Metropolitan area

A metropolitan area or metro is a large region that includes a busy city and the areas around it. These places are linked because they share things such as jobs, shops, transportation, buildings, and homes. Usually, a metropolitan area has many smaller cities, towns, and different neighborhoods.

Metropolitan areas are important because they gather many people and resources. They help cities grow by connecting many places that work together. Over time, as societies have changed, these areas have become very important for business and government.

Definition

A metropolitan area is a large region that includes a busy city and the areas around it. These surrounding areas might not feel like a city, but they are closely connected to the main city. People travel there for jobs or shopping. These outer areas are sometimes called the commuter belt. They can stretch far beyond the city itself, even into different political areas. For example, East Hampton, New York, on Long Island, is part of the New York metropolitan area.

A metropolitan area usually includes a main city and a series of smaller satellite cities as can be seen in this map of Madrid's metropolitan area (click on the map to enlarge it).

The way we define metropolitan areas can vary. Sometimes they are almost the same as just the city itself. Other times, they include much larger areas. This means that when we talk about the population or size of a metropolitan area, the numbers can be quite different depending on how we measure it. A metropolitan area often has many jobs and businesses in services. It is also seen as an important area for trade and economics.

UMS has been used in some Canadian cases since 2018, but the data in this article still use different national definitions.


	Urban area	Distance at which the attractive force = the repulsive force	Value of β
1	Central city	10 km	6
2	Agglomeration	20 km	11
3	Metropolis	40 km	21
4	Patropolis	80 km	41
5	Megalopolis	160 km	81
6	Urban system	320 km	161
7	Urban macrosystem	640 km	321
8	Continental system	1,280 km	641
9	Intercontinental system	2,560 km	1,281
10	World system	5,120 km	2,561

List of metropolitan areas

South Africa

The Greater Johannesburg metropolitan area is the fourth largest in South Africa. It had over 9.6 million people in 2011. The City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality is the largest city government in South Africa, with nearly 5 million people in 2016.

Asia

For a more comprehensive list, see List of metropolitan areas in Asia.

Bangladesh

In Bangladesh, big important cities are called Metropolitan cities. Dhaka has parts like Dhaka North City Corporation, Dhaka South City Corporation, Narayanganj City Corporation, and Gazipur City Corporation.

China

In China, a metropolitan area is a group of cities that work together. The government explained this idea in 2019.

India

Main article: List of metropolitan areas in India

In India, a metropolitan city has more than one million people.

Indonesia

Main article: List of metropolitan areas in Indonesia

In Indonesia, a metropolitan area is a group of important cities. Jakarta, Surabaya, Bandung, Semarang, Medan, Makassar, Palembang are important metropolitan areas.

Japan

Main article: List of metropolitan areas in Japan

Metropolitan areas in Japan include the Greater Tokyo Area, which used to be the largest in the world.

Pakistan

Main article: List of metropolitan areas in Pakistan

Pakistan has nine big cities with more than a million people.

Philippines

Main article: List of metropolitan areas in the Philippines

The Philippines has three main metropolitan areas: Metro Manila, Metro Cebu, and Metro Davao.

Turkey

Main article: Metropolitan municipalities in Turkey

Satellite image of the New York metropolitan area, the largest metropolitan area in the United States and one of the largest in the world, with Long Island in the east and Manhattan at the center of the densest part of the image

In Turkey, a metropolitan municipality is a big city area with more than 750,000 people.

United Arab Emirates

Main article: Dubai-Sharjah-Ajman metropolitan area

Dubai-Sharjah-Ajman is a big area in the United Arab Emirates with about 5.9 million people.

Europe

For a more comprehensive list, see List of metropolitan areas in Europe.

The European Union’s agency Eurostat uses a concept called functional urban area (FUA) to compare big city areas in Europe.

France

Main article: Functional area (France)

France uses a similar idea called aire d'attraction d'une ville (AAV).

Germany

Main article: Metropolitan regions in Germany

Germany has eleven important big city areas.

The Melbourne metropolitan area in Australia seen at night from the International Space Station

Italy

Main article: Metropolitan cities of Italy

In 2001 Italy changed some big city areas into "metropolitan cities".

Sweden

Main article: List of metropolitan areas in Sweden

Sweden has defined its big city areas since around 1965.

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom’s Office for National Statistics looks at areas where most people work and live close by. Greater London is the biggest urban area.

North America

For a more comprehensive list, see List of metropolitan areas in Northern America.

Canada

In Canada, a census metropolitan area (CMA) is a group of places around a big city.

United States

Greater São Paulo in Brazil seen at night from the International Space Station

Main article: Metropolitan statistical area

In the United States, metropolitan areas are groups of places around a big city. The United States has many types of these areas.

Mexico

In Mexico, metropolitan areas are groups of places around a big city.

Oceania

For a more comprehensive list, see List of metropolitan areas in Oceania by population.

Australia

The Australian Bureau of Statistics uses areas called Greater Capital City Statistical Areas (GCCSAs) to show the size of big cities.

Brazil

Chile

There are three metropolitan areas in Chile. The biggest is Gran Santiago. The other two are Gran Valparaiso and Gran Concepción.