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___ Megacities of the World |
 Megalopolis Greater Tokyo, population 38,000,000, about the population of California. Image: Yodalica |
Visit the Most Populated Cities on EarthThis is a virtual travel to the world's most populous cities like New York, Tokyo, Shanghai, London, Hong Kong, Chicago, Buenos Aires, Bangkok, Seoul, Los Angeles, Mexico City and so on.Which is the largest city on the planet, this issue is still unresolved but sometimes the subject of small talk. On your next casual conversation you may impress your audience when you state that by far the largest city is Chongqing, because most certainly nobody ever had heard of that city. Chongqing in southwest China is one of the emerging Megacities with a population of more than 32 million people, sprawled over an area of 82,400 km² (this is twice the size of Switzerland with 41,285 km²). Chongqing carved out of Sichuan province in 1997, is de facto a Chinese province with the status of a provincial-level municipality like Shanghai, Beijing and Tianjin. And this should be the largest? Actually Chongqing's core population is about 7.5 million. The largest, the biggest, or the most populous cities? In many languages this terms are interchangeable, meaning the largest city of a country is also the most populous. In the chart below there they are, the largest cities in the world, ranked by the population of a city's urban/metropolitan area. What is a City? The challenge is, ranking these cities is like to compare apples and oranges. The common ground is: there is a city and there must be people, so lets count them. The problem begins with the definition of a city, easy you say? A build-up of many buildings with many citizens is a city, right? The largest city on Earth? Lets look at Tokyo, often referred to as the largest city on Earth. But this is only true when you take the built up area of Tokyo and add the urban expansion of Chiba, Kawasaki, Sagamihara, Saitama, and Yokohama, which actually is Japan's second most populous city. In the course of time, the fringe areas of all those cities have been growing together and now they form one massive conurbation, a megalopolis, a sprawling sea of buildings, and streets, with only virtual borders - and living within, 28% of Japan’s entire population. To learn more about the cities, this page provides links to the official city or municipality government website and/or to the official travel and tourism information site or other tourism guides related to a city. A city's websites usually publish also information for visitors and tourists about cultural events, festivals, sightseeing and much more. Note: Population figures are for latest available years. The ranking is relative because of the diverse latest available figures of the city population. External links will open in a new browser window. page keywords: largest city in the world, mega cities of the world, world cities, world city population, most populated city in the world, city travel, city guides |
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 Skyscrapers in Shanghai's Pudong district. Image: Baycrest |
Shanghai (Chinese: 上海) - also named "Hu" or "Shen" in short. It is People's Republic of China's largest city and one of the largest cities in the world. It covers an area of 6,340 square kilometers. It is one of the world's largest seaports and a major industrial center of
China. Shanghai city proper population was 7 million people in 2010. More about ShanghaiSearchable map/satellite view of Shanghai. Official Website Shanghai Official website of Shanghai Municipality. Shanghai Tours Website of Shanghai Municipal Tourism Administration with visitors information. |
Metropolitan Area: 24.24 million with permanent residents of 14.25 million and migrant residents (commuter) 9.9 million (in 2013; source: China Daily  )23,019,148 (2010 census) National Bureau of Statistics 18,885,000 (2008) Shanghai Municipal Government |
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 Karachi Port and Naval bases |
Karachi - largest city, business capital and the "Melting Pot of Pakistan. The city is Pakistan's principal seaport and capital of Sindh province, located in southern Pakistan at the coast of the Arabian Sea (Indian Ocean). According to Karachi Metropolitan Corporation: Karachi's 'metropolitan area along with its suburbs comprises the world's second most populated city'. Due to its migrant population the city grew almost 60 times since 1947, and there is nowadays still the unchecked and uncontrolled massive migration of workforce to Karachi that increases the city's population. ‘The population of Karachi has doubled in 15 years’ Tribune Karachi More about KarachiWith a searchable map/satellite view of the city. Official Website Karachi Karachi municipality government website. |
Estimated population of Karachi today: 21 million Urban population: 14,500,000 City District Government Karachi est. 2007 See also: Karachi: a unique mega city Population explosion: Put an embargo on industrialization in Karachi |
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 Shinjuku Street Tokyo Image: Zaida Montañana |
Tokyo (東京) - the "Eastern Capital", formerly Edo (until 1868), the capital and largest city
