💡 Megacity
An urban agglomeration of more than ten million residents — the scale at which cities behave like small countries.
| Aliases | Megapolis |
|---|---|
| Alternate names | Mega-city |
| Entity type | 💡 Concept |
| Permanent ID | E075 |
| Parent topic | Urban Geography |
| Wikidata | Q174844 |
| Wikipedia | Megacity |
About Megacity
A megacity is an urban area whose population exceeds ten million, a threshold popularized by the United Nations. More than thirty now exist, led by Tokyo's roughly 37 million.
Megacity rankings hinge on definitions — city proper versus metro area — and nearly all future growth concentrates in Africa and South Asia, the story of the urban century.
Timeline
| 1950 | New York becomes the first megacity. |
| 2007 | Humanity becomes majority-urban. |
| Today | 30+ megacities worldwide. |
| 2050 | Two-thirds urban projected. |
Famous Examples & Highlights
- 10 million threshold
- Tokyo ~37 million
- 30+ worldwide
- Growth in Africa & South Asia
Relationships
| Parent concept | Urban Geography |
|---|---|
| Child concepts | Tokyo |
Parent & Child Topics
Parent: Urban Geography · Children: Tokyo
Opposite & Comparison Entities
No natural opposite recorded for this entity in the graph.
See Also & Related
Related Quizzes
Covered In These Guides
Full guides and practice quizzes: Bing World Cities Quiz.