The largest square in the world. The largest city in the world

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:

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.
Jakarta. The population is 32275 thousand people. The capital of Indonesia is growing with new residents at a very fast pace
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.
Manila. The Philippine capital is home to 24,650 thousand people, most of whom live below the poverty line.
Seoul - Incheon. The agglomeration from the capital of Korea and the surrounding cities is also overpopulated - 24,210 thousand inhabitants.
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.
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.
. The US financial center also attracts a huge number of people - 21,575,000.
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.
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:

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.
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.
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.
Brisbane (Australia) - 15826 sq. km. Located on the east coast of Australia. Brisbane is very multiethnic, and 21% of its population are foreigners.
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:

. 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.
Boston - Providence, USA. With all suburbs - 9189 sq. km.
Tokyo - Yokohama, Japan (Tokyo is the capital). The agglomeration of the largest cities in Japan is located on a large territory - 8547 km².
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.
Chicago. Together with the suburbs, it occupies 6856 km². It is the second largest financial center in the United States.
Los Angeles. The American city with nearby territories is located on 6299 sq. km. Capital of the State of California.
Moscow, Russia. The Moscow agglomeration with all suburbs of continuous development occupies 5698 square kilometers.
Dallas - Fort Worth. Represents conurbation of many small cities, is located on 5175 square kilometers.
Philadelphia. 5131 sq. km.
Houston, USA. 4841 square kilometers.
Beijing, the capital of China. Quite an extended city - 4144 sq. km.
Shanghai, China. 4015 sq. km.
Nagoya, Japan. 3885 sq. km.
Guangzhou - Foshan, China. 3820 sq. km
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:

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.
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.
chennai, India. Density - 24418 people per square kilometer. A quarter of all residents live in slums.
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.
Mumbai, India. 20694 The standard of living here is somewhat higher than in other cities of the country. Therefore, population growth is predictable.
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.
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.
Lagos, Nigeria. 13128 people per km².
Tehran, the capital of Iran. 10456 inhabitants per 1 square kilometer.
Taipei, the capital of the Republic of China (Taiwan). 9951 people per km².

Information about the largest cities is presented on the video

Did you know that three times more people live in the largest city in the world than in Moscow or 72 times more than in Tallinn. And the population of Narva would have been accommodated there 528 times. The city itself is 32 times larger than Moscow, 518 times larger than Tallinn. And cities like Narva could accommodate as many as 980 pieces!

Not? Then read below...

No. 10. Wuhan (China) - 8,494 km²

Wuhan stands at the confluence of the Yangtze and Hanshui rivers. The territory of the Wuhan metropolis consists of 3 parts - Wuchang, Hankou and Hanyang, which together are referred to as the "Tri-city of Wuhan". These three parts stand opposite each other on different banks of the rivers, they are connected by bridges. The population of Wuhan is 10,220,000 people.

The history of the city dates back 3,000 years, when an important trading port was formed on the site of the future Wuhan. There are 8 national and 14 public colleges and universities in Wuhan.

No. 9. Kinshasa (Congo) - 9,965 km²

Kinshasa is the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, located on the Congo River. Until 1966, Kinshasa was called Leopoldville. The population of the city is 10,125,000 people.
Kinshasa is the second most populated city in Africa, after Lagos.

No. 8. Melbourne (Australia) - 9,990 km²

Melbourne is the second largest city in Australia and the capital of the state of Victoria. The metropolitan population is about 4,529,500. Melbourne is the southernmost millionaire city in the world.

Melbourne is one of the main commercial, industrial and cultural centers of Australia. Melbourne is also often referred to as the "sports and cultural capital" of the country.

The city is famous for its architecture and a combination of Victorian and modern styles, parks and gardens. In 2016, The Economist named Melbourne the world's most livable city for the sixth time in a row.

Melbourne was founded in 1835 as an agricultural settlement on the banks of the Yarra River.

No. 7. Tianjin (China) - 11,760 km²

Tianjin is located in northern China along the Bohai Bay. The population of the city is 15,469,500 people. The majority of the population is Han, but there are also representatives of small nationalities. These are mainly: Hui, Koreans, Manchus and Mongols.

In the 20th century, Tianjin became the locomotive of Chinese industrialization, the largest center of heavy and light industry.

No. 6. Sydney (Australia) - 12,144 km²

Sydney is Australia's largest city with a population of 4,840,600. Sydney is the capital of the state of New South Wales.

