Urban area

An urban area is a human settlement where many people live close together and there are many buildings and services. These places have a lot of people living in them, which we call high population density. They also have special infrastructure like roads, schools, hospitals, and homes, all part of the built environment.

Urban areas start to form through something called urbanization. We can call them cities, towns, conurbations, or suburbs. In the study of cities, called urbanism, urban areas are different from places in the country, known as rural areas like villages and hamlets.

Long ago, during the urban revolution in the 4th millennium BCE, early cities helped start human civilization. Today, planning cities and using natural resources have changed the world around us, creating a big human impact on the environment.

Recent historical growth

In 1950, about 30% of the world’s population, or 764 million people, lived in urban areas. By 2009, more people lived in cities than in the countryside for the first time. In 2014, roughly 53% of the world’s 7.3 billion people, or 3.9 billion, lived in urban areas. Experts predicted that by 2050, about 68% of the world’s people would live in cities, with most of this growth happening in Africa and Asia.

During this time, the size of urban areas grew quickly. From 1992 to 2015, urban areas expanded from 33 million hectares to 71 million hectares. This growth used up valuable land, including farmland, forests, and shrubland.

Urbanization

Main article: Urbanization

Urban areas grow and develop through a process called urbanization. We use these areas to study things like how many people live close together and how cities spread out. You can find urban areas in many places, such as the United States, Canada, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Japan, Australia, and others where lots of people live in cities.

A metropolitan area is bigger than an urban area. It includes the city, the land around it, and smaller towns that are connected to the city. The city is usually where most people go to work, and people travel there from surrounding areas.

Largest urban areas

See also: List of largest cities, List of largest urban areas by country, and List of largest urban areas by continent

Urban areas are places where many people live close together. Some countries have more people living in these busy places than others. About half of the world’s people now live in urban areas.

Some of the biggest urban areas have more than 5,000,000 people. These large places are important centers for many countries around the world.

Definitions

Different countries and groups use various ways to describe urban areas, which makes it hard to compare them. The United Nations shares data about cities and rural areas but depends on each country's own definitions.

In European countries, an urban area is defined by how the land is used, with buildings close together without big gaps. They often use pictures taken from space to decide the edges of these areas. In countries that are still growing, they also look at how many people work in farming or fishing to decide if an area is urban.

By region

Africa

South Africa

South Africa has eight metro areas. These metro areas are the most developed parts of the country and handle all local government tasks for cities or conurbations. They are set up by provincial governments. According to the 2022 census, South Africa has five metros with over four million people, and three with around one million people. The country's government leaders work in different cities: Cape Town is for laws, Pretoria for administration, and Bloemfontein for courts.

Asia

East Asia

China

China's cities have grown quickly since 2000, expanding by about 10% each year. By 2050, it's expected that China's urban population will grow by 292 million people, reaching over one billion. The country has more cities with over one million people than any other country, including Beijing, Hong Kong, and Shanghai.

Japan

In Japan, urban areas are spots where lots of people live close together, with at least 4,000 people per square kilometre.

South Korea

Seoul is the biggest urban area in South Korea.

Taiwan

Greater Taipei is the largest urban area in Taiwan.

South Asia

Bangladesh

Bangladesh has 532 urban areas, split into three types: City Corporation, Municipal Corporation, and Upazila town. Dhaka is the largest city, with about 19 million people. About 28% of Bangladesh's people live in urban areas, and this is expected to grow to 42% by 2035.

India

In India, an urban area is a place with at least 5,000 people, where people aren't mainly working in farming. Cities and towns with certain leaders are also counted as urban areas. Urban agglomerations include a main town and nearby smaller areas.

Pakistan

In Pakistan, a major city or municipality has more than 100,000 people. Karachi is the most populous city. Urban areas have grown since the country started, with many people living along the Indus River. Cities like Lahore, Faisalabad, and Islamabad are also major urban areas.

Southeast Asia

Philippines

In 2020, 54% of people in the Philippines lived in urban areas. Metro Manila is the most populous metropolitan area, with about 16.3 million people.

Singapore

Singapore is a small island city-state with about 5.6 million people. It is fully urbanized, with every person living in an urban area. The government plans the land use and designs cities to fit everyone.

Thailand

Bangkok is the largest urban area in Thailand.

Vietnam

Vietnam has different types of urban areas, from special urban areas like Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, to smaller towns and townships.

Europe

Finland

In Finland, an urban area needs at least 200 people and buildings every 200 metres. To be called a town or city, it needs at least 15,000 people.

France

In France, an urban area includes a built-up area and the areas around it where people travel to work. Paris is the largest urban area, followed by Lyon, Marseille, and Toulouse.

Germany

Germany has many big cities. The Rhine-Ruhr region is the largest urban area, including cities like Düsseldorf, Cologne, and Dortmund.

Netherlands

The Netherlands is very crowded, with many people living close together. The Randstad is the biggest urban area, with cities like Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and The Hague.

Norway

Norway defines urban areas similarly to other Nordic countries, needing buildings less than 50 metres apart.

Poland

In Poland, urban areas are places with town status. Big cities like Poznań and Katowice have large urban areas.

Russia

Moscow is the capital and largest city in Russia, with over 12 million people in the city and more in the surrounding area. Saint Petersburg is the second-largest city.

Spain

Spain is very urbanized. Madrid is the largest urban area, with coastal cities like Barcelona and Valencia also highly urbanized.

Sweden

Sweden has urban areas with at least 200 people. These areas are independent of administrative divisions.

United Kingdom

The UK defines built-up areas as places with at least 20 hectares of built land and at least 1,500 people. There are many urban areas, with five having over a million people.

North America

Canada

In Canada, an urban area has at least 1,000 people and a certain density. Urban areas close to each other are sometimes grouped together.

Mexico

Mexico City is the largest urban area in Mexico.

United States

In the United States, an urban area has a densely populated core and surrounding areas with certain density rules. New York City is the largest urban area, followed by Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami, Houston, and Dallas. About 80% of the U.S. population lives in urban areas.

Oceania

Australia

Australia is very urbanized, with over 50% of people living in big cities. Sydney is the largest city, with about 5.3 million people.

New Zealand

New Zealand has urban areas defined by population size, from major urban areas with over 100,000 people to small urban areas with 1,000 to 9,999 people.

South America

Argentina

Argentina is highly urbanized. Buenos Aires is the largest urban area, with about 15 million people in the Greater Buenos Aires area.

Brazil

São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil.

Chile

Santiago is the largest urban area in Chile.