of Japan and in Asia. The Tokyo Major Metropolitan Area includes the cities of Chiba, Kawasaki, Sagamihara, Saitama, and Yokohama, making it the world's most populous metropolitan area. Tokyo City Limits (Special wards of Tokyo) has a population of 9 million people. More about TokyoWith basic facts and a searchable map/satellite view of Tokyo. Official Website Tokyo |
Tokyo Major Metropolitan Area (Kanto M.M.A.): 37,220,000 Tokyo Metropolis: 13,189,000 about 10% of Japan's total population Tokyo Metropolitan Government (2012 est.) |
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 Beijing's Central Business District |
Beijing - (Chinese: 北京 Běijīng, also formerly known in English and other language as Peking). Pei-Ching the "Northern Capital", capital city and political and cultural center of the People's Republic of China, is the second most populous city in China. More about BeijingWith a searchable map and satellite view of Beijing. Official Website Beijing |
20.7 million (end of 2012 )20.1 million (2013 est. )source: National Bureau of Statistics |
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 São Paulo (Saint Paul) seen from Ibirapuera Park. © Turismo Cidade de São Paulo |
São
Paulo the largest city in
Brazil and the capital of the captaincy (state) São
Paulo, founded as São Paulo de Piratininga (Saint Paul of the Fields of Piratininga) in 1554. Most populous city in South America. More about São Paulowith a searchable map and satellite view of the city. Official Website São Paulo Prefeitura da Cidade de São Paulo (in Portuguese) São Paulo Turismo Official tourism website of São Paulo. |
Metropolitan Region: 20.8 million (Região Metropolitana de São Paulo ) City: 11,821,873 (mid. 2013) IBGE, Cidades, São Paulo Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística |
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 Megalopolis - Mexico City, Nezahualcoyotl Image: Oscar Ruiz (heli pilot) |
Mexico
(Ciudad de México) was in ancient times the pre-Columbian city of Tenochtitlan, it became the capital of the Aztec Empire until 1521. Today Mexico city is the economic, industrial, and cultural center and the capital city of the United States of Mexico. Most populous city in North America. More about Mexico CityInformation and a searchable map/satellite view of Mexico City. Official Website Mexico City Mexico City government website (in Spanish). Mexico City Mexico City tourism website. |
Mexico City |
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| . |  NYC - The Big Apple - Manhattan Island |
New
York City The city of the five 'boroughs': Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island (formerly Richmond), at least since 1790 number one on the list of the largest city in the United States. New York is also in the lead in the ranking on almost any of a variety of Global Cities Indexes. More about New York CitySearchable map/satellite view of New York City. Official Website New York City The official New York City Web site. NYC The official tourism website of New York City. |
New York metropolitan area, New York-Newark: just under 20 million residents. (mid 2013 est.) U.S. Census Bureau Metro: 18,897,109 City proper: 8,336,697 U.S. Census Bureau (2012 est.) |
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 Mumbai © Maharashtra Tourism |
Mumbai (मुंबई) Marathi Mumbai (the former Bombay), capital of Maharashtra state in India, port to the Arabian Sea and one of the most
densely populated cities in the world. More about MumbaiSearchable map/satellite view of Mumbai. Official Website Mumbai |
Greater Mumbai: 18.5 million ( Provisional Population Totals, Census of India 2011 )source: Census of India Mumbai population 14 million (according to the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai) 19.74 million (UN estimates) |
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| . |  Bahá'í Lotus Temple, Delhi |
Delhi (Hindi: दिल्ली) - city and union territory, also known as the National Capital Territory of India. New Delhi to the south of Old Delhi is the capital of India. More about Delhi Searchable map/satellite view of Delhi. Official Website Delhi Delhi government website. |
Delhi National Capital Territory: 16.3 million Census of India (2011 census) or 16.8 million (2011 Census Population) Government of NCT of Delhi |
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 St Basil Cathedral and Kremlin, Moscow |
Moscow,
(Moskva) - most populous city, the political center and the capital of the Russian Federation, first written mention of Moscow dates
back to 1147. More about Moscow Searchable map/satellite view of Moscow. Official Website Moscow |
11.5 million Federal State Statistics Service 2010 census |
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| . |  The city of Chongqing |
Chongqing (in Chinese: 重慶; 重庆; Abbr. 渝 yú), formerly known as Chungking. The metropolitan region of Chongqing is one of four provincial-level municipalities of China,
the highest level classification for cities with a status equal to that of provinces. The city/province is the economic center of the upper Yangtze River with a population of almost 30 million people. Chongqing is one of the fastest growing cities in the world. More about Chongqing Searchable map/satellite view of Chongqing. Official Website Chongqing Chongqing Municipal Government website. |
