World Cities

Definitions
Urbanisation The growth in the proportion of a countrys population living in urban areas, which can have both positive and negative consequences. Super City A heavily populated urban area which includes several cities. Megacity An urban area with a population of over 8 million. World City A city with major economic and political power e.g New York, Paris. Megalopolis An urban region where several major cities and their suburbs have joined to form a single urban area e.g BosWash (Boston and Washington). Slum An urban settlement where (according to the UN), over 50% of the inhabitants lack one or more of the following: durable housing, sufficient living space, clean water supply, access to sanitation or secure ownership of their home. Shanty Town A slum where the housing is built from waste materials. Squatter Settlement A slum in which the inhabitants are illegally occupying the land which their houses are built.

Top Ten World Cities by Population Size Rank

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

City
Shanghai Istanbul Karachi Mumbai Moscow Sao Paulo Beijing Tianjin Guangzhou Delhi

Population
17,836,133 13,854,740 12,991,000 12,478,447 11,977,988 11,821,876 11,716,000 11,090,314 11,070,654 11,007,835