Teachers Guide: Discussion Questions
Largest Urban Agglomerations, 1950, 2000, 2015
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Source: United Nations, World Urbanization Prospects, The 1999 Revision.
- Where will most of the new 5 million-plus cities spring up in 2015 — in more developed or less developed countries?
- How did growth in London differ from that of Lagos in the past 50 years?
Reading
- What is the definition of an urban area?
- In 2000, did most of the world's people live in rural or urban areas?
- Describe the differences in the patterns of urbanization in the more developed and less developed countries.
Data
Find the column on the
World Population Data Sheet showing the percent of population residing in urban areas. Also examine the list of the largest cities found in the table "Top 10 Largest Agglomerations." For the 10 largest cities, calculate the proportion of the country's population living in that city in 2000. For example, 18.4 million people reside in Mexico City; this is 18.5 percent of Mexico's population.
Discussion
Why are megacities increasing so rapidly in less developed countries? What are some implications of rapid growth in these cities?