Chongqing Municipality: 28,8 million Census 2010 City Core: 16 districts & 3 counties 16.2 million Core city: 7.5 million (est. 2012) |
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| . |  City of Guangzhou |
Guangzhou - is the capital of Guangdong province located at Pearl River about 120 km (75 miles) northwest of Hong Kong in the southern part of P.R. China. In its metropolitan area there live more than 8.5 million people. More about Guangzhou Searchable map/satellite view of Guangzhou. Official Website Guangzhou The official website (in Chinese) Guangzhou International The official website of Guangzhou Municipality |
12,700,800 2010 Guangzhou Municipality |
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 Tianjin City at Hai He River |
Tianjin -
Chinese: 天津, also T'ien-Ching, Tientsin. Tianjin is Chinas fifth largest city. Referred to as "Jin" for short, Tianjin is one of the four Direct-controlled municipalities of China. More about Tianjin Searchable map/satellite view of Tianjin. Official Website Tianjin Tianjin |
City of Tianjin: 10.4 million permanent residents |
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 Lalbagh Fort Dhaka |
Dhaka - Bengali: ঢাকা, a megacity, largest city and capital of Bangladesh, located on the east banks of the Buriganga River in the Ganges delta. More about Dhaka Searchable map/satellite view of Dhaka. Official Website Dhaka City |
Greater Dhaka Metropolitan area: 17.2 million (2011 Census) Dhaka Division: 12 million Source: Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics Dhaka: 8.5 million Statistical Yearbook 2011 |
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 Misty Bangkok Image: nationsonline.org |
Bangkok (กรุงเทพมหานคร) - the Thai name is Krung Thep, the "City of Angels", formerly divided into two
municipalities, Krung Thep and Thon Buri. Bangkok is the capital, cultural and commercial
center of Thailand and by far the largest city in the country. More about Bangkok Some basics about the city, includes a searchable map, a satellite view and street view of Bangkok. Official Website Bangkok Bangkok's government official website. |
Greater Bangkok: 14.5 million (estimated) Bangkok Metropolis: 8,3 million Thailand Population Census 2010 |
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 Dong-A Seoul International Marathon @visitseoul.net - Photo: Mok, Gil-Soon |
Seoul - in Korean 서울 (Soul-t'ukpyolsi) Officially Seoul Special City, situated along the banks of the Han river is the national capital of
South Korea, Seoul was, until 1945, the capital of all of Korea, in ancient times Seoul was the capital of Baekje Kingdom (18 B.C. ~ 660 A.D.) Google
Earth SeoulSearchable map/satellite view of Seoul. Official Website Seoul |
Special city: just under 10 million residents (2014) Seoul Metropolitan Government The Seoul Capital Area which includes the surrounding Incheon metropolis and Gyeonggi province has a population of 25.7 million 9,794,304 2010 census Statistics Korea |
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| . |  Istanbul at Night |
Istanbul (İstanbul) - a city with a great history, formerly known as Byzantium and Constantinople (official renamed to Istanbul in 1930). The former capital is the largest city and principal seaport and the cultural and financial center of Turkey. It is the only city in the world situated on two continents. Google
Earth Map IstanbulSearchable map/satellite view of Istanbul. Official Website Istanbul Official website of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality. |
Istanbul province: 13,624,240 census end of 2011 Turkish Statistical Institute 12,573,836 census 2007 Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality |
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 Jakarta at night |
Jakarta - until 1949 the city was named Batavia, from 1949-72 its was named Djakarta. Jakarta is primary port city, the largest city and the capital of Indonesia. Google
Map of JakartaSearchable map/satellite view of Jakarta. Official Website Jakarta City government website. |
9,607,787 Statistics Indonesia |
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| . |  Avenida del Libertador, Buenos Aires |
Buenos Aires,
is the largest city, chief port, and capital of Argentina, located on the south west bank of Río de la Plata river, in the pampa region. More about Buenos Aires With basic information plus a searchable map/satellite view of Buenos Aires. Official Websites Buenos Aires Ciudad Buenos Aires Tourism Website |
Buenos Aires core city population (Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires): 2,890,000 Greater Buenos Aires (24 Partidos del Gran Buenos Aires): 9,9 million (Census 2010) Buenos Aires Province: 15,6 million people (Census 2010) Source: INDEC. Censo Nacional de Población 2010 Census 13.53 million (UN) |
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| . |  London Tower Bridge © www.britainonview.com |
London Largest city and the capital of the United Kingdom, a confederal metropolis and a
polycentric city, with many core districts and no clear hierarchy among them.
