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Urban area

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(Redirected from Urban areas)
"Built up area" redirects here. For the Highway Code, see Built-up area (Highway Code).
"Urban agglomeration" redirects here. For city clusters, see Megalopolis.

An urban area, built-up area or urban agglomeration is a human settlement with a high population density and infrastructure of built environment. Urban areas are created through urbanization and are categorized as cities, towns, conurbations or suburbs. In urbanism, the term contrasts to rural areas such as villages and hamlets; in urban sociology or urban anthropology it contrasts with natural environment. The creation of earlier predecessors of urban areas during the urban revolution led to the creation of human civilization with modern urban planning, which along with other human activities such as exploitation of natural resources led to a human impact on the environment. "Agglomeration effects" are in the list of the main consequences of increased rates of firm creation since. This is due to conditions created by a greater level of industrial activity in a given region. However, a favorable environment for human capital development would also be generated simultaneously.[1]

Greater Tokyo Area, Japan, the world's most populated urban area, with about 39 million inhabitants
Greater São Paulo at night seen from the International Space Station
Greater Melbourne at night from the International Space Station

In 1950, around the world, 764 million people lived in urban areas. By 2014, it was 3.9 billion. The change was driven by a combination of increased total population and increased percent of population living in urban areas.[2] In 2009, the number of people living in urban areas (3.42 billion) surpassed the number living in rural areas (3.41 billion), and since then the world has become more urban than rural.[3] This was the first time that the majority of the world's population lived in a city.[4] In 2014 there were 7.3 billion people living on the planet,[5] of which the global urban population comprised 3.9 billion. The Population Division of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs at that time predicted the urban population would occupy 68% of the world population by 2050, with 90% of that growth coming from Africa and Asia.[6]

The UN publishes data on cities, urban areas and rural areas, but relies almost entirely on national definitions of these areas. The UN principles and recommendations state that due to different characteristics of urban and rural areas across the globe, a global definition is not possible.[7]

Urban areas are created and further developed by the process of urbanization. They are measured for various purposes, including analyzing population density and urban sprawl. Urban areas are also mostly found in the United States, Canada, Brazil, Argentina, Japan and Australia and many other countries where the urbanization rate is over 80%.

Unlike an urban area, a metropolitan area includes not only the urban area, but also satellite cities plus intervening rural land that is socio-economically connected to the urban core city, typically by employment ties through commuting, with the urban core city being the primary labor market.

The concept of an "urban area" as used in economic statistics should not be confused with the concept of the "urban area" used in road safety statistics. This term was first created by Geographer Brian Manning. The last concept is also known as "built-up area in road safety". According to the definition by the Office for National Statistics, "Built-up areas are defined as land which is 'irreversibly urban in character', meaning that they are characteristic of a town or city. They include areas of built-up land with a minimum of 20 hectares (200,000 m2; 49 acres). Any areas [separated by] less than 200 metres [of non-urban space] are linked to become a single built-up area.[8]

Urban land area (km2), 2010[9]
Urban areas with at least one million inhabitants in 2006

Argentina and Japan are countries where the urbanization rate is over 90% while Australia, Brazil, Canada, Mexico and the United States are countries where the urbanization rate is between 80% and 90%.

Largest urban areas in the worldEdit

[10]

  1.   Tokyo (Japan) - 37,274,000
  2.   New Delhi (India) - 32,066,000
  3.   Shanghai (China) - 28,517,000
  4.   Manila (Philippines) - 28,250,517
  5.   Dhaka (Bangladesh) - 22,478,000
  6.   São Paulo (Brazil) - 22,430,000
  7.   Mexico City (Mexico) - 22,085,000
  8.   Cairo (Egypt) - 21,750,000
  9.   Beijing (China) - 21,333,000
  10.   Mumbai (India) - 20,961,000

Largest urban areas, by continentEdit

[10][11]

AfricaEdit

  1.   Cairo (Egypt) - 21,750,000
  2.   Kinshasa (DR Congo) - 15,628,000
  3.   Lagos (Nigeria) - 15,388,000
  4.   Johannesburg (South Africa) - 10,110,000
  5.   Luanda (Angola) - 8,952,000
  6.   Dar es Salaam (Tanzania) - 7,405,000
  7.   Khartoum (Sudan) - 6,160,000
  8.   Abidjan (Ivory Coast) - 5,516,000
  9.   Alexandria (Egypt) - 5,484,000
  10.   Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) - 5,228,000

AsiaEdit

  1.   Tokyo (Japan) - 37,274,000
  2.   New Delhi (India) - 32,066,000
  3.   Shanghai (China) - 28,517,000
  4.   Manila (Philippines) - 28,250,517
  5.   Dhaka (Bangladesh) - 22,478,000
  6.   Beijing (China) - 21,333,000
  7.   Mumbai (India) - 20,961,000
  8.   Osaka (Japan) - 19,060,000
  9.   Karachi (Pakistan) - 16,840,000
  10.   Chongqing (China) - 16,875,000

EuropeEdit

  1.   Istanbul (Turkey) - 15,636,000
  2.   Moscow (Russia) - 12,641,000
  3.   Paris (France) - 11,142,000
  4.   London (United Kingdom) - 9,426,000
  5.   Madrid (Spain) - 6,714,000
  6.   Berlin (Germany) - 6,144,600
  7.   Barcelona (Spain) - 5,658,000
  8.   Saint Petersburg (Russia) - 5,536,000
  9.   Rome (Italy) - 4,298,000
  10.   Athens (Greece) - 3,154,000

North AmericaEdit

  1.   Mexico City (Mexico) - 22,085,000
  2.   New York - Newark (United States) - 18,867,000
  3.   Los Angeles - Long Beach - Santa Ana (United States) - 12,488,000
  4.   Chicago (United States) - 8,901,000
  5.   Houston (United States) - 6,603,000
  6.   Dallas - Fort Worth (United States) - 6,488,400
  7.   Toronto (Canada) - 6,313,000
  8.   Miami (United States) - 6,079,000
  9.   Philadelphia (United States) - 5,705,000
  10.   Washington, D.C. - Baltimore (United States) - 5,434,000

OceaniaEdit

  1.   Melbourne (Australia) - 4,870,000
  2.   Sydney (Australia) - 4,859,000
  3.   Brisbane (Australia) - 2,568,927
  4.   Perth (Australia) - 2,016,000
  5.   Auckland (New Zealand) - 1,582,000
  6.   Adelaide (Australia) - 1,328,000
  7.   Honolulu (United States) - 1,016,000
  8.   Gold Coast (Australia) - 687,000
  9.   Canberra (Australia) - 452,000
  10.   Newcastle (Australia) - 447,000

South AmericaEdit

  1.   São Paulo (Brazil) - 22,430,000
  2.   Buenos Aires (Argentina) - 15,370,000
  3.   Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) - 13,634,000
  4.   Bogotá (Colombia) - 11,344,000
  5.   Lima - Callao (Peru) - 11,176,000
  6.   Santiago (Chile) - 6,857,000
  7.   Belo Horizonte (Brazil) - 6,194,000
  8.   Brasília (Brazil) - 4,804,000
  9.   Recife (Brazil) - 4,220,000
  10.   Porto Alegre (Brazil) - 4,185,000

Largest urban areas, by countryEdit

[10]

AfghanistanEdit

4.589 million KABUL (capital) (2023)

AlbaniaEdit

520,000 TIRANA (capital) (2023)

AlgeriaEdit

2.854 million ALGIERS (capital) ; 922,000 Oran (2022)

American SamoaEdit

49,000 PAGO PAGO (capital) (2018)

AndorraEdit

23,000 ANDORRA LA VELLA (capital) (2018)

