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Saturday, August 13, 2011

Top 5 World Cities and the Ways They are Measured


The following information was collected mostly from Wikipedia, Worldatlas.com and Citymayor.com.

Its always good to know your geography and demographics!



Ambiguities in measuring the "size" of a city

The question of determining the world's largest cities does not allow a single, simple answer. It depends on which definitions of "city" and "size" are used, and how those definitions are applied. Complex political/cultural/social situations, sometimes controversial or disputed, further confuse the discussion. Debate on this field is highly vulnerable to bias or manipulation, as people[who?] tend to prefer whichever definition most flatters their own city.
The "size" of a city can refer to either its land area or, more typically, its population.
The boundaries of a city can also be defined in any of several ways:
Morphological / Urban    ( Space, Density)
"City" defined as a physically contiguous urban area, without regard to territorial or other boundaries. The delineation is usually done using some type of urban density, such aspopulation density or density of buildings (for example, "gaps between structures may not exceed 200 metres"). Satellite and/or aerial maps may be used. For statistical convenience, such areas are sometimes adjusted to appropriate administrative boundaries, yielding anagglomeration.
Functional / Metropolitan  (People, Demographics)
"City" as defined by the habits of its demographic population, as by metropolitan area, labour market area, or similar. Such definitions are usually based on commuting between home andwork. Commuter flow thresholds into the core urban area are established by the national censusauthority, determining which areas are included.
City Proper (Administrative, City Council)
"City" as strictly defined by a given government (city proper). Typically based on a municipality or equivalent entity, or sometimes a group of municipalities under a regional government.


Urban / Morph - Wikipedia 

Tokyo
Jakarta
New York
Mumbai
Manila

Urban / Morph – U.N.

Tokyo
New York
Mexico City
Mumbai
Sao Paulo

Urban / Morph - Citymayor.com

Tokyo
Mexico City
Mumbai
New York
Sao Paulo

Average:    Tokyo /  New York / Mumbai / Mexico City / Sao Paulo

Metro / Functional  – Wikipedia

Tokyo
Seoul
Mexico City
New York
Mumbai
(Jakarta, Sao Paulo)

Metro / Functional - Citymayor.com -

Tokyo
New York
Sao Paulo
Seoul
Mexico City

Metro – Worldatlas.com

1. Tokyo, Japan - 32,450,000 
2. Seóul, South Korea - 20,550,000 
3. Mexico City, Mexico - 20,450,000 
4. New York City, USA - 19,750,000 
5. Mumbai, India - 19,200,000 
(6. Jakarta, Indonesia - 18,900,000  7. Sáo Paulo, Brazil - 18,850,000 )


Average:  Tokyo /  Seoul / New York / Mexico City / Mumbai / Sao Paulo

City Proper – Wikipedia

Shanghai
Mumbai
Karachi
Delhi
Istanbul
(Sao Paulo, Moscow, Seoul, Beijing, Tokyo)

City Proper  - Citymayor.com

Karachi
Shanghai
Mumbai
Beijing
Delhi

City Proper – worldatlas.com

Shanghai, China 13.3 million
Mumbai (Bombay), India 12.6 million 
Buenos Aires, Argentina 11.92 million 
Moscow, Russia 11.3 million 
Karachi, Pakistan 10.9 million 

Average:  Shanghai / Mumbai - Karachi / Delhi / Moscow / Buenos Aires / Istanbul

Metro – Worldatlas.com

1. Tokyo, Japan - 32,450,000 
2. Seóul, South Korea - 20,550,000 
3. Mexico City, Mexico - 20,450,000 
4. New York City, USA - 19,750,000 
5. Mumbai, India - 19,200,000 
6. Jakarta, Indonesia - 18,900,000 
7. Sáo Paulo, Brazil - 18,850,000 
8. Delhi, India - 18,680,000 
9. Õsaka/Kobe, Japan - 17,350,000 
10. Shanghai, China - 16,650,000
11. Manila, Philippines - 16,300,000 
12. Los Angeles, USA - 15,250,000 
13. Calcutta, India - 15,100,000 
14. Moscow, Russian Fed. - 15,000,000 
15. Cairo, Egypt - 14,450,000 
16. Lagos, Nigeria - 13,488,000 
17. Buenos Aires, Argentina - 13,170,000 
18. London, United Kingdom - 12,875,000 
19. Beijing, China - 12,500,000 
20. Karachi, Pakistan - 11,800,000