Megacities
A megacity is a city with over ten million inhabitants, often facing both economic opportunity and serious pressure on services.
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A megacity is a city with over ten million inhabitants, often facing both economic opportunity and serious pressure on services.
- Tokyo, Delhi and Lagos are examples
- Many are in developing countries
- Slums can grow quickly
🧠 Quick quiz
Three questions. Score 2 or more to complete the topic.
What is Megacities?
Within Geography, which covers maps, landforms, weather, climate, population and settlements: understand how our planet and people connect, this topic explains Megacities. Geography explains how places, people and natural processes connect, so each topic here combines a clear definition with a visual model.
Check that you can explain Megacities in your own words and give one example from everyday life. If you can do that, you have understood the core idea.
Understanding Megacities helps you explain patterns on maps and in the news, and make reasoned decisions about places and environments.
Megacities in detail
A megacity is a city with more than 10 million people, such as Tokyo, Delhi, Shanghai, São Paulo and Lagos. Their number is growing, mainly in Asia, Africa and Latin America, due to migration and natural increase.
Megacities are centres of economy, culture and innovation, but they have severe challenges, such as informal housing, pollution, traffic, strain on water and sanitation, and vulnerability to hazards. Differences between richer and poorer megacities include the quality of infrastructure. Their management is crucial because they are home to a large share of the world's people.
How the interactive helps you understand Megacities
Watch the globe in the interactive. Use any sliders or buttons it offers to change the values and see how the globe responds.
Before you change anything, predict the result. Then change one value at a time and check whether your prediction was right. This is a quick way to build a correct mental model of Megacities.
Real-life uses and examples
- Interpret a graph or map that shows Megacities and say what it suggests.
- Describe a real place where Megacities can be seen, using a map or photograph.
- Explain how Megacities affects people, jobs and land use in a region.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Mixing up cause, effect and consequence when you explain Megacities.
- Writing general statements without a named place or example.
- Learning the definition without testing it. Use the quiz and the interactive to check that you can apply the idea.
Frequently asked questions about Megacities
What is Megacities?
A megacity is a city with over ten million inhabitants, often facing both economic opportunity and serious pressure on services.
What are the most important points about Megacities?
The main points are: Tokyo, Delhi and Lagos are examples; Many are in developing countries; Slums can grow quickly.
Why is Megacities useful?
Understanding Megacities helps you explain patterns on maps and in the news, and make reasoned decisions about places and environments.
How can I practise Megacities?
Open the interactive at the top of this page and change the controls one at a time. Predict the result before each change, then take the three-question quiz. A score of two or more marks the topic as complete on this device.
Which topics are related to Megacities?
Related topics in Geography include Causes of Uneven Development, Trade and Exports, Industry Sectors.