What does big city mean to you? A million inhabitants, two, maybe ten or even thirty? See the photo gallery of the 20 largest cities in the world by population.

In 20th place in terms of population is Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh.

Buenos Aires occupies 19th place, 14.3 million people live in the capital of Argentina.

18th place: Kolkata is the largest city in India with a population of 15.7 million.

17th place: Cairo - the capital of Egypt - the number of inhabitants is 17.3 million.

Beijing has 16.4 million inhabitants, placing the Chinese capital in 15th place in the ranking.

Los Angeles is in 13th place in terms of population with 17 million inhabitants.

The capital of the Philippines - Manila - is in 12th place among the largest cities in the world with 20.7 million inhabitants.

The Indian city of Bombay, which has a population of 20.8 million, is ranked 11th in the ranking.

9th place: the Brazilian city of Sao Paulo, it is home to 21.1 million people.

7th place: Indian Delhi - 23 million inhabitants.

The 6th place in terms of population is occupied by the Mexican capital - Mexico City - 23.2 million inhabitants.

The 5th most populous city in the world is Shanghai. This largest Chinese city has 25.3 million inhabitants.

In 2nd place: Guangzhou is the largest Chinese city with 25.8 million people.

The largest city in the world by population is Tokyo. The capital of Japan is home to 34.5 million people. Tokyo is the undisputed leader in our ranking and will remain so for a long time to come.

01/28/2016 at 03:54 pm pavlofox · 89 910

Top 10 largest cities in the world by area

Exploring cities is an extremely interesting activity. Each of them has its own history, and they are all so different: industrial giants, resort areas and tiny provincial towns. But among them there are largest cities in the world by area and. Who entered our top 10 - we will find out further.

We note right away that it is quite difficult to determine the boundaries of the territories of modern cities and rank the largest of them. To be as accurate as possible, the researchers use the so-called light imprint - this is the area of ​​​​artificial illumination of the settlement and its suburbs from the height of the aircraft. Satellite maps are also used, which clearly show cities and rural areas that are not included in them.

10. London | Area 1580 km²

The capital of foggy Albina opens the list of the largest cities in the world in terms of area. It is the largest metropolis in the European Union and the leading financial, political and economic center of the country. It covers an area of ​​about 1580 square kilometers. London is a favorite place for visiting tourists who want to see Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, the famous Royal Guards and many other equally interesting sights.

9. Sydney | Area 2037 km²

Ninth place in the ranking of the largest cities in the world in terms of area - Sydney. It covers an area of ​​2037 square kilometers. In many ratings, it occupies a leading position as the largest metropolis. The fact is that the Australian Bureau of Statistics includes the nearest national parks and the Blue Mountains in Sydney. As a result, the formal territory of Sydney is 12,145 square kilometers. Be that as it may, it is the largest metropolis in Australia and Oceania.

8. Tokyo | Area 2189 km²

In 8th place among the largest cities in the world in terms of area is located, covering an area of ​​​​2189 square kilometers. The capital of Japan is the most important economic, political and cultural center of the Land of the Rising Sun. Tokyo is an incredibly beautiful city in which modernity and antiquity are closely intertwined. Here, next to ultra-modern high-rise buildings, you can find tiny houses on narrow streets, as if descended from old engravings. Despite the strongest earthquake in 1923 and the destruction caused to the city during the Second World War, Tokyo is one of the fastest growing modern cities.

7. Karachi | Area 3530 km²

The Pakistani port city with an area of ​​3530 square kilometers ranks 7th in the list of the largest metropolitan areas in the world. This is the first capital of Pakistan and the main industrial, financial and commercial center of the state. At the beginning XVIII century Karachi was a small fishing village. After the capture of Karachi by the British troops, the village quickly turned into a major port city. Since that time, it has grown and played an increasingly important role in the country's economy. Nowadays, due to the influx of migrants, overcrowding has become one of the main problems of the metropolis.

6. Moscow | Area 4662 km²

- in 6th place in the list of the largest cities in the world in terms of area. The capital of Russia is considered the second largest city in Europe after Istanbul. The area of ​​the metropolis is 4662 square kilometers. It is not only the political and financial, but also the cultural center of the country, which attracts a huge number of tourists.

