All over the world, there are megacities that look like giant anthills and cities that seem to extend as far as the eye can see. Depending on the criterion taken into account, the status of the largest city in the world can be attributed to several candidates, here are the ranking of the largest and most populated cities, proposed by caminteresse.fr.
Whether in France, Europe, the United States or elsewhere in the world, many cities are home to millions of inhabitants. While travel enthusiasts marvel at what each city has to offer, it’s difficult to appreciate the grandeur of a city.
In this area, two criteria can be taken into account: the population recorded or the overall surface area of the city. If certain cities manage to combine these two elements, such as Bombay, Lagos, Jakarta or even São Paulo, the human concentration is often greater than the available surface area. In fact, there are theoretically two largest cities in the world on our planet: one located in Canada and another in Japan.
+ The largest city in the world in terms of area +
In terms of surface area, the prize for the largest city in the world goes to Eeyou Istchee Baie-James. Located in the province of Quebec, it does not designate a city strictly speaking. However, it is a Canadian municipal territory and it is particularly vast. It extends over 274,612.44 kilometers, the vast majority of which is occupied by forests, land and river areas.
This “city” is so large that its overall area exceeds that of New Zealand. But, despite this substantial space, Eeyou Istchee Baie-James is relatively sparsely populated. A national census carried out in 2021 estimated the local population at only 1,261 inhabitants. A figure that contrasts radically with that of the largest city in the world in terms of population.
New Delhi, Tokyo, Jakarta… What is the most populous city in the world in terms of population? Unsurprisingly, the Japanese capital has established itself over the years as the most populous megalopolis in the world. The largest urban area in terms of population totals 37,194,107 inhabitants in 2023.
If it concentrates significant economic and tourist activity, particularly thanks to manga, its history and even its gastronomy with the essential sushi and ramen, Tokyo also appears in the ranking of the largest cities in terms of surface area.
The megalopolis is divided into districts which constitute one of the largest urban areas on the planet with an area of 7,835 km2. The latter is so large that we have to talk about Greater Tokyo, very similar in its expansion to Greater Paris.
+ Ranking of the 10 most populous cities in the world +
Below, find the ranking of the cities with the densest population:
10 – Osaka (Japan): 19 million inhabitants in its metropolitan area
9 – Mumbai (India): 21 million inhabitants
8 – Beijing (Beijing / China): 22 million inhabitants
7 – Mexico City (Mexico): 22 million inhabitants
6 – Cairo (Egypt): 22 million inhabitants
5 – São Paulo (Brazil): 22 million inhabitants in its metropolitan area
4- Dhaka (Bangladesh): 24 million inhabitants
3 – Shanghai (China): 29 million inhabitants in its metropolitan area
2 – New Delhi (India): 33 million inhabitants
1 – Tokyo (Japan): 37 million inhabitants in its metropolitan area
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