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In certain countries, a minimum number of inhabitants is required before a given place can be recognised as a city. In Denmark, for example, 200 residents are sufficient, whereas in India there must be a minimum of 20 thousand inhabitants.

Cities with a population of over 10 million inhabitants are called megacities. In 1950 there were only two – New York‑Newark and Tokyo. In 1995 the number had risen to 14. There are currently more than 20, and in 2025 they are expected to exceed 30.

Data from 2014 is presented in the table.

The chart shows that the majority of megacities are located in underdeveloped countries. It seems to be a paradox – the degree of urbanisation there is low, yet cities are growing to immense sizes.

There is a simple explanation for the apparent paradox. The low level of urbanisation in developing countries means that people who wish to move to a city have a limited choice. Migrating to a city is life‑changing, which is why the metropolitan areas with the best development prospects are most frequently chosen. The choice usually falls on the country's capital, the largest city or a port city. Sometimes all of these criteria are fulfilled at once. This is why there is a mass influx of migrants to one urban centre, which, in a city with an already high natural increase, causes the population to rise dramatically. The population of Lagos, for example, has grown to 34 times its previous size over the course of 65 years.

A large percentage of city residents in developing countries have a low income, and some of them arrive in the city with no means of living. This is why they seek out areas of the city which are unappealing to others and attempt to live there. These areas could be, for example, floodplains by a river, the steep slopes of hills located in the suburbs or areas in very close proximity to the centre. As time goes on, these areas grow to the size of housing estates and districts. They are usually called slums, however in India they are known as bustees, and in Latin America favelas.

Life in these areas is not easy. Residents earn low incomes, if at all, meaning that houses are built with the cheapest materials available, hence their small size and low quality. Population density there is high. Since the areas are often occupied illegally, there is usually no water supply, sewers or power networks. There is a lack of state care and no one is responsible for safety, so crime flourishes. Diseases appear, caused by the lack of clean water and fires break out, etc.

The problems caused by the rapid urbanisation of cities in developing countries do not only affect residents with low incomes. City authorities usually cannot keep up with the development of infrastructure, which leads, for example, to an inefficient transport system or difficulties disposing of rubbish.

Metropolitan areas

An increasing population, the building of new industrial plants and the establishment of shopping centres causes cities to expand outwards – they occupy a larger and larger area. This causes neighbouring cities to converge, until consequently their suburban areas meet. Due to the ease of travelling between the cities, administrative authorities and companies begin to co‑operate more closely, people commute to work, to school and to go shopping. This is how metropolitan areas (agglomerations) are formed.
If one of the cities in a metropolitan area is significantly larger, and is dominant in terms of population or its economy, we call it a monocentric agglomerationmonocentric agglomerationmonocentric agglomeration. Some examples are the Berlin and Moscow metropolitan areas, and in Poland, the Warsaw and Wrocław agglomerations.

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Przykład monocentrycznej aglomeracji. Ilustracja przedstawia kilka piktogramów oznaczających miasta, które połączone są liniami. Piktogramy są różnej wielkości. Wszystkie są połączone z centralnym piktogramem, ale tylko niektóre między sobą.

In certain cases, the neighbouring cities have developed at the same speed, due to, for example, vast deposits of raw materials. Then, the growth of each of them has contributed equally to the creation of the metropolitan area. Since none of the cities stands out, we call this a polycentric agglomeration (conurbation)polycentric agglomeration (conurbation)polycentric agglomeration (conurbation). Some examples are: the region in the West of Germany between Düsseldorf and Dortmund, called the Ruhr district, and in Poland, the area between Gliwice and Dąbrowa Górnicza (the Upper Silesian metropolitan area).

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Na ilustracji widać schemat aglomeracji policentrycznej. Ilustracja przedstawia kilka piktogramów oznaczających miasta, które połączone są liniami. Wszystkie piktogramy są zbliżonej wielkości. Połączone są prawie każdy z każdym.

Task 1

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Why are cities in developing countries more populous than those in highly developed countries? Ilustracja przedstawia duże miasto. Pośrodku, na pierwszym planie znajduje się ulica z sześcioma pasami ruchu. Większość pasów kieruje auta w kierunku przeciwnym do odbiorcy zdjęcia. Prawdopodobnie są godziny popołudniowe i zaraz zajdzie słońce i w związku z tym panuje duży ruch. Po bokach oraz w oddali znajdują się gęsto rozmieszczone, wysokie budynki.

Why are cities in developing countries more populous than those in highly developed countries? Ilustracja przedstawia duże miasto. Pośrodku, na pierwszym planie znajduje się ulica z sześcioma pasami ruchu. Większość pasów kieruje auta w kierunku przeciwnym do odbiorcy zdjęcia. Prawdopodobnie są godziny popołudniowe i zaraz zajdzie słońce i w związku z tym panuje duży ruch. Po bokach oraz w oddali znajdują się gęsto rozmieszczone, wysokie budynki.

Why are cities in developing countries more populous than those in highly developed countries?

Metropolitan areas which are especially large in terms of population and expanse have even been given their own name – megalopolismegalopolismegalopolis. A classic metropolitan area of this type is located on the East coast of the United States between Boston and Washington, occupying an area a little less than half of Poland, where around 45 million people live. Other examples of megalopolises are: the Japanese Pas Taiheiyō (83 million inhabitants), the British agglomeration encompassing London, Birmingham, Manchester and Liverpool (20.5 million inhabitants) as well as the Brazillian megalopolis which combines the São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro‑Nova Iguaçu agglomerations (34.5 million inhabitants).

Keywords

megalopolis, polycentric agglomeration, monocentric agglomeration, megacity, urbanisation

Glossary