Sydney was founded in 1788 by Arthur Phillip, who arrived here at the head of the First Fleet. Sydney is the first site of colonial European settlement in Australia. The city was named in honor of Lord Sydney - Minister of the British Colonies.

The city is famous for its opera house, Harbor Bridge and beaches. Residential areas of greater Sydney are surrounded by national parks. The coastline is rich in bays, coves, beaches and islands.

Sydney is one of the most multicultural and multiethnic cities in the world. Sydney ranks first in Australia and 66th in the world for cost of living.

No. 5. Chengdu (China) - 12,390 km²

Chengdu is a city-sub-province in southwestern China, in the valley of the Minjiang River, the administrative center of Sichuan Province. Population - 14,427,500 people.

The emblem of the city is the ancient gold disc "Birds of the Golden Sun", which was found in 2001 during excavations of the Jinsha culture within the city.

Chengdu is a major center of economy, trade, finance, science and technology, as well as an important center of transport and communications. Chengdu has become the main center of China's new urbanization.

No. 4. Brisbane (Australia) - 15,826 km²

Brisbane is a city in the Australian state of Queensland. The population of the city is 2,274,560 people.
The city is located in the east of Australia, on the banks of the Brisbane River and Moreton Bay of the Pacific Ocean. Included in the top 100 global cities in the world.

Founded in 1825, the old name is Edenglassy. Since 1859 it has been the capital of Queensland.

Number 3. Beijing (China) - 16,801 km²

Beijing is the capital of China. It is the largest railway and road junction and one of the country's main air hubs. Beijing is the political, educational and cultural center of the People's Republic of China.

Beijing is one of the four ancient capitals of China. In 2008, the Summer Olympic Games were held in Beijing. The city will host the Winter Olympics in 2022.
The population of the city is 21,705,000 people.

No. 2. Hangzhou (China) - 16,840 km²

Hangzhou is a sub-provincial city, the capital of Zhejiang Province, located 180 km southwest of Shanghai. The population of the city is 9,018,500 people.

The former name of Hangzhou - Lin'an, in the pre-Mongolian era was the capital of the Southern Song Dynasty and was the most populated city of the then world. Now Hangzhou is famous for its tea plantations and natural beauty. The most famous place is Xihu Lake.

No. 1. Chongqing (China) - 82,400 km²

Chongqing is the largest of the four Chinese cities of central subordination in terms of area. The population of the city is 30,165,500 people.

Chongqing arose more than 3 thousand years ago. The city was the capital of the Ba kingdom and was called Jiangzhou.

Now Chongqing is one of the largest commercial centers in China. Most of the city's economy is based on industry. Main industries: chemical, machine-building and metallurgical. Chongqing is also China's largest automobile manufacturing base. There are 5 car factories and more than 400 car parts factories here.

Moscow - 2561 km2
St. Petersburg - 1439 km2
Yekaterinburg - 468 km2
Kazan - 425 km2
Novosibirsk - 505 km2
Volgograd - 565 km2
Tallinn - 159 km²
Narva - 84.54 km²

And the largest city on the planet from a height:

Plus a story about the city from the Chinese TV channel:

Earlier, we examined the largest cities in terms of population and, as you know, the boundaries of large cities are determined by the “light image”. For example, which has 37.5 million people. But the main criterion for this rating is the area occupied by the city, excluding agglomerations and districts.
1

The largest city in Australia and the world was founded in 1788. By the way, the area of residential areas is only 1.7 thousand square meters. km, the rest of the territory is parks and the Blue Mountains. The population indicator is not as impressive as the area indicator - only 4.5 million citizens live here.

Most of the capital of the African Democratic Republic of the Congo is a rural area with more than 10 million people. Leopoldville was the name of this city until 1966.

One of the largest cities in the world and South America is divided into 48 districts and is the capital of Argentina. A few years after its founding in 1536, the Indians burned it, but not even a few decades passed and the city was restored.

4 Karachi (Pakistan) - 3,530 sq. km

Until 1958, Karachi was the capital of Pakistan. It is one of the densely populated cities in the world. The population is over 12 million people.

5 Alexandria (Egypt) - 2,680 sq. km

The huge city is located in the Nile Delta and stretches for 32 km along the Mediterranean coast. According to some historical data, Alexandria was founded by Alexander the Great.

6 Ankara (Turkey) - 2,500 sq. km

Oddly enough, in terms of economic indicators, the capital of Turkey, which is Ankara, ranks second after Istanbul in the country. Here in 1919 the main residence of Kemal Ataturk, the leader of the Turkish revolution, was organized. Here, in 1920, his government was formed.