The London administrative area comprises the City of London, and the thirty-two boroughs, of which 13 are in Inner London and 19 are in Outer London. London is since years number two in the Global City Index (GCI). Google
Map LondonSearchable map/satellite view of London. Official Websites London Website of Mayor of London, the London Assembly and the Greater London Authority. Visit London The London visitors guide. |
8.2 million Urban Zone: The estimated population in and around London known as the "London commuter belt" are just under 12 million people Office for National Statistics 2011 Census 8 278 251 |
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| . |  Azadi Monument, Teheran |
Tehran, since 1788 capital
city of Persia (Iran) and since 1980 capital of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Google
Earth Tehran Searchable map/satellite view of Tehran. Official Website Tehran Official website of Tehran municipality. |
City: 7.1 million (census 2006/1385) Metro: 14,000,000 (est. 2012) Statistical Centre of Iran (Metro: 11,912,000 in 2003/1382) |
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Hong
Kong - 香港 Xianggang (Hsiang Kang, the fragrant harbour), the formerly British
Dependent Territory of Hong Kong comprises of Victoria (commonly known as Hong
Kong Island), the Kowloon Peninsula, the "New Territories", and 235 outlying islands. Hong Kong became a Special Administrative Region (SAR) of the People Republic of China on 1 July 1997. Google
Earth Hong KongSearchable map/satellite view of Hong Kong. Official Websites: Hong Kong (official government website) Hong Kong (website of Hong Kong Tourism Board) |
7.2 million Population End - 2013 Hong Kong Census and Statistics Department |
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| . |  Rifai and Sultan Hassan Mosques in Cairo |
Cairo - Al-Qahirah, capital of Egypt and a cultural centre of the Arab world. Cairo is
the largest city of the Middle East and in Africa. Google
Earth Cairo Searchable map/satellite view of Cairo. Official Website Cairo Official website of Cairo Governorate. |
Cairo governorate: 6,789,479 greater Metropolitan Area: 14,872,204 (est. 2011) Tour Egypt |
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| . |  Bogotá, Colombia's Capital City |
Bogotá D.C. , formerly called Santa Fe de Bogotá, located on a mountain rimmed plateau in the
Cordillera Oriental of the Andes Mountains, founded in 1538. Capital City of Colombia. Google
Earth Bogotá Searchable map/satellite view of Bogotá. Official Website Bogotá D.C. |
6 945 216 (UN) * 6 776 009 (WP) DANE - Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadistica Censo General 2005: 6 776 009 * Urban agglomeration |
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 Cristo Redentor (Christ the Redeemer) a world known symbol for Rio de Janeiro. |
Rio de Janeiro, is the second largest city in Brazil, world famous for its carnival and the Copacabana and Ipanema beaches. Google
Map of Rio de Janeiro Searchable map/satellite view of Rio de Janeiro. Official Websites Rio de Janeiro Website of the city prefecture. Turisrio Official website of Rio de Janeiro's Secretary of Tourism, Sports, and Leisure. |
Metropolitan Region: 16 million (census 2010) Municipality: 6.43 million (est. 2013) Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatstica |
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 Santiago's Growing Skyline Image: Juan Marchant |
Santiago de Chile - largest city and the capital of Chile. Google
Earth Santiago Searchable map/satellite view of Santiago. Official Website Santiago Municipality of Santiago website (in Spanish). |
6,683,852 Biobio Chile Census 2012 |
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 Shenzhen, Central Business District |
Shenzhen is a major city in the south of Guangdong Province, China, just north of Hong Kong. Google
Earth Shenzhen Searchable map/satellite view of Shenzhen. Official Website Shenzhen Municipality Shenzhen government. |
10,470,000 Shenzhen Municipal E-government 2011 |
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| . |  Lima's San Isidro district |
Lima - El Pulpo (The Octopus), commercial and industrial center and the capital city of Peru Google
Earth Lima Searchable map/satellite view of Lima. Official Website Lima Municipalidad de Lima (in Spanish) |
9.13 (UN) 7 605 742 (WP) 10.9 million Demographia World Urban Areas 2016 |
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 Lagos Island and part of Lagos Harbour Image: Benji Robertson |