AngolaEdit

9.292 million LUANDA (capital), 959,000 Lubango, 905,000 Cabinda, 809,000 Benguela, 783,000 Malanje (2023)

AnguillaEdit

1,000 THE VALLEY (capital) (2018)

Antigua and BarbudaEdit

21,000 SAINT JOHN'S (capital) (2018)

ArgentinaEdit

15.490 million BUENOS AIRES (capital), 1.612 million Cordoba, 1.594 million Rosario, 1.226 million Mendoza, 1.027 million San Miguel de Tucuman, 914,000 La Plata (2023)

ArmeniaEdit

1.095 million YEREVAN (capital) (2023)

ArubaEdit

30,000 ORANJESTAD (capital) (2018)

AustraliaEdit

5.235 million Melbourne, 5.121 million Sydney, 2.505 million Brisbane, 2.118 million Perth, 1.367 million Adelaide, 472,000 CANBERRA (capital) (2023)

AustriaEdit

1.975 million VIENNA (capital) (2023)

AzerbaijanEdit

2.432 million BAKU (capital) (2023)

Bahamas, TheEdit

280,000 NASSAU (capital) (2018)

BahrainEdit

689,000 MANAMA (capital) (2022)

BangladeshEdit

23.210 million DHAKA (capital), 5.380 million Chittagong, 955,000 Khulna, 962,000 Rajshahi, 969,000 Rangpur, 964,000 Sylhet, 906,000 Bogra (2023)

BarbadosEdit

89,000 BRIDGETOWN (capital) (2018)

BelarusEdit

2.049 million MINSK (capital) (2022)

BelgiumEdit

2.110 million BRUSSELS (capital); 1.053 million Antwerp (2022)

BelizeEdit

23,000 BELMOPAN (capital) (2018)

BeninEdit

285,000 PORTO-NOVO (capital) (2018) ; 1.189 million Abomey-Calavi ; 709,000 COTONOU (seat of government) (2022)

BermudaEdit

10,000 HAMILTON (capital) (2018)

BhutanEdit

203,000 THIMPHU (capital) (2018)

BoliviaEdit

1.908 million LA PAZ (capital) ; 1.784 million Santa Cruz ; 1.369 million Cochabamba ; 278,000 Sucre (constitutional capital) (2022)

Bosnia and HerzegovinaEdit

344,000 SARAJEVO (capital) (2022)

BotswanaEdit

269,000 GABORONE (capital) (2018)

BrazilEdit

22.620 million Sao Paulo, 13.728 million Rio de Janeiro, 6.248 million Belo Horizonte, 4.873 million BRASILIA (capital), 4.264 million Recife, 4.212 million Porto Alegre (2023)

British Virgin IslandsEdit

15,000 ROAD TOWN (capital) (2018)

BruneiEdit

241,000 BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN (capital) (2011)

BulgariaEdit

1.287 million SOFIA (capital) (2022)

Burkina FasoEdit

3.056 million OUAGADOUGOU (capital) ; 1.074 million Bobo-Dioulasso (2022)

BurundiEdit

1.139 million BUJUMBURA (capital) (2022)

Cabo VerdeEdit

168,000 PRAIA (capital) (2018)

CambodiaEdit

2.211 million PHNOM PENH (capital) (2022)

CameroonEdit

4.164 million YAOUNDE (capital) ; 3.927 million Douala (2022)

CanadaEdit

6.372 million Toronto, 4.308 million Montreal, 2.657 million Vancouver, 1.640 million Calgary, 1.544 million Edmonton, 1.437 million OTTAWA (capital) (2023)

Cayman IslandsEdit

35,000 GEORGE TOWN (capital) (2018)

Central African RepublicEdit

933,000 BANGUI (capital) (2022)

ChadEdit

1.533 million N'DJAMENA (capital) (2022)

ChileEdit

6.903 million SANTIAGO (capital), 1.009 million Valparaiso, 912,000 Concepcion (2023)

ChinaEdit

29.211 million Shanghai, 21.766 million BEIJING (capital), 17.341 million Chongqing, 14.284 million Guangzhou, 14.239 million Tianjin, 13.073 million Shenzhen (2023)

ColombiaEdit

11.508 million BOGOTA (capital), 4.102 million Medellin, 2.864 million Cali, 2.349 million Barranquilla, 1.381 million Bucaramanga, 1.088 million Cartagena (2023)

ComorosEdit

62,000 MORONI (capital) (2018)

Congo, Democratic Republic of theEdit

16.316 million KINSHASA (capital), 2.892 million Mbuji-Mayi, 2.812 million Lubumbashi, 1.664 million Kananga, 1.423 million Kisangani, 1.249 million Bukavu (2023)

Congo, Republic of theEdit

2.638 million BRAZZAVILLE (capital), 1.336 million Pointe-Noire (2023)

Costa RicaEdit

1.441 million SAN JOSE (capital) (2022)

Cote d'IvoireEdit

231,000 YAMOUSSOUKRO (capital) (2018) ; 5.516 million ABIDJAN (seat of government) (2022)

CroatiaEdit

684,000 ZAGREB (capital) (2022)

CubaEdit

2.149 million HAVANA (capital) (2023)

CuracaoEdit

144,000 WILLEMSTAD (capital) (2018)

CyprusEdit

269,000 NICOSIA (capital) (2018)

Czech RepublicEdit

1.318 million PRAGUE (capital) (2022)

DenmarkEdit

1.370 million COPENHAGEN (capital) (2022)

DjiboutiEdit

591,000 DJIBOUTI (capital) (2022)

DominicaEdit

15,000 ROSEAU (capital) (2018)

Dominican RepublicEdit

3.524 million SANTO DOMINGO (capital) (2023)

EcuadorEdit

3.142 million Guayaquil, 1.957 million QUITO (capital) (2023)

EgyptEdit

22.183 million CAIRO (capital), 5.588 million Alexandria, 778,000 Bur Sa'id (2023)

El SalvadorEdit

1.116 million SAN SALVADOR (capital) (2023)

Equatorial GuineaEdit

297,000 MALABO (capital) (2018)

EritreaEdit

1.073 million ASMARA (capital) (2023)

EstoniaEdit

452,000 TALLINN (capital) (2022)

EswatiniEdit

68,000 MBABANE (capital) (2018)

EthiopiaEdit

5.461 million ADDIS ABABA (capital) (2023)

Falkland IslandsEdit

2,000 STANLEY (capital) (2018)

Faroe IslandsEdit

21,000 TÓRSHAVN (capital) (2018)

FijiEdit

178,000 SUVA (capital) (2018)

FinlandEdit

1.328 million HELSINKI (capital) (2022)

FranceEdit

11.208 million PARIS (capital), 1.761 million Lyon, 1.628 million Marseille-Aix-en-Provence, 1.079 million Lille, 1.060 million Toulouse, 1.000 million Bordeaux (2023)

French PolynesiaEdit

136,000 PAPEETE (capital) (2018)

GabonEdit

857,000 LIBREVILLE (capital) (2022)

Gambia, TheEdit

470,000 BANJUL (capital) (2022)

GeorgiaEdit

1.203 million TBILISI (capital) (2022)

GermanyEdit

3.574 million BERLIN (capital), 1.788 million Hamburg, 1.576 million Munich, 1.144 million Cologne, 796,000 Frankfurt (2023)

GhanaEdit

3.630 million Kumasi ; 2.605 million ACCRA (capital) ; 1.035 million Sekondi Takoradi (2022)

GibraltarEdit

35,000 GIBRALTAR (capital) (2018)

GreeceEdit

3.154 million ATHENS (capital) ; 814,000 Thessaloniki (2022)

GreenlandEdit

18,000 NUUK (capital) (2018)

GrenadaEdit

39,000 SAINT GEORGE'S (capital) (2018)

