²), Jakarta (662 km²), Singapore (733 km²), Bangalore (741 km²), or Hyderabad (650 km²).
Santiago covers 838 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Kyoto (828 km²), Berlin (892 km²), New York (783 km²), Hamburg (755 km²), or Bangalore (741 km²).
The straight-line distance from Nairobi to Santiago is 11,539 km (7,170 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~14h 5m.
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