Lagos, formerly the capital and still the main commercial and industrial center and principal seaport of Nigeria. By far the largest city in the country. Lagos is one of and fastest growing cities in Africa, it is among the top ten of the world's fastest growing cities and urban areas. Google
Earth Lagos Searchable map/satellite view of Lagos. Official Website Lagos State Official website of the Lagos state government. |
Metropolitan Lagos: 21 million people 17,850,000 The number is heavy based on estimates, because until today there is no compulsory registration of people in Nigeria. Nigerian National Bureau of Statistics Metropolitan Lagos, Lagos State 9,113,605 National Population Commission |
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| . |  Badshahi Mosque (Emperor's Mosque), Lahore's most famous landmark built in 1671-73, an example of the Mughal era architecture. Image: Ali Imran |
Lahore,
is the capital of Punjab and second largest city in Pakistan, located in the upper Indus plain on the Ravi River, west of the border to India's province Himachal Pradesh. Google
Earth Lahore Searchable map/satellite view of Lahore. Official Website Lahore (offline) Punjab Gateway Portal of Government of the Punjab. |
5,143,000 Federal Bureau of Statistics, Pakistan 1998 Census 10,3 million people in 2016 Demographia World Urban Areas 2016 |
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Sources: If possible the source is linked, mostly national or municipal statistic bureaus. other sources used: the United Nations Statistics Division - Citydata, abbr.: (UN); sometimes Wikipedia, abbr.: (WP), not always up-to-date, but a great source to the real sources. Lets make it bigger. For those who are interested why the population figures for major world urban areas vary so greatly by various sources and publications, can read about the difficulty to get almost realistic population figures for metropolitan areas and cities. For example New York City is listed in various World-Rankings of the Most Populous Cities, Urban Areas, Agglomerations, Conurbations etc. as follows: Rank No. 2 (pop. 30 400 000) in World Gazetteer in 2004, according to Richard L. Forstall (see below) No. 6 (pop. 21 900 000) in City Population (The Principal Agglomerations of the World) No. 3 (pop. 21 295 ,000) in Wendell Cox Consultancy's Demographia (Largest Urban Areas in the World: 2009) No. 4 (pop. 19 750 000) in Wikipedia (List of metropolitan areas by population) No. 5 (pop. 19 500 000) in Richard L. Forstall (Which are the largest?) No. 2 (pop. 19 000 000) in United Nations Population Division (Urban Agglomerations 2007) No. 5 (pop. 16 626 000) in WorldAtlas.com (Largest Cities of the World - by population) the figures for other cities vary accordingly by each publication. The official population figure for New York City, according to U.S. Census Bureau is 8 363 710 (July 1, 2008) Some publication just don't mention, that this figures are not for the City of New York, instead of the New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, New York-New Jersey-Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) including beside New York, the cities of Jersey City (NJ), Newark (NJ), Paterson (NJ), and Yonkers (NY), spread out over three states, New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut. According to U.S. Census Bureau the population of 'New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, NY-NJ-PA is 19 006 798. See also the study of Richard L. Forstall and others: WHICH ARE THE LARGEST? WHY PUBLISHED POPULATIONS FOR MAJOR WORLD URBAN AREAS VARY SO GREATLY (dead link) Glossary:* City proper or City limit is a locality with legally fixed boundaries and an administratively recognized urban status that is usually characterized by some form of local government, in other words, a city or town within its city limit without adjacent communities.Urban area is the area that a city or town occupies, it is created and further developed by the process of urbanization. ** Urban agglomeration is an extended city or town area comprising the built-up area of a central place (usually a municipality) and any suburbs linked by continuous urban area, similar to Metropolitan Area. Metropolitan area (Metro) is a large population center consisting of a large urban area (core city) together with adjacent communities and satellite cities plus its adjacent zone of influence including rural areas. Images: some images are licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License or the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License. |
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