GuamEdit

147,000 HAGATNA (capital) (2018)

GuatemalaEdit

3.095 million GUATEMALA CITY (capital) (2023)

GuernseyEdit

16,000 SAINT PETER PORT (capital) (2018)

GuineaEdit

2.049 million CONAKRY (capital) (2022)

Guinea-BissauEdit

643,000 BISSAU (capital) (2022)

GuyanaEdit

110,000 GEORGETOWN (capital) (2018)

HaitiEdit

2.915 million PORT-AU-PRINCE (capital) (2022)

Holy SeeEdit

1,000 VATICAN CITY (capital) (2018)

HondurasEdit

1.568 million TEGUCIGALPA (capital), 982,000 San Pedro Sula (2023)

Hong KongEdit

7.643 million Hong Kong (2022)

HungaryEdit

1.775 million BUDAPEST (capital) (2022)

IcelandEdit

216,000 REYKJAVÍK (capital) (2018)

IndiaEdit

32.941 million NEW DELHI (capital), 21.297 million Mumbai, 15.333 million Kolkata, 13.608 million Bangalore, 11.776 million Chennai, 10.801 million Hyderabad (2023)

IndonesiaEdit

11.249 million JAKARTA (capital), 3.729 million Bekasi, 3.044 million Surabaya, 3.041 million Depok, 2.674 million Bandung, 2.514 million Tangerang (2023)

IranEdit

9.500 million TEHRAN (capital), 3.368 million Mashhad, 2.258 million Esfahan, 1.721 million Shiraz, 1.661 million Tabriz, 1.594 million Karaj (2023)

IraqEdit

7.711 million BAGHDAD (capital), 1.792 million Mosul, 1.448 million Basra, 1.075 million Kirkuk, 958,000 Najaf, 897,000 Erbil (2023)

IrelandEdit

1.256 million DUBLIN (capital) (2022)

Isle of ManEdit

27,000 DOUGLAS (capital) (2018)

IsraelEdit

4.344 million Tel Aviv-Yafo ; 1.254 million JERUSALEM (capital) ; 1.164 million Haifa (2022)

ItalyEdit

4.316 million ROME (capital), 3.155 million Milan, 2.179 million Naples, 1.802 million Turin, 913,000 Bergamo, 850,000 Palermo (2023)

JamaicaEdit

595,000 KINGSTON (capital) (2022)

JapanEdit

37.194 million TOKYO (capital), 19.013 million Osaka, 9.569 million Nagoya, 5.490 million Kitakyushu-Fukuoka, 2.937 million Shizuoka-Hamamatsu, 2.666 million Sapporo (2023)

JerseyEdit

34,000 SAINT HELIER (capital) (2018)

JordanEdit

2.210 million AMMAN (capital) (2022)

KazakhstanEdit

1.987 million Almaty, 1.291 million NUR-SULTAN (capital), 1.155 million Shimkent (2023)

KenyaEdit

5.325 million NAIROBI (capital), 1.440 million Mombassa (2023)

KiribatiEdit

64,000 TARAWA (capital) (2018)

Korea, NorthEdit

3.158 million PYONGYANG (capital) (2023)

Korea, SouthEdit

9.988 million SEOUL (capital), 3.472 million Busan, 2.849 million Incheon, 2.181 million Daegu (Taegu), 1.577 million Daejon (Taejon), 1.529 million Gwangju (Kwangju) (2023)

KosovoEdit

216,870 PRISTINA (capital) (2019)

KuwaitEdit

3.298 million KUWAIT (capital) (2023)

KyrgyzstanEdit

1.105 million BISHKEK (capital) (2023)

LaosEdit

706,000 VIENTIANE (capital) (2022)

LatviaEdit

625,000 RIGA (capital) (2022)

LebanonEdit

2.433 million BEIRUT (capital) (2022)

LesothoEdit

350,000 MASERU (capital) (2022)

LiberiaEdit

1.623 million MONROVIA (capital) (2022)

LibyaEdit

1.183 million TRIPOLI (capital), 984,000 Misratah, 859,000 Benghazi (2023)

LiechtensteinEdit

5,000 VADUZ (capital) (2018)

LithuaniaEdit

541,000 VILNIUS (capital) (2022)

LuxembourgEdit

120,000 LUXEMBOURG (capital) (2018)

MadagascarEdit

3.700 million ANTANANARIVO (capital) (2022)

MalawiEdit

1.222 million LILONGWE (capital) ; 995,000 Blantyre-Limbe (2022)

MalaysiaEdit

8.622 million KUALA LUMPUR (capital), 1.086 million Johor Bahru, 857,000 Ipoh (2023)

MaldivesEdit

177,000 MALE (capital) (2018)

MaliEdit

2.817 million BAMAKO (capital) (2022)

MaltaEdit

213,000 VALLETTA (capital) (2018)

Marshall IslandsEdit

31,000 MAJURO (capital) (2018)

MauritaniaEdit

1.432 million NOUAKCHOTT (capital) (2022)

MauritiusEdit

149,000 PORT LOUIS (capital) (2018)

MexicoEdit

22.281 million MEXICO CITY (capital), 5.420 million Guadalajara, 5.117 million Monterrey, 3.345 million Puebla, 2.626 million Toluca de Lerdo, 2.260 million Tijuana (2023)

Federated States of MicronesiaEdit

7,000 PALIKIR (capital) (2018)

MoldovaEdit

491,000 CHISINAU (capital) (2022)

MonacoEdit

39,000 MONACO (capital) (2018)

MongoliaEdit

1.645 million ULAANBAATAR (capital) (2022)

MontenegroEdit

177,000 PODGORICA (capital) (2018)

MoroccoEdit

3.893 million Casablanca, 1.959 million RABAT (capital), 1.290 million Fes, 1.314 million Tangier, 1.050 million Marrakech, 979,000 Agadir (2023)

MozambiqueEdit

1.797 million Matola ; 1.139 million MAPUTO (capital) ; 927,000 Nampula (2022)

Myanmar (Burma)Edit

5.610 million RANGOON (Yangon) (capital), 1.532 million Mandalay (2023)

NamibiaEdit

461,000 WINDHOEK (capital) (2022)

NepalEdit

1.521 million KATHMANDU (capital) (2022)

NetherlandsEdit

2.48 million AMSTERDAM (capital), 2.40 million Rotterdam - The Hague (2022)

New CaledoniaEdit

198,000 NOUMEA (capital) (2018)

New ZealandEdit

1.652 million Auckland, 419,000 WELLINGTON (capital) (2022)

NicaraguaEdit

1.095 million MANAGUA (capital) (2023)

NigerEdit

1.384 million NIAMEY (capital) (2022)

NigeriaEdit

15.946 million Lagos, 4.348 million Kano, 3.875 million Ibadan, 3.840 million ABUJA (capital), 3.480 million Port Harcourt, 1.905 million Benin City (2023)

NiueEdit

1,000 ALOFI (capital) (2018)

North MacedoniaEdit

606,000 SKOPJE (capital) (2022)

Northern Mariana IslandsEdit

51,000 SAIPAN (capital) (2018)

NorwayEdit

1.071 million OSLO (capital) (2022)

OmanEdit

1.623 million MUSCAT (capital) (2022)

PakistanEdit

17.236 million Karachi, 13.979 million Lahore, 3.711 million Faisalabad, 2.415 million Gujranwala, 2.412 million Peshawar, 1.232 million ISLAMABAD (capital) (2023)

PalauEdit

277 NGERULMUD (capital) (2018)

PalestineEdit

756,000 Gaza ; 153,237 RAMALLAH (Capital) (2022)

PanamaEdit

1.977 million PANAMA CITY (capital) (2023)

Papua New GuineaEdit

410,000 PORT MORESBY (capital) (2023)