5. Istanbul | Area 5343 km²

The center of trade and industry, as well as the main port of Turkey with an area of ​​​​5343 square kilometers, is in 5th place in the ranking of the largest cities in the world. It is located in a picturesque place - on the banks of the Bosphorus. Istanbul is a unique city, which at one time was the capital of four great empires and is located immediately in Asia and Europe. There are many beautiful monuments of antiquity here: the thousand-year-old St. Sophia Cathedral, the majestic Blue Mosque, the luxurious Dolmabahce Palace. Istanbul strikes with an abundance of a wide variety of museums. Since most of them are located in the center, it is convenient for many tourists to combine their visit with walks around this beautiful city.

4. Brasilia | Area 5802 km²

It occupies the fourth place in the ranking of the largest megacities in the world in terms of area. The city is located on an area of ​​5802 square kilometers. The city received the status of the capital of the Republic of Brazil relatively recently - in 1960. The construction of the metropolis was planned in such a way as to attract the population to sparsely populated areas and develop them. Therefore, Brazil is located far from the main economic and political centers of the country.

3. Shanghai | Area 6340 km²

With a territory of 6340 square kilometers, it ranks third in the list of the largest cities in the world in terms of area. Shanghai has about 24 million people. This is one of the most interesting and unusual Chinese cities. We can say that it reflects modern China - energetic, fast-growing and focused on the future. Shanghai is one of the largest shopping centers in the world.

2. Guangzhou | Area 7434 km²

With an area of ​​7,434.4 square kilometers, the Chinese metropolis ranks second in the ranking of the largest cities in the world. It is the industrial, political and cultural center of the southern regions of China. The population is approximately 21 million people. Guangzhou has a thousand years of history. Earlier in Europe the city was known as Canton. The maritime part of the Great Silk Road began from here. From time immemorial, the city has given refuge to all oppositionists to state power and often became the center of unrest against the power of the Peking emperors.

1. Beijing | Area 16,801 km²

The largest city in the world by area is one of the most significant settlements in China. The total area of ​​the giant metropolis is 16,801 square kilometers. Almost 22 million people live in Beijing. The city harmoniously combines antiquity and modernity. It has been the residence of Chinese rulers for three millennia. Ancient monuments are carefully preserved in the very center of the metropolis, where everyone can admire them. Particularly interesting is the former residence of the emperors of China, the Forbidden City. This is the main attraction of the city, which is visited annually by more than 7 million tourists from all over the world.

Preserving ancient and medieval buildings and monuments, Beijing is developing as a modern high-tech metropolis.

What else to see:

The role of the city in the life of a modern person is growing: many people no longer see development prospects for themselves outside of it. Scientists call this phenomenon urbanization. What are the most populated cities in the world? In this article you will find a list of the largest cities in the world.

Urbanization and its current scale

Urbanization refers to the growing role of the city in society. The word urbanus is translated from Latin as "urban".

Modern urbanization can take place in three ways:

1. The transformation of villages and villages into small and medium-sized cities.
2. The outflow of population from villages to cities.
3. Formation of extensive suburban residential areas.

The world's most populated cities are often held hostage to their oversized size. Bad ecology, a huge amount of transport on the streets, a lack of green spaces and recreation areas, constant noise pollution - all this, of course, negatively affects the health (physical and mental) of a person, a resident of a metropolis.

The processes of urbanization, according to scientists, began around the middle of the 19th century. But then they were local, local in nature. They reached the global level a century later - in the 50s of the twentieth century. At this time, the urban population of the planet is growing rapidly, the largest megacities of our time are being formed.

If in 1950 the share of the urban population on the planet was only 30%, then in 2000 it had already reached 45%. Today, the level of global urbanization is about 57%.

The most urbanized countries on the planet are Luxembourg (100%), Belgium (98%), Great Britain (90%), Australia (88%) and Chile (88%).

The most populated cities in the world

In fact, it is quite difficult to determine the population of a large city. Firstly, researchers are not always able to obtain up-to-date and reliable statistical information (especially when it comes to megacities of third world countries - Asia, Africa or Latin America).

Secondly, the approaches to counting the number of city residents can be different. Thus, some demographers do not take into account people living in the suburban area, while others ignore temporary labor migrants. That is why it is very difficult to name exactly the most populated city in the world.

