Rise of the Megacities
Cities Get Bigger and People Get Closer
1. Megacities are defined as cities with more than ten million people. The number of megacities is growing very quickly. In the 1950s, there were only two megacities in the world.
2. Today, more than 35 cities in the world are megacities. 75% are in Asia, South America, and Africa. Today, 12% of the world’s urban¹ population lives in megacities. Studies show that there will be eight billion people in the world in 2025. Experts say that there will be 40 megacities.
3. More and more people around the world are leaving their homes in the countryside and moving to the city.
4. Many megacities have better opportunities, such as more jobs and a choice of schools and universities. Megacities are also exciting places to live—there are lots of different people, languages, and restaurants, and there are many interesting things to do.
5. However, megacities have problems, too. The cities are very big, and this can cause problems like pollution or poor housing².
City Spotlights
TOKYO, JAPAN | 37.8 MILLION
6. Tokyo is an exciting modern city in the east of Japan. There are lots of jobs because most big companies in Japan are in Tokyo. It is also an excellent place to study—20% of Japan’s universities are in the city. However, Tokyo is very busy, and the traffic is very bad. More than 8.7 million people use the subway every day.
DELHI, INDIA | 25 MILLION
7. Delhi is in the north of India. It has many beautiful monuments³, interesting museums, and modern restaurants. There is an exciting mix of different cultures in the city, and there are four official languages: Hindi, Urdu, Punjabi, and English. However, there are not enough houses in some parts of Delhi. This means that many people live in large slums in the city.
CAIRO, EGYPT | 16.9 MILLION
8. Cairo is the capital of Egypt, and it is the largest city in Africa. Cairo has important car and film industries. The city is the center of many government offices and has many universities, one of which is over 1,200 years old.
🧠Key Vocabulary
- population – (n) the number of people living in a place
- expert – (n) someone who has a lot of skill in or a lot of knowledge about something
- countryside – (n) land that is not in towns or cities and may have farms and fields
- opportunity – (n) a chance to do or experience something good
- pollution – (n) damage caused to water, air, and land by harmful materials or waste
- modern – (adj) designed and made using the most recent ideas and methods
- traffic – (n) the cars, trucks, and other vehicles using a road
- capital – (n) the most important city in a country or state; where the government is