ParaguayEdit

3.511 million ASUNCION (capital) (2023)

PeruEdit

11.204 million LIMA (capital), 959,000 Arequipa, 904,000 Trujillo (2023)

PhilippinesEdit

14.667 million MANILA (capital), 1.949 million Davao, 1.025 million Cebu City, 931,000 Zamboanga, 960,000 Antipolo, 803,000 Cagayan de Oro City, 803,000 Dasmarinas (2023)

PolandEdit

1.798 million WARSAW (capital), 769,000 Krakow (2023)

PortugalEdit

3.001 million LISBON (capital), 1.325 million Porto (2023)

Puerto RicoEdit

2.440 million SAN JUAN (capital) (2023)

QatarEdit

779,000 Ar-Rayyan ; 652,000 DOHA (capital) (2022)

RomaniaEdit

1.785 million BUCHAREST (capital) (2022)

RussiaEdit

12.680 million MOSCOW (capital), 5.561 million Saint Petersburg, 1.695 million Novosibirsk, 1.528 million Yekaterinburg, 1.292 million Kazan, 1.251 million Nizhniy Novgorod (2023)

RwandaEdit

1.208 million KIGALI (capital) (2022)

Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da CunhaEdit

1,000 JAMESTOWN (capital) (2018)

Saint Kitts and NevisEdit

14,000 BASSETERRE (capital) (2018)

Saint LuciaEdit

22,000 CASTRIES (capital) (2018)

Saint Pierre and MiquelonEdit

6,000 SAINT - PIERRE (capital) (2018)

Saint Vincent and the GrenadinesEdit

27,000 KINGSTOWN (capital) (2018)

SamoaEdit

36,000 APIA (capital) (2018)

San MarinoEdit

4,000 SAN MARINO (2018)

São Tomé and PríncipeEdit

80,000 SÃO TOMÉ (capital) (2018)

Saudi ArabiaEdit

7.682 million RIYADH (capital), 4.863 million Jeddah, 2.150 million Mecca, 1.573 million Medina, 1.329 million Ad Dammam, 872,000 million Hufuf-Mubarraz (2023)

SenegalEdit

3.326 million DAKAR (capital) (2022)

SerbiaEdit

1.405 million BELGRADE (capital) (2022)

SeychellesEdit

28,000 VICTORIA (capital) (2018)

Sierra LeoneEdit

1.272 million FREETOWN (capital) (2022)

SingaporeEdit

6.081 million SINGAPORE (capital) (2023)

Sint MaartenEdit

1,327 PHILIPSBURG (capital) (2011)

SlovakiaEdit

439,000 BRATISLAVA (capital) (2022)

SloveniaEdit

286,000 LJUBLJANA (capital) (2018)

Solomon IslandsEdit

82,000 HONIARA (capital) (2018)

SomaliaEdit

2.610 million MOGADISHU (capital), 1.127 million Hargeysa (2023)

South AfricaEdit

10.316 million Johannesburg (includes Ekurhuleni), 4.890 million Cape Town (legislative capital), 3.228 million Durban, 2.818 million PRETORIA (administrative capital), 1.296 million Port Elizabeth, 934,000 West Rand (2023)

South SudanEdit

459,000 JUBA (capital) (2023)

SpainEdit

6.751 million MADRID (capital), 5.687 million Barcelona, 838,000 Valencia (2023)

Sri LankaEdit

103,000 Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte (legislative capital) (2018), 633,000 COLOMBO (capital) (2023)

SudanEdit

6.344 million KHARTOUM (capital), 1.057 million Nyala (2023)

SurinameEdit

239,000 PARAMARIBO (capital) (2018)

SwedenEdit

1.659 million STOCKHOLM (capital) (2022)

SwitzerlandEdit

1.420 million Zurich, 437,000 BERN (capital) (2022)

SyriaEdit

2.585 million DAMASCUS (capital), 2.203 million Aleppo, 1.443 million Hims (Homs), 996,000 Hamah (2023)

TaiwanEdit

4.504 million New Taipei City, 2.754 million TAIPEI (capital), 2.319 million Taoyuan, 1.553 million Kaohsiung, 1.369 million Taichung, 863,000 Tainan (2023)

TajikistanEdit

962,000 DUSHANBE (capital) (2022)

TanzaniaEdit

262,000 Dodoma (legislative capital) (2018), 7.776 million DAR ES SALAAM (administrative capital), 1.311 million Mwanza, 800,000 Zanzibar (2023)

ThailandEdit

10.5 million BANGKOK (capital), 1.2 million Chiang Mai, 450,000 Nakhon Ratchasima, 415,000 Khon Kaen,

400,000 Hat Yai (2023)

Timor-LesteEdit

281,000 DILI (capital) (2018)

TogoEdit

1.926 million LOME (capital) (2022)

TongaEdit

23,000 NUKU'ALOFA (2018)

Trinidad and TobagoEdit

545,000 PORT OF SPAIN (capital) (2022)

TunisiaEdit

2.439 million TUNIS (capital) (2022)

TurkeyEdit

15.848 million Istanbul, 5.397 million ANKARA (capital), 3.088 million Izmir, 2.086 million Bursa, 1.836 million Adana, 1.805 million Gaziantep (2023)

TurkmenistanEdit

883,000 ASHGABAT (capital) (2022)

Turks and Caicos IslandsEdit

5,000 GRAND TURK (capital) (2018)

TuvaluEdit

7,000 FUNAFUTI (capital) (2018)

UgandaEdit

3.652 million KAMPALA (capital) (2022)

UkraineEdit

3.010 million KYIV (capital) ; 1.423 million Kharkiv ; 1.008 million Odesa ; 952,000 Dnipro ; 893,000 Donetsk (2022)

United Arab EmiratesEdit

2.964 million Dubai ; 1.786 million Sharjah ; 1.540 million ABU DHABI (capital) (2022)

United KingdomEdit

9.648 million LONDON (capital), 2.791 million Manchester, 2.665 million Birmingham, 1.929 million West Yorkshire, 1.698 million Glasgow, 952,000 Southampton / Portsmouth (2023)

United StatesEdit

18.937 million New York - Newark, 12.534 million Los Angeles - Long Beach - Santa Ana, 8.937 million Chicago, 6.707 million Houston, 6.574 million Dallas - Fort Worth, 5.490 million WASHINGTON, D.C. (capital) (2023)

UruguayEdit

1.767 million MONTEVIDEO (capital) (2022)

UzbekistanEdit

2.574 million TASHKENT (capital) (2022)

VanuatuEdit

53,000 PORT - VILA (capital) (2018)

VenezuelaEdit

2.972 million CARACAS (capital), 2.368 million Maracaibo, 1.983 million Valencia, 1.254 million Barquisimeto, 1.243 million Maracay, 964,000 Ciudad Guayana (2023)

VietnamEdit

9.321 million Ho Chi Minh City, 5.253 million HANOI (capital), 1.865 million Can Tho, 1.423 million Hai Phong, 1.221 million Da Nang, 1.111 million Bien Hoa (2023)

Virgin IslandsEdit

52,000 CHARLOTTE AMALIE (capital) (2018)

Wallis and FutunaEdit

1,000 MATA - UTU (capital) (2018)

YemenEdit

3.182 million SANAA (capital), 1.045 million Aden (2022)

ZambiaEdit

3.042 million LUSAKA (capital) (2022)

ZimbabweEdit

1.558 million HARARE (capital) (2022)

Very highly urbanized countriesEdit

Main article: Urbanization by sovereign state

This is the list of countries where the urbanization rate is at least 80%. Australia, Canada, Japan and the United States are included in the list and are among other very highly urbanized countries.