Another problem faced by demographers and statisticians is the problem of defining the boundaries of a metropolitan area. To solve it, a very interesting method has recently been invented. To do this, a picture of the settlement is taken from the air, in the evening. Then the boundaries of the city can be easily drawn along the edge of the distribution of urban lighting.

Top most populated cities in the world

In ancient times, Jericho was considered the largest (in terms of population) city on the planet. About 2 thousand people lived in it nine thousand years ago. Today, this is the number of inhabitants in a large village and a small European town.

The total number of inhabitants living in the ten most populated cities on the planet is almost 260 million people! In other words, this is 4% of the total population of the Earth.

1. Tokyo (Japan, 37.7 million people);
2. Jakarta (Indonesia, 29.9);
3. Chongqing (China, 29.0);
4. Delhi (India, 24.2);
5. Manila (Philippines, 22.8);
6. Shanghai (China, 22.6);
7. Karachi (Venezuela, 21.7);
8. New York (United States of America, 20.8);
9. Mexico City (Mexico, 20.5).

Six out of ten of these cities are located in Asia, with 2 in China. It is worth noting that the largest city in Europe, Moscow, would take only 17th place in this rating. About 16 million people live in the capital of the Russian Federation.

Tokyo, Japan)

The capital of Japan is by far the most populated city in the world, with a population of at least 37 million people. For comparison: this is the number of inhabitants in all of Poland!

Today Tokyo is not only the largest metropolis, but also the most important financial, industrial and cultural center of East Asia. The world's largest subway operates here: it transports at least 8 million passengers a day. Tokyo will amaze any traveler with a huge number of faceless, gray streets and alleys. Some of them don't even have their own names.

Surprisingly, the largest metropolis on the planet is located in a seismically unstable zone. About a hundred fluctuations of different intensity are recorded in Tokyo every year.

Chongqing (China)

Chinese Chongqing belongs to the absolute world championship among cities in terms of territory. It occupies the same area as the state of Austria in Europe - 82,000 square kilometers.

The metropolis has an almost perfect round shape: 470 by 460 kilometers. About 29 million Chinese live here. However, since a large number of them live in the suburban area, some extras sometimes do not include Chongqing in the lists of the most populated cities in the world.

In addition to its colossal size, the city also boasts an ancient history. After all, it is over 3,000 years old. Chongqing arose at the confluence of two Chinese rivers, surrounded by three picturesque hills.

New York, USA)

New York, although not the largest city in terms of population on the planet, but it can be considered the most popular world metropolis.

The city is often referred to as the Big Apple. Why? Everything is very simple: according to one of the legends, it was the apple tree that was the first to take root within the boundaries of the future metropolis.

New York is an important financial center of the world; about 700 thousand (!) different companies are located here. At least 6,000 subway cars and about 13,000 taxi cars serve the residents of the city every day. By the way, it is no coincidence that local taxis are painted yellow. The founder of a shipping company once did a special study trying to determine which color is the most pleasing to the human eye. It turned out that it was yellow.

Conclusion

An amazing fact: if you collect all the inhabitants of the 10 most populated cities in the world, you get a number that is almost twice the total population of Russia! In addition, these already huge metropolitan areas continue to grow.

The most populated cities in the world are Tokyo, Jakarta, Chongqing, Delhi and Seoul. All of them are located in Asia.

The list of the largest cities in the world depends on the criterion by which this rating is formed. For example, the CITYMAYORS think tank takes into account only the population living in urban areas.

But the DEMOGRAPHIA WORLD URBAN AREAS rating is annually formed taking into account people living both in the city and in the suburbs. Recently, the cities of the world have long been intertwined with the surrounding territories, forming an agglomeration. So, the largest agglomerations in the world as of 2019 are:

1. Tokyo - 37.5 million people

The largest agglomeration in the world, which includes not only the densely populated territory of Tokyo, but also 87 adjacent cities associated with it. Many industrial, financial, cultural centers of the whole country are concentrated here. It is located in the southeastern part of the island of Honshu.

2. Jakarta, 34 million people

Jakarta is the capital and largest city of Indonesia, the second largest city in the world in terms of population, with a population of about 32 million people. It is located on the northwest coast of Java. The population of Jakarta is growing rapidly - since 1930 it has increased almost 17 times.

