Human geographyLesson 5 of 5 in the course Urbanisation

Megacities: Definitions, Growth, and Urban Challenges

5 flashcards · 4 quiz questions · 5 match pairs · 5 fill-in sentences · English

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Summary

A megacity is more than a very large settlement: it is an urban area whose population reaches a defined threshold. This lesson introduces the term, explains why definitions vary, and surveys where megacities are found.

A megacity is typically a city or urban area with more than 10 million inhabitants. The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) defines megacities as urban agglomerations with over 10 million people. Other organizations and researchers may use metropolitan areas as their unit of measurement.

All flashcards

What is a megacity?
A very large urban area, commonly defined as an urban agglomeration or metropolitan area with more than 10 million inhabitants.
What is an urban agglomeration?
A large urban settlement or group of closely connected built-up areas counted together as one urban unit.
Why do megacity totals vary between sources?
Organizations may choose different geographic boundaries, definitions, population estimates, and reporting dates.
Which world region contains many megacities?
Asia contains many megacities, especially in China and India, though megacities are also found across Africa, Europe, and the Americas.
Why do rankings of the world's largest megacity differ?
The ranking depends on how the urban area's limits are drawn and whether nearby cities are counted together or separately.

Quiz questions

  1. What does urbanization describe?Answer: Growth in urban populations and in the share of people living in urban places.
  2. What is the central idea of the Housing First approach to homelessness?Answer: Help a person obtain permanent housing, then provide support services.
  3. What change is commonly associated with gentrification?Answer: Rising property values and living costs can displace lower-income residents.
  4. What is urban sprawl?Answer: The outward spread of a city and its suburbs into low-density development.

Based on the Wikipedia article Megacity, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Adapted into a summary, flashcards and quizzes.

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