DefinitionsEdit

European countries[which?] define urbanized areas on the basis of urban-type land use, not allowing any gaps of typically more than 200 metres (220 yd), and use satellite imagery instead of census blocks to determine the boundaries of the urban area. In less-developed countries[which?], in addition to land use and density requirements, a requirement that a large majority of the population, typically 75%, is not engaged in agriculture and/or fishing is sometimes used.[citation needed]

East AsiaEdit

ChinaEdit

Main article: List of cities in China by population and built-up area

Since 2000, China's cities have expanded at an average rate of 10% annually. It is estimated that China's urban population will increase by 292 million people by 2050,[2] when its cities will house a combined population of over one billion.[12] The country's urbanization rate increased from 17.4% to 46.6% between 1978 and 2009.[13] Between 150 and 200 million migrant workers work part-time in the major cities, returning home to the countryside periodically with their earnings.[14][15]

Today, China has more cities with one million or more long-term residents than any other country, including the three global cities of Beijing, Hong Kong, and Shanghai; by 2025, the country will be home to 221 cities with over a million inhabitants.[12] The figures in the table below are from the 2008 census, and are only estimates of the urban populations within administrative city limits; a different ranking exists when considering the total municipal populations (which includes suburban and rural populations). The large "floating populations" of migrant workers make conducting censuses in urban areas difficult;[16] the figures below include only long-term residents.

 
Panoramic view of Pudong's Skyline from the Bund in Shanghai.
 
Largest cities or municipalities in the People's Republic of China
China Urban Construction Statistical Yearbook 2020 Urban Population and Urban Temporary Population [17][note 1][note 2]
Rank Name Province Pop. Rank Name Province Pop.
 
Shanghai
 
Beijing 		1 Shanghai SH 24,281,400 11 Hong Kong HK 7,448,900  
Guangzhou
 
Shenzhen
2 Beijing BJ 19,164,000 12 Zhengzhou HA 7,179,400
3 Guangzhou GD 13,858,700 13 Nanjing JS 6,823,500
4 Shenzhen GD 13,438,800 14 Xi'an SN 6,642,100
5 Tianjin TJ 11,744,400 15 Jinan SD 6,409,600
6 Chongqing CQ 11,488,000 16 Shenyang LN 5,900,000
7 Dongguan GD 9,752,500 17 Qingdao SD 5,501,400
8 Chengdu SC 8,875,600 18 Harbin HL 5,054,500
9 Wuhan HB 8,652,900 19 Hefei AH 4,750,100
10 Hangzhou ZJ 8,109,000 20 Changchun JL 4,730,900
  1. ^ Population of Hong Kong as of 2018 estimate.[18]
  2. ^ The data of Chongqing in the list is the data of "Metropolitan Developed Economic Area", which contains two parts: "City Proper" and "Metropolitan Area". The "City proper" are consist of 9 districts: Yuzhong, Dadukou, Jiangbei, Shapingba, Jiulongpo, Nan'an, Beibei, Yubei, & Banan, has the urban population of 5,646,300 as of 2018. And the "Metropolitan Area" are consist of 12 districts: Fuling, Changshou, Jiangjin, Hechuan, Yongchuan, Nanchuan, Qijiang, Dazu, Bishan, Tongliang, Tongnan, & Rongchang, has the urban population of 5,841,700.[19] Total urban population of all 26 districts of Chongqing are up to 15,076,600.

JapanEdit

In Japan, urbanized areas are defined as contiguous areas of densely inhabited districts (DIDs) using census enumeration districts as units with a density requirement of 4,000 inhabitants per square kilometre (10,000/sq mi).

South KoreaEdit

Seoul is the largest urban area in South Korea.

South AsiaEdit

IndiaEdit

Main articles: Urbanisation in India and List of cities in India by population

For the Census of India 2011, the definition of urban area is a place having a minimum population of 5,000 of density 400 persons per square kilometre (1,000/sq mi) or higher, and 75% plus of the male working population employed in non-agricultural activities. Places administered by a municipal corporation, cantonment board or notified town area committee are automatically considered urban areas.[20]

The Census of India 2011 also defined the term "urban agglomeration" as an integrated urban area consisting of a core town together with its "outgrowths" (contiguous suburbs).[21]

 
India gate panorama.
Largest urban agglomerations in India by population
(2011 census)[22][23]

 
Mumbai
 
Delhi
 
Kolkata
 
Chennai
 
Bangalore
 
Hyderabad

 Rank City Name State/Territory Population Rank City Name State/Territory Population

 
Ahmedabad
 
Pune
 
Surat
 
Jaipur
 
Kanpur
 
Lucknow

1 Mumbai Maharashtra 18,394,912 28 Ludhiana Punjab 1,618,879
2 Delhi Delhi 16,349,831 29 Nashik Maharashtra 1,562,769
3 Kolkata West Bengal 14,112,536 30 Vijayawada Andhra Pradesh 1,491,202
4 Chennai Tamil Nadu 8,696,010 31 Madurai Tamil Nadu 1,465,625
5 Bengaluru Karnataka 8,520,435 32 Varanasi Uttar Pradesh 1,435,113
6 Hyderabad Telangana 7,749,334 33 Meerut Uttar Pradesh 1,424,908
7 Ahmedabad Gujarat 6,361,084 34 Faridabad Haryana 1,414,050
8 Pune Maharashtra 5,057,709 35 Rajkot Gujarat 1,390,933
9 Surat Gujarat 4,591,246 36 Jamshedpur Jharkhand 1,339,438
10 Jaipur Rajasthan 3,073,350 37 Srinagar Jammu and Kashmir 1,273,312
11 Kanpur Uttar Pradesh 2,920,496 38 Jabalpur Madhya Pradesh 1,268,848
12 Lucknow Uttar Pradesh 2,902,920 39 Asansol West Bengal 1,243,414
13 Nagpur Maharashtra 2,497,870 40 Vasai-Virar Maharashtra 1,222,390
14 Ghaziabad Uttar Pradesh 2,375,820 41 Allahabad Uttar Pradesh 1,216,719
15 Indore Madhya Pradesh 2,170,295 42 Dhanbad Jharkhand 1,196,214
16 Coimbatore Tamil Nadu 2,151,466 43 Aurangabad Maharashtra 1,193,167
17 Kochi Kerala 2,119,724 44 Amritsar Punjab 1,183,705
18 Patna Bihar 2,049,156 45 Jodhpur Rajasthan 1,138,300
19 Kozhikode Kerala 2,030,519 46 Ranchi Jharkhand 1,126,741
20 Bhopal Madhya Pradesh 1,886,100 47 Raipur Chhattisgarh 1,123,558
21 Thrissur Kerala 1,861,269 48 Kollam Kerala 1,110,668
22 Vadodara Gujarat 1,822,221 49 Gwalior Madhya Pradesh 1,102,884
23 Agra Uttar Pradesh 1,760,285 50 Bhilai Chhattisgarh 1,064,222
24 Visakhapatnam Andhra Pradesh 1,730,320 51 Chandigarh Chandigarh 1,026,459
25 Malappuram Kerala 1,699,060 52 Tiruchirappalli Tamil Nadu 1,022,518
26 Thiruvananthapuram Kerala 1,687,406 53 Kota Rajasthan 1,001,694
27 Kannur Kerala 1,642,892 54 Mysore Karnataka 990,900


PakistanEdit

Main articles: Urbanisation in Pakistan and List of most populous cities in Pakistan

In Pakistan, an area is a major city and municipality if it has more than 100,000 inhabitants according to census results. Cities include adjacent cantonments. Urbanisation in Pakistan has increased since the time of independence and has several different causes. The majority of southern Pakistan's population lives along the Indus River. Karachi is its most populous city.[24] In the northern half of the country, most of the population lives in an arc formed by the cities of Lahore, Faisalabad, Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Gujranwala, Sialkot, Gujrat, Jhelum, Sargodha, Sheikhupura, Nowshera, Mardan and Peshawar. During 1990–2008, city dwellers made up 36% of Pakistan's population, making it the most urbanised nation in South Asia. Furthermore, 50% of Pakistanis live in towns of 5,000 people or more.[25] Karachi is the most populated city in Pakistan closely followed by Lahore according to the 2017 Census.

