Word Cities Content

Question 1

In 1960 how much of the global population lived in urban areas and what figure had this risen to by 2014?

Answer 1

1960- 34%

2014- 54%

Question 2

Nearly half of the worlds urban population live in settlements of less than how many people?

Answer 2

500,000

Question 3

In 1950 what were the only 2 mega cities?

Answer 3

New York and Tokyo

Question 4

In 2014 how many mega-cities were there and how many people are they home to?

Answer 4

28- home to 453 million people AKA 12% of the world’s population

Question 5

Name the top ten populated cities in the word

Answer 5

1. Tokyo 38 million
2. Delhi 25 million
3. Shanghai 23 million
4. Mexico City ~21 million
5. Mumbai ~21 million
6. São Paolo ~21 million
7. Osaka ~20 million
8. Beijing (just under) 20 million
9. New York-Newark ~18.5 million
10. Cairo ~18.5 million

Question 6

By 2025 it is estimated what percentage of the world’s urban population will live in developing countries?

Answer 6

80%

Question 7

What are the most urbanised continents?

Answer 7

Europe, North America, South America, Australia

Question 8

What is the most rapidly urbanising continent?

Answer 8

Asia but Africa is also rapidly urbanising

Question 9

Three cities sit at the top of the global hierarchy. What are they?

Answer 9

1. New York
2. London
3. Tokyo

Question 10

What do the globally leading cities have?

Answer 10

1. They have the headquarters of many TNCs
2. Centres of world finance
3. Provide international consumer services
4. Are learning centres, with networks of universities, policy makers and company research bases

Question 11

Name four other major world cities

Answer 11

1. Los Angeles
2. Paris
3. Singapore
4. São Paolo

Question 12

What are the three ways in which world cities can be characterised?

Answer 12

1. They’ve lost a lot of their routine low value jobs to other countries
2. They have high levels of synergy to benefit their economic structures. Companies and individuals can work together closely
3. They offer a wide range of jobs but the workforce can be polarised.

Question 13

What are the four hubs world cities can be classified as?

Answer 13

1. Hubs of business, transport and trade
2. Production hubs
3. Political hubs
4. Migration hubs

Question 14

How other can world cities dominate?

Answer 14

1. Culturally

2. Global languages

Question 15

How can world cities be classed?

Answer 15

1. Alpha ++
2. Alpha +
3. Alpha
4. Beta
5. Gamma

Question 16

What did cities start as?

Answer 16

Centres for organising agricultural production, trading surplus produce and administering the rural area around them

Question 17

What did cities attract as they grew?

Answer 17

Other functions, administrative, policing, arts and entertainment and education

Question 18

Why did cities grow in the industrial revolution?

Answer 18

1. The agricultural revolution- mechanised farming, fewer people to work in the countryside
2. Industrialisation and the growth of factories drew in labour from the countryside, factories grew up in places of power
3. New courses of power (coal) meant that industries concentrated in mining areas
4. Improved transport systems- canals, then railways and roads
5. Improvements in medicine and hygiene

Question 19

What did large scale rural urban migration lead to?

Answer 19

Slum housing. There often weren’t enough jobs or houses for everyone in the cities

Question 20

When did urbanisation levels peak in the MEDW and what have they done since then?

Answer 20

The 1970s, they have fallen steadily since then

Question 21

Urbanisation has occurred recently in which continents?

Answer 21

South America, Asia and Africa

Question 22

There has been a shift in manufacturing from the developed world to lower wage economies such as….? What has happened in these areas as a result of this?

Answer 22

China and India, this has led to rises in rates of economic development and urbanisation

Question 23

As with the growth of European cities in the 1800s what problems are developing cities facing?

Answer 23

A lack of planning, poor people were driven from the countryside by a lack of jobs, food and education. These people were looking for a better life but were faced with appalling housing conditions