3. Delhi, 27 million people

A city located in northern India on the banks of the Jumna River with a population of over 27 million people. Delhi is a cosmopolitan city with a wide variety of ethnic groups and cultures, as well as a huge number of monuments, ancient architecture and places of cultural heritage.

4. Manila, 25 million people

The capital of the Philippines is one of the largest cities in the world and ranks 4th in the ranking. 25 million people live here. Manila is the most populous city with the highest population density in the world.

5. Seoul, 24 million people

In fifth place in terms of the number of people living is the capital of South Korea - Seoul. About 23.5 million people live in the Seoul-Incheon agglomeration. The city is located on the Hangang River and is the main political, economic and cultural center of the Republic of Korea, as well as one of the leading financial centers of East Asia.

6. Mumbai 23 million people

Mumbai is a major link in international communications. The city has a deep natural harbor and is the largest port in western India. Mumbai is one of the most important economic and cultural centers of India. It is a city of great contrasts, with a population of about 23 million people.

7. Shanghai, 22 million people

The largest city and financial center of China and the largest seaport on the planet. Shanghai is a bright, dynamic city, where many events, conferences and festivals are constantly taking place. The population of Shanghai by 2019 is 22 million people.

8. New York, 21.5 million people

A city known throughout the world for its financial, economic, political, architectural and cultural centers. 21.5 million people live on its territory. The population density is 10,654 people/km²

9. Sao Paulo, 21 million people

The capital of Brazil, Sao Paulo is the main economic, corporate, transport and financial center of Brazil and the richest city in the country. There are numerous representative offices of the world's leading corporations in the city.
A modern large city with a large number of business centers and skyscrapers. The population of São Paulo is ethnically very diverse and amounts to 21 million people

With the development of industrialization, more and more people are moving from the countryside to the cities. This is a natural process called urbanization. The area of ​​cities and the number of inhabitants is growing steadily. Which city has the largest population? What is the largest city in the world by area? Read the answers in our ranking of the top 10 big cities.

The largest cities in the world by population

To determine the largest cities of the world by the number of inhabitants inhabiting them, in April 2018, scientists conducted research "Demographia. World Urban Areas 14th Annual Edition". In their measurements, scientists took into account only urban agglomerations with continuous development. fused agglomerations treated as one object. So where does the largest number of people live? You will find the answer in the following list.

Agglomeration - compact cluster of settlements with a clear central city.

Top 10 largest cities in the world by population:

1. Tokyo - Yokohama. The largest city in the world by population. The population is 38050 thousand people. This agglomeration is formed by the merging of the two largest cities in Japan. Tokyo is the capital of the state, and Yokohama is the largest port in the country.
2. Jakarta. The population is 32275 thousand people. The capital of Indonesia is growing with new residents at a very fast pace
3. Delhi. In the Indian metropolis, there are 27280 thousand inhabitants. The city is the second largest in India, it is the capital of the country, New Delhi.
4. Manila. The Philippine capital is home to 24,650 thousand people, most of whom live below the poverty line.
5. Seoul - Incheon. The agglomeration from the capital of Korea and the surrounding cities is also overpopulated - 24,210 thousand inhabitants.
6. Shanghai. The leader among Chinese settlements in terms of population growth - 24,115 thousand as of April 2018. It is the largest seaport in the world and the most important financial and cultural center of China.
7. Mumbai. The number of inhabitants is growing rapidly due to the standard of living above the Indian average - 23,265,000. The economic capital of India, 40% of all foreign trade falls on this settlement.
8. . The US financial center also attracts a huge number of people - 21,575,000.
9. Beijing. The capital of China is home to 21,250,000 people. Since 2015, population growth has slowed down, and by 2018 it has stopped.
10. Sao Paulo. The most densely populated metropolis in the Southern Hemisphere - 21,100 thousand inhabitants. The city is an important financial center of Brazil, accounting for 12% of the country's GDP.

And our capital Moscow still occupies the 15th place in this rating with 16,855 thousand people, but this number is growing very quickly. But among the countries in terms of the number of million-plus cities, the Russian Federation holds an honorable fourth place. China, India and Brazil are ahead of us in this indicator.

The largest city in the world by area

There is also a system for measuring the area of ​​settlements, including the whole territory. This method does not take into account the continuity and density of buildings. In this option, the territory is calculated taking into account water and mountain areas. What is the largest city in the world by area? Find the answer to this question in the list below.