BangladeshEdit

In Bangladesh, there are total 532 urban areas, which are divided into three categories. Those are City Corporation, Municipal Corporation (Pourasova) and Upazila town. Among those urban areas, Dhaka is the largest city by population and area, with a population of 19.10 million.[26] In Bangladesh, there are total 11 City Corporations and 329 Municipal Corporations and 203 Small towns, which serves as the center for Upazilas. According to 2011 population census, Bangladesh has an urban population of 28%, with a growth rate of 2.8%.[27] At this growth rate, it is estimated that the urban population of Bangladesh will reach 79 million or 42% of total population by 2035.

Southeast AsiaEdit

 
Rank Name Country Pop. Rank Name Country Pop.
 
Jakarta
 
Manila 		1 Jakarta Indonesia 34,540,000 11 Medan Indonesia 3,632,000  
Bangkok
 
Ho Chi Minh City
2 Manila Philippines 23,088,000 12 Cebu City Philippines 2,275,000
3 Bangkok Thailand 17,066,000 13 Phnom Penh Cambodia 2,177,000
4 Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam 13,312,000 14 Semarang Indonesia 1,992,000
5 Kuala Lumpur Malaysia 8,285,000 15 Johor Bahru Malaysia 1,981,000
6 Bandung Indonesia 7,065,000 16 Makassar Indonesia 1,952,000
7 Hanoi Vietnam 6,576,000 17 Palembang Indonesia 1,889,000
8 Surabaya Indonesia 6,499,000 18 Mandalay Myanmar 1,633,000
9 Yangon Myanmar 6,314,000 19 Hai Phong Vietnam 1,623,000
10 Singapore Singapore 5,745,000 20 Yogyakarta Indonesia 1,568,000

PhilippinesEdit

With an estimated population of 16.3 million, Metro Manila is the most populous metropolitan area in the Philippines and the 11th in the world. However, the greater urban area is the 5th largest in the world with a population of 20,654,307 people (2010 estimate).[28]

SingaporeEdit

Further information: Geography of Singapore and Planning Areas of Singapore

As an island city-state, about 5.6 million people live and work within 700 square kilometres (270 sq mi). With 64 islands and islets, Singapore Island makes up the largest urban area in the country. According to the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, the country has the highest urbanised population in Southeast Asia, with 100 percent of its population living in an urban area.[29] The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) is responsible for the urban land-use planning, which designates land use and urban density of the country.[30] The country is divided into 5 regions for planning purposes by the URA, even though as a city state Singapore is defined as a single continuous urban area. It is further subdivided into 55 urban planning areas, which acts as the boundaries of planned towns within the country.[31]

VietnamEdit

In Vietnam, there are 6 types of urban areas:

ThailandEdit

Bangkok is the largest urban area in Thailand.

EuropeEdit

FinlandEdit

Main articles: Urban areas in Finland and List of urban areas in Finland by population
 
A street sign indicating the beginning of an urban area in Finland. The picture was taken in Vimpeli.

As in other Nordic countries, an urban area (taajama in Finnish) in Finland must have a building at least every 200 m (660 ft) and at least 200 people. To be considered a town or a city (kaupunki) for statistical purposes, an urban area must have at least 15,000 people. This is not to be confused with the city / town designation used by municipalities.[32][33]

FranceEdit

Main article: Functional area (France)

In France, an urban area (Fr: aire d'attraction d'une ville) is a zone encompassing an area of built-up growth (called an "urban unit" (unité urbaine)[34] – close in definition to the North American urban area) and its commuter belt (couronne). Americans would find the INSEE definition of the urban area[35] to be similar to their metropolitan area.

The largest cities in France, in terms of urban area population (2017), are Paris (12,628,266), Lyon (2,323,221), Marseille (1,760,653), Toulouse (1,360,829), Bordeaux (1,247,977), Lille (1,191,117), Nice (1,006,201), Nantes (972,828), Strasbourg (790,087) and Rennes (733,320).[36]

 
Panorama of Paris as seen from the Eiffel Tower as full 360-degree view (river flowing from north-east to south-west, right to left)

GermanyEdit

Germany has a number of large cities. The largest conurbation is the Rhine-Ruhr region (11 million in 2008), including Düsseldorf (the capital of North Rhine-Westphalia), Cologne, Bonn, Dortmund, Essen, Duisburg, and Bochum.[37]

 
Largest urban agglomerations in Germany
Rank Name State Pop. Rank Name State Pop.
 
Rhine-Ruhr
 
Berlin 		1 Rhine-Ruhr North Rhine-Westphalia 11,108,117 11 Chemnitz Saxony 873,745  
Rhine-Main
 
Stuttgart
2 Berlin Berlin 4,544,525 12 Hanover Lower Saxony 796,298
3 Rhine-Main Hesse 3,146,343 13 Dresden Saxony 790,534
4 Stuttgart Baden-Württemberg 3,016,208 14 Saar Saarland 758,249
5 Munich Bavaria 2,374,272 15 Bremen Bremen 664,603
6 Hamburg Hamburg 2,342,356 16 Aachen North Rhine-Westphalia 655,276
7 Rhine-Neckar Baden-Württemberg 1,410,711 17 Karlsruhe Baden-Württemberg 611,319
8 Nuremberg Bavaria 1,228,597 18 Augsburg Bavaria 543,503
9 Leipzig Saxony 1,038,996 19 Freiburg im Breisgau Baden-Württemberg 332,013
10 Bielefeld North Rhine-Westphalia 929,005 20 Kassel Hesse 330,654

NetherlandsEdit

The Netherlands is the 30th most densely populated country in the world, with 404.6 inhabitants per square kilometre (1,048/sq mi)—or 497 inhabitants per square kilometre (1,287/sq mi) if only the land area is counted. The Randstad is the country's largest conurbation located in the west of the country and contains the four largest cities: Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, and Utrecht. The Randstad has a population of 7 million inhabitants and is the 6th largest metropolitan area in Europe.

SwedenEdit

Main article: List of urban areas in Sweden by population

Urban areas in Sweden (tätorter) are statistically defined localities, totally independent of the administrative subdivision of the country. There are 1,956 such localities in Sweden, with a population ranging from 200 to 1,372,000 inhabitants.[38]

United KingdomEdit

Main article: List of urban areas in the United Kingdom

In 2013 the United Kingdom's Office for National Statistics (ONS) published 2011 Built-up Areas - Methodology and Guidance which sets out its definition of a built-up area as an area of built-up land of at least 20 hectares (0.077 sq mi), separated from other settlements by at least 200 metres (660 ft). For 2011 census data there are 5,493 built-up areas, of which 501 are divided into sub-divisions for which data is also available. Each built-up area is named algorithmically, using Ordnance Survey place-name data.[39]

The ONS has produced census results from urban areas since 1951, since 1981 based upon the extent of irreversible urban development indicated on Ordnance Survey maps. The definition is an extent of at least 20 ha and at least 1,500 census residents. Separate areas are linked if less than 200 m (220 yd) apart. Included are transportation features.[40] The UK has five Urban Areas with a population over a million and a further sixty nine with a population over one hundred thousand.