7 Istanbul (Turkey) - 2,106 sq. km

Constantinople is the former name of this cradle of civilizations. It is located on the banks of the Bosphorus Strait, which divides it into European and Asian sides. It is one of the ten most visited tourist centers in the world.

8 Tehran (Iran) - 1881 sq. km

The capital of Iran is the largest financial and economic and political center of the country. The natural landscape of Tehran is diverse: its northern regions are located at an altitude of 2 thousand meters above sea level, and on the south side the city adjoins the territory of the Cairo desert. Its length along the Elbrus mountain range is about 50 km.

9 Bogotá (Colombia) - 1,590 sq. km

The capital of Colombia is located high above sea level (2610 m). Despite the fact that the city is located right on the equator, the temperature of the warmest month of the year is +15 C due to the altitude. Earthquakes are frequent guests of Bogota.

10 London (UK) - 1,580 sq. km

The City of Mists is the largest city in the British Isles. The population reaches 8 million people. Interestingly, the city is located on the zero or Greenwich meridian. It is the largest city on the European continent.
Curious! The area of all cities in the world currently occupies approximately 1% of all land.
“Where is Beijing (16,801 sq. km), or Shanghai (6,340 sq. km), or Hulunbuir (263.9 thousand sq. km)?” - you ask. The fact is that these are agglomeration cities, which is why they were not included in this list.

There are so many megacities on our planet that it is perhaps difficult to choose the largest city from them. There are a lot of giants in the world, they are in almost every country.

Some are famous for their size, others for the number of inhabitants, others for their history or some sights. Here are a few examples of settlements, each of which can be described as the largest city in the world in terms of area.

Let's start with Sydney, of course. This giant city is located in Australia, in its southeastern part. It was founded by Admiral of the English Navy Arthur Phillip in 1788. He arrived in new lands at the head of the First Fleet to create a European colony in Australia. And the city was named after the British Minister of the Colonies, Lord Sydney.

Today Sydney is the largest city in the world by area. Its dimensions are more than 12 thousand square kilometers. As you can see, it is simply huge, but there are only 4.5 million inhabitants there.

Urban areas are located in the coastal valley, on their territory there are about 70 beaches. Among them, the most famous is Bondi Beach. He became famous for his huge waves.

The famous Harbor Bridge and the mesmerizing beauty of the Opera House also belong to this area. It is the latter that is the hallmark of this city.

And a few more giants from the category "The world's largest in terms of area."

Kinshasa - the capital The city is located on the banks of the Congo River. Its area is 10.5 thousand square kilometers. But the number of inhabitants is more than 10 million. Kinshasa is the third largest in Africa in terms of population, the first two being Lagos and Cairo.

By the way, despite the huge number of inhabitants, most of the city is agricultural land.

Buenos Aires is the capital of Argentina, its territory reaches 4 thousand sq. km. The city is divided into 48 districts. It was founded in the 16th century by Pedro de Mendos, but a few years later the Indians burned the city. And only a few decades later it was restored by Juan de Garay.

Karachi is another of the giants, also claiming the title of "The largest city in the world in terms of area." It occupies more than 3.5 thousand sq. km. It is the largest metropolis of Pakistan not only in terms of territory, but also in terms of population. With almost 14 million inhabitants, it is one of the most densely populated cities in the world. Although Karachi is not, it is rightfully considered the center of the country. It is in it that Pakistani trade and industry is concentrated. By the way, until 1958, Karachi was considered the capital of the country, but then it was moved to Rawalpindi.

Alexandria is a giant that stretches along the Mediterranean coast. Its area is almost 2.7 thousand sq. km. The city was founded by Alexander the Great. Today Alexandria is a storehouse of architectural sights. For example, Pompey's column or Kom-el-Shukafa are catacombs consisting of a labyrinth with different levels.

Ankara is the capital of Turkey. This is not only the largest city in the world in terms of area, it is one of the oldest in Asia Minor. The area of Ankara is 2.5 thousand square kilometers.

Istanbul is the largest metropolis, which is also located in Turkey, known as the largest city in the world in terms of area. It is located on the banks of the Bosphorus and occupies more than two thousand square kilometers. Throughout its history, Istanbul has been the capital of several empires. This was during the Roman, Byzantine, Ottoman and Latin empires.

According to historical data, the predecessor of Istanbul was the city of Byzantium, which was founded before our era (in the 7th century).

Here is a small list of the largest cities in the world. Tehran, Bogota, London can also be attributed to them, and our Moscow does not occupy the last place in this list.