List of largest cities by area:

1. Chongqing (China) - 82403 km². It is believed that the largest city in the world by area is the Chinese city of Chongqing. The area they cover is huge. But these are measurement data together with suburbs and villages, there is no continuous development in this territory and the population density is only 373 people / km². And its urbanized area is only 1473 km². That is why it cannot be fully called the largest city in the world. The population of this administrative unit is 30,751,600 people.
2. Hangzhou (China) - 16847 km². The second among all cities in the world in terms of territory. Hangzhou is located on the east coast of China. It is inhabited by 8.7 million inhabitants.
3. Beijing (China) - 16411 sq. km. Located in the east of the country, the most dynamically developing center of China - GDP growth from 2005 to 2013. amounted to 65%. That is why a huge number of labor migrants live in it - over 10 million illegal immigrants.
4. Brisbane (Australia) - 15826 sq. km. Located on the east coast of Australia. Brisbane is very multiethnic, and 21% of its population are foreigners.
5. Asmara (Eritrea) - 15061 sq. km. Despite the vast territory of the African capital, only 649,000 people live in it, because most of it is occupied by low-rise buildings.

The largest cities in the world by area

To the list of the largest urban agglomerations and conurbations included both beautiful cities with a rich history and many attractions, as well as the greatest industrial centers.

Conurbation - urban agglomeration without a clear dominant center.

The largest urban agglomerations by area:

1. . The largest agglomeration on the planet in terms of its area - occupies 11,875 square kilometers. The financial capital of America and the state of the same name.
2. Boston - Providence, USA. With all suburbs - 9189 sq. km.
3. Tokyo - Yokohama, Japan (Tokyo is the capital). The agglomeration of the largest cities in Japan is located on a large territory - 8547 km².
4. Atlanta. This American city with its agglomeration is located on 7296 square kilometers. It is the capital and compatible largest city of the state of Georgia.
5. Chicago. Together with the suburbs, it occupies 6856 km². It is the second largest financial center in the United States.
6. Los Angeles. The American city with nearby territories is located on 6299 sq. km. Capital of the State of California.
7. Moscow, Russia. The Moscow agglomeration with all suburbs of continuous development occupies 5698 square kilometers.
8. Dallas - Fort Worth. Represents conurbation of many small cities, is located on 5175 square kilometers.
9. Philadelphia. 5131 sq. km.
10. Houston, USA. 4841 square kilometers.
11. Beijing, the capital of China. Quite an extended city - 4144 sq. km.
12. Shanghai, China. 4015 sq. km.
13. Nagoya, Japan. 3885 sq. km.
14. Guangzhou - Foshan, China. 3820 sq. km
15. Washington, USA. The capital of America covers an area of ​​3424 square kilometers.

Largest cities by population density

From year to year urban overcrowding problem is becoming more and more acute. Over the past 20 years, the largest cities in Southeast Asia have experienced an average population growth of more than two percent per year. Which city has the highest population density? We have collected information on this subject in the following list.

Top 10 largest cities by population density:

1. Manila, the capital of the Philippines. It is the most densely populated city in the world - 43,079 people / km², and in one of the regions this figure reaches 68,266 people / km². Moreover, more than 60% of the population lives in urban slums.
2. Calcutta, India. The population density is 27462 per square kilometer. Over the past 10 years, the population has decreased by 2%. A third of them live in urban slums.
3. chennai, India. Density - 24418 people per square kilometer. A quarter of all residents live in slums.
4. Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh. 23234 people per square kilometer. The annual population growth is 4.2%, which is one of the highest rates in the world.
5. Mumbai, India. 20694 The standard of living here is somewhat higher than in other cities of the country. Therefore, population growth is predictable.
6. Seoul, the capital of South Korea. This city is also densely populated - 16626 people / km². The capital of Korea is home to 19.5% of all residents of the country.
7. Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia. 14469 people / km² Back in the 80s, the density was 8000 inhabitants per square kilometer, and by 2018 it had almost doubled.
8. Lagos, Nigeria. 13128 people per km².
9. Tehran, the capital of Iran. 10456 inhabitants per 1 square kilometer.
10. Taipei, the capital of the Republic of China (Taiwan). 9951 people per km².

Video about the largest cities