 
Largest urban areas of the United Kingdom
(England and Wales: 2011 census built-up area;[41] Scotland: 2016 estimates settlement;[42] Northern Ireland: 2001 census urban area)[43]
Rank Urban area Pop. Principal settlement Rank Urban area Pop. Principal settlement
 
Greater London

 
West Midlands

1 Greater London 9,787,426 London 11 Bristol 617,280 Bristol
2 West Midlands 2,440,986 Birmingham 12 Edinburgh 512,150 Edinburgh
3 Greater Manchester 2,553,379 Manchester 13 Leicester 508,916 Leicester
4 West Yorkshire 1,777,934 Leeds 14 Belfast 483,418 Belfast
5 Greater Glasgow 985,290 Glasgow 15 Brighton & Hove 474,485 Brighton & Hove
6 Liverpool 864,122 Liverpool 16 Bournemouth/Poole 466,266 Bournemouth
7 South Hampshire 855,569 Southampton 17 Cardiff 390,214 Cardiff
8 Tyneside 774,891 Newcastle 18 Teesside 376,633 Middlesbrough
9 Nottingham 729,977 Nottingham 19 Stoke-on-Trent 372,775 Stoke
10 Sheffield 685,368 Sheffield 20 Coventry 359,262 Coventry

NorwayEdit

Main article: List of urban areas in Norway by population

Statistics Norway defines urban areas ("tettsteder") similarly to the other Nordic countries. Unlike in Denmark and Sweden, the distance between each building has to be of less than 50 m, although exceptions are made due to parks, industrial areas, rivers, and similar. Groups of houses less than 400 m from the main body of an urban area are included in the urban area.[44]

PolandEdit

In Poland, official "urban" population figures simply refer to those localities which have the status of towns (miasta). The "rural" population is that of all areas outside the boundaries of these towns. This distinction may give a misleading impression in some cases, since some localities with only village status may have acquired larger and denser populations than many many smaller towns[45] with most excessive example of Poznań, most spread urban area of the country with population of the city app. 534 thousand and urban area above 1,100 thousand inhabitants. On the other hand, the Upper Silesian Industrial Region conurbation with numerous large and medium cities covers 3,200 km and has approximately 3 million people.

RussiaEdit

Moscow, the capital and largest city of Russia, has a population estimated at 12.4 million residents within the city limits,[46] while over 17 million residents in the urban area,[47] and over 20 million residents in the Moscow Metropolitan Area.[48] It is among the world's largest cities, being the most populous city entirely within Europe, the most populous urban area in Europe,[47] the most populous metropolitan area in Europe,[48] and also the largest city by land area on the European continent.[49] Saint Petersburg, the cultural capital, is the second-largest city, with a population of roughly 5.4 million inhabitants.[50] Other major urban areas are Yekaterinburg, Novosibirsk, Kazan, Nizhny Novgorod, and Chelyabinsk.

 
Largest cities or towns in Russia
Rank Name Federal subject Pop. Rank Name Federal subject Pop.
 
Moscow
 
Saint Petersburg 		1 Moscow Moscow 13,010,112 11 Rostov-na-Donu Rostov Oblast 1,142,162  
Novosibirsk
 
Yekaterinburg
2 Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg 5,601,911 12 Omsk Omsk Oblast 1,125,695
3 Novosibirsk Novosibirsk Oblast 1,633,595 13 Krasnodar Krasnodar Krai 1,099,344
4 Yekaterinburg Sverdlovsk Oblast 1,544,376 14 Voronezh Voronezh Oblast 1,057,681
5 Kazan Tatarstan 1,308,660 15 Perm Perm Krai 1,034,002
6 Nizhny Novgorod Nizhny Novgorod Oblast 1,228,199 16 Volgograd Volgograd Oblast 1,028,036
7 Chelyabinsk Chelyabinsk Oblast 1,189,525 17 Saratov Saratov Oblast 901,361
8 Krasnoyarsk Krasnoyarsk Krai 1,187,771 18 Tyumen Tyumen Oblast 847,488
9 Samara Samara Oblast 1,173,299 19 Tolyatti Samara Oblast 684,709
10 Ufa Bashkortostan 1,144,809 20 Barnaul Altai Krai 630,877

OceaniaEdit

AustraliaEdit

The Australian Bureau of Statistics refers to urban areas as Urban Centres, which it generally defines as population clusters of 1,000 or more people.[52] Australia is one of the most urbanised countries in the world, with more than 50% of the population residing in Australia's three biggest urban centres.[citation needed][52]

 
Sydney is Australia's largest city, home to 5.3 million inhabitants.[53]
 
Largest populated areas in Australia
Rank Name State Pop. Rank Name State Pop.
 
Sydney
 
Melbourne 		1 Sydney NSW 5,259,764 11 Geelong Vic 289,400  
Brisbane
 
Perth
2 Melbourne Vic 4,976,157 12 Hobart Tas 251,047
3 Brisbane Qld 2,568,927 13 Townsville Qld 181,665
4 Perth WA 2,192,229 14 Cairns Qld 155,638
5 Adelaide SA 1,402,393 15 Darwin NT 148,801
6 Gold Coast–Tweed Heads Qld/NSW 706,673 16 Toowoomba Qld 143,994
7 Newcastle–Maitland NSW 509,894 17 Ballarat Vic 111,702
8 Canberra–Queanbeyan ACT/NSW 482,250 18 Bendigo Vic 102,899
9 Sunshine Coast Qld 355,631 19 Albury-Wodonga NSW/Vic 97,676
10 Wollongong NSW 305,880 20 Launceston Tas 93,332

New ZealandEdit

Main article: Urban areas of New Zealand

Statistics New Zealand defines urban areas in New Zealand, which are independent of any administrative subdivisions and have no legal basis.[55] There are four classes of urban area: major urban areas (population 100,000+), large urban areas (population 30,000-99,999), medium urban areas (population 10,000-29,999) and small urban areas (population 1000-9,999). As of 2021, there are 7 major urban areas, 13 large urban areas, 22 medium urban areas and 136 small urban areas. Urban areas are reclassified after each New Zealand census, so population changes between censuses does not change an urban area's classification.

 
Largest cities or towns in New Zealand
Statistics New Zealand June 2022 estimate (SSGA18 boundaries)[56]
Rank Name Region Pop. Rank Name Region Pop.
 
Auckland
 
Christchurch 		1 Auckland Auckland 1,440,300 11 Hibiscus Coast Auckland 60,000  
Wellington
 
Hamilton
2 Christchurch Canterbury 377,900 12 New Plymouth Taranaki 58,500
3 Wellington Wellington 212,000 13 Rotorua Bay of Plenty 57,900
4 Hamilton Waikato 179,900 14 Whangārei Northland 54,900
5 Tauranga Bay of Plenty 158,300 15 Nelson Nelson 50,800
6 Lower Hutt Wellington 111,500 16 Hastings Hawke's Bay 50,400
7 Dunedin Otago 102,400 17 Invercargill Southland 49,800
8 Palmerston North Manawatū-Whanganui 81,200 18 Upper Hutt Wellington 44,800
9 Napier Hawke's Bay 66,800 19 Whanganui Manawatū-Whanganui 42,600
10 Porirua Wellington 60,200 20 Gisborne Gisborne 37,700

North AmericaEdit

CanadaEdit

Main article: List of the largest population centres in Canada

According to Statistics Canada, an urban area in Canada is an area with a population of at least 1,000 people where the density is no fewer than 400 persons per square kilometre (1,000/sq mi).[57] If two or more urban areas are within 2 km (1.2 mi) of each other by road, they are merged into a single urban area, provided they do not cross census metropolitan area or census agglomeration boundaries.[58]

In the Canada 2011 Census, Statistics Canada redesignated urban areas with the new term "population centre";[59] the new term was chosen in order to better reflect the fact that urban vs. rural is not a strict division, but rather a continuum within which several distinct settlement patterns may exist. For example, a community may fit a strictly statistical definition of an urban area, but may not be commonly thought of as "urban" because it has a smaller population, or functions socially and economically as a suburb of another urban area rather than as a self-contained urban entity, or is geographically remote from other urban communities. Accordingly, the new definition set out three distinct types of population centres: small (population 1,000 to 29,999), medium (population 30,000 to 99,999) and large (population 100,000 or greater).[59] Despite the change in terminology, however, the demographic definition of a population centre remains unchanged from that of an urban area: a population of at least 1,000 people where the density is no fewer than 400 persons per km2.

