Population Growth in Urban Areas

Mega City

  • A megacityis an urban area with over 10 million people living there such as Istanbul, Turkey.
  • In 1950, there were only twomegacities – Tokyo and New York. By 2014, there were 28, and this is predicted to rise to 41 by  More than two-thirds of megacities are in developing nations which includes Lagos, Nigeria.
  • Megacities develop because of rural-urban migrationand natural increase. Migrants tend to move to large cities, and to cities that are experiencing rapid economic growth, so their population increases rapidly.
  • Megacities dominatethe national and regional economies of countries. This is because companies choose to build their headquarters in cities with a high number of skilled workers and good transport links including international airports.
  • Megacities often have people living at opposite extremes- some are really rich, while others live in extreme poverty.

 

World City

  • A world cityis a city that has political and financial influence over the whole world like London and Sydney. Most are in the developed world but some Dubai and Rio de Janeiro, are in emerging economies.
  • The numberof world cities is  In 1950, the only world cities were London, Paris, Tokyo and New York.
  • More recently, economic growthin oil-rich countries, such as Nigeria, has allowed cities, such as Lagos, to become contenders for world city status. These cities are increasingly important in global economics and
  • Since 1945, world cities, such as London and New York, have emergedas the leaders of banking and
  • Many banking companies, such as HSC, Lloyds and RBS, have headquartersin these cities.
  • World citiesusually dominate international trade and regional economies in their area, like Tokyo is extremely influential in international trade between the East Asian nations.
  • World cities have good international transport links, which allow them to trade with the rest of the world.
  • World cities are generally home to world-renowned They also tend to be centres for science and innovation, with high-quality research and development facilities.
  • They are also centres for cultureas they are often home to large, globally influential media and communication corporations, as well as a range of theatres, museums and other cultural attractions.
  • They tend to attract high numbers of peoplefrom other countries, including migrants, business visitors, students and tourists