 
Largest metropolitan areas in Canada
Rank Name Province Pop. Rank Name Province Pop.
1 Toronto Ontario 6,202,225 11 London Ontario 543,551
2 Montreal Quebec 4,291,732 12 Halifax Nova Scotia 465,703
3 Vancouver British Columbia 2,642,825 13 St. Catharines–Niagara Ontario 433,604
4 Ottawa–Gatineau Ontario–Quebec 1,488,307 14 Windsor Ontario 422,630
5 Calgary Alberta 1,481,806 15 Oshawa Ontario 415,311
6 Edmonton Alberta 1,418,118 16 Victoria British Columbia 397,237
7 Quebec City Quebec 839,311 17 Saskatoon Saskatchewan 317,480
8 Winnipeg Manitoba 834,678 18 Regina Saskatchewan 249,217
9 Hamilton Ontario 785,184 19 Sherbrooke Quebec 227,398
10 Kitchener–Cambridge–Waterloo Ontario 575,847 20 Kelowna British Columbia 222,162

MexicoEdit

Mexico is one of many countries where the urbanization rate is at least 80%. Mexico City, its capital, is the largest urban area in the country.

United StatesEdit

Main article: List of United States urban areas

In the United States, the Census Bureau defines urban areas and delineates urban area boundaries after each census. The Bureau defines an urban area as "a statistical geographic entity consisting of a densely settled core created from census blocks and contiguous qualifying territory that together have at least 2,000 housing units or 5,000 persons."[60] There were 2,646 urban areas identified by the Census Bureau for 2020. 511 of these had a population of 50,000 or more.[61]

For the 2000 and 2010 censuses, the Census Bureau differentiated between two kinds of urban areas: urbanized areas and urban clusters. The term urbanized area denoted an urban area of 50,000 or more people. Urban areas under 50,000 people were called urban clusters. Urbanized areas were first delineated in the United States in the 1950 census, while urban clusters were added in the 2000 census. The distinction between urbanized areas and urban clusters was removed for the 2020 census.[60]

Urban areas consist of a densely-settled urban core, plus surrounding developed areas that meet certain density criteria. Since urban areas are composed of census blocks and not cities, counties, or county-equivalents, urban area boundaries may consist of partial areas of these political units. Urban areas are distinguished from rural areas: any area not part of an urban area is considered to be rural by the Census Bureau.[60]

The largest urban area in the United States is that of New York City and its surrounding suburbs. The New York–Jersey City–Newark, NY–NJ urban area had a population of 19,426,449 as of 2020, while the larger metropolitan area had a population of 20,140,470, and the combined statistical area had a population of 23,582,649. The next five largest urban areas in the U.S. are those of Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami, Houston, and Dallas.[61] 80.0 percent of the population of the United States lives within the boundaries of an urban area as of the 2020 census.[62]

 
The skyscrapers of New York City, the most populous city in the United States and the most populous U.S. metropolitan area, are almost all situated in Manhattan, the world's largest central business district, seen here in this panorama in February 2018, as viewed from Weehawken, New Jersey.
  1. Riverside Church
  2. Time Warner Center
  3. 220 Central Park South
  4. Central Park Tower
  5. One57
  6. 432 Park Avenue
  7. 53W53
  8. Chrysler Building
  9. Bank of America Tower
  10. Conde Nast Building
  11. The New York Times Building
  12. Empire State Building
  13. Manhattan West
  14. a: 55 Hudson Yards, b: 35 Hudson Yards, c: 10 Hudson Yards, d: 15 Hudson Yards
  15. 56 Leonard Street
  16. 8 Spruce Street
  17. Woolworth Building
  18. 70 Pine Street
  19. 30 Park Place
  20. 40 Wall Street
  21. Three World Trade Center
  22. Four World Trade Center
  23. One World Trade Center

The concept of Urbanized Areas as defined by the U.S. Census Bureau is often used as a more accurate gauge of the size of a city, since in different cities and states the lines between city borders and the urbanized area of that city are often not the same. For example, the city of Greenville, South Carolina has a city population just over 68,000 and an urbanized area population of around 400,000, while Greensboro, North Carolina has a city population just over 285,000 and an urbanized area population of around 300,000 — meaning that Greenville is actually "larger" for some intents and purposes, but not for others, such as taxation, local elections, etc.

In the U.S. Department of Agriculture's natural resources inventory, urban areas are officially known as developed areas or urban and built-up areas. Such areas include cities, ethnic villages, other built-up areas of more than 10 ac (4 ha), industrial sites, railroad yards, cemeteries, airports, golf courses, shooting ranges, institutional and public administration sites, and similar areas. The 1997 national resources inventory placed over 98,000,000 ac (40,000,000 ha) in this category, an increase of 25,000,000 ac (10,000,000 ha) since 1982.[63]

South AmericaEdit

ArgentinaEdit

Argentina is highly urbanized.[64] The ten largest metropolitan areas account for half of the population, and fewer than one in ten live in rural areas. About 3 million people live in Buenos Aires City and the Greater Buenos Aires metropolitan area totals around 15 million, making it one of the largest urban areas in the world, with a population of 18 million all up.[65]

Córdoba has around 1.5 million people living in the urban area, while Rosario, Mendoza and Tucumán have around 1.2 million inhabitants each[65] and La Plata, Mar del Plata, Salta and Santa Fe[65][66] have at least 500,000 people each.

BrazilEdit

The following paragraph is an excerpt from List of metropolitan areas in Brazil § Definitions.[edit]
In Brazil, the terms metropolitan area (Portuguese: região metropolitana) and urban agglomeration (aglomeração urbana) have specific meanings. They are defined by federal and state legislation as collections of municipalities focused on "integrating the organization, planning and execution of public functions of common interest".[67] An integrated development area (região integrada de desenvolvimento) is one of the two above structures that crosses state (or Federal District) boundaries.
 
Largest urban agglomerations in Brazil
Rank Name State Pop. Rank Name State Pop.
 
São Paulo
 
Rio de Janeiro 		1 São Paulo São Paulo 21,314,716 11 Belém Pará 2,157,180  
Belo Horizonte
 
Recife
2 Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro 12,389,775 12 Manaus Amazonas 2,130,264
3 Belo Horizonte Minas Gerais 5,142,260 13 Campinas São Paulo 2,105,600
4 Recife Pernambuco 4,021,641 14 Vitória Espírito Santo 1,837,047
5 Brasília Federal District 3,986,425 15 Baixada Santista São Paulo 1,702,343
6 Porto Alegre Rio Grande do Sul 3,894,232 16 São José dos Campos São Paulo 1,572,943
7 Salvador Bahia 3,863,154 17 São Luís Maranhão 1,421,569
8 Fortaleza Ceará 3,594,924 18 Natal Rio Grande do Norte 1,349,743
9 Curitiba Paraná 3,387,985 19 Maceió Alagoas 1,231,965
10 Goiânia Goiás 2,347,557 20 João Pessoa Paraíba 1,168,941

ChileEdit

Chile is highly urbanized, just like Argentina. The largest urban area in the country is its capital, Santiago.

See alsoEdit

ReferencesEdit

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External linksEdit

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