Urban area

Short description: Human settlement with high population density and infrastructure of built environment

"Built up area" redirects here. For the Highway Code, see Built-up area (traffic management).

"Urban agglomeration" redirects here. For city clusters, see Megalopolis.

"Urbanite" redirects here. For the type of recycled concrete, see Concrete recycling.

Skyline of Seoul at night Aerial view of Greater Adelaide, the parklands serve as a barrier between the inner CBD and encompassing urban area A satellite view of the U.S. Northeast megalopolis at night, the world's most economically productive megalopolis[1] with over 50 million residents, centered on New York City Greater São Paulo at night, as seen from the International Space Station Warsaw metropolitan area

An urban area[lower-alpha 1] is a human settlement with a high population density and an infrastructure of built environment. Urban areas originate through urbanization, and researchers categorize them as cities, towns, conurbations or suburbs. In urbanism, the term "urban area" contrasts to rural areas such as villages and hamlets. In urban sociology or urban anthropology, it often contrasts with natural environment.

The development of earlier predecessors of modern urban areas during the urban revolution of the 4th millennium BCE[2] led to the formation of human civilization and ultimately to modern urban planning, which along with other human activities such as exploitation of natural resources has led to a human impact on the environment.

## Contents

* 1 Recent historical growth
* 2 Urbanization
* 3 Largest urban areas
* 4 Definitions
* 5 By region
* 5.1 Africa
* 5.1.1 South Africa
* 5.2 Asia
* 5.2.1 East Asia
* 5.2.1.1 China
* 5.2.1.2 Japan
* 5.2.1.3 South Korea
* 5.2.1.4 Taiwan
* 5.2.2 South Asia
* 5.2.2.1 Bangladesh
* 5.2.2.2 India
* 5.2.2.3 Pakistan
* 5.2.3 Southeast Asia
* 5.2.3.1 Philippines
* 5.2.3.2 Singapore
* 5.2.3.3 Thailand
* 5.2.3.4 Vietnam
* 5.3 Europe
* 5.3.1 Finland
* 5.3.2 France
* 5.3.3 Germany
* 5.3.4 Netherlands
* 5.3.5 Norway
* 5.3.6 Poland
* 5.3.7 Russia
* 5.3.8 Spain
* 5.3.9 Sweden
* 5.3.10 United Kingdom
* 5.4 North America
* 5.4.1 Canada
* 5.4.2 Mexico
* 5.4.3 United States
* 5.5 Oceania
* 5.5.1 Australia
* 5.5.2 New Zealand
* 5.6 South America
* 5.6.1 Argentina
* 5.6.2 Brazil
* 5.6.3 Chile
* 6 See also
* 7 Notes
* 8 Sources
* 9 References
* 10 External links

## Recent historical growth

Earth's land use in 2019, built-up area being estimated as 1.5 million square kilometers

In 1950, 764 million people (or about 30 percent of the world's 2.5 billion people) lived in urban areas. In 2009, the number of people living in urban areas (3.42 billion) surpassed the number living in rural areas (3.41 billion), and since then the world has become more urban than rural.[3] By 2014, it was 3.9 billion (or about 53 percent of the world's 7.3 billion people) that lived in urban areas. The change was driven by a combination of increased total population and increased percent of population living in urban areas.[4] This was the first time that the majority of the world's population lived in a city.[5] By that time a high estimate calculated up to 3.5 million square kilometers of land were urban, estimates ranging from 1% of global land area.[6][7]

In 2014 there were 7.3 billion people living on the planet,[8] of which the global urban population comprised 3.9 billion. The Population Division of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs at that time predicted the urban population would occupy 68% of the world population by 2050, with 90% of that growth coming from Africa and Asia.[9]

Globally, urban areas more than doubled in size between 1992 to 2015, growing from 33 million hectares (Mha) to 71 Mha in 2015. This expansion consumed 24 Mha of some of the most fertile croplands, 3.3 Mha of forestlands and 4.6 Mha of shrubland.[10]

## Urbanization

Main article: Earth:Urbanization

Template:Owidslider

Urban areas with at least one million inhabitants in 2025

Urban areas are created and further developed by the process of urbanization. They are measured for various purposes, including analyzing population density and urban sprawl. Urban areas are generally found in the United States, Canada, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Japan, Australia, and many other countries where the urbanization rate is high.

Unlike an urban area, a metropolitan area includes not only the urban area, but also intervening rural land and satellite cities that are socio-economically connected to the urban area. The urban area serves as the core of a metropolitan area, typically by employment ties through commuting, with the urban area being the primary labor market.[11]

The concept of an "urban area" as used in economic statistics should not be confused with the concept of the "urban area" used in road safety statistics. This term was first created by Geographer Brian Manning. The last concept is also known as "built-up area in road safety". According to the definition by the Office for National Statistics, "Built-up areas are defined as land which is 'irreversibly urban in character', meaning that they are characteristic of a town or city. They include areas of built-up land with a minimum of 20 hectares (200,000 m2; 49 acres). Any areas [separated by] less than 200 metres [of non-urban space] are linked to become a single built-up area.[12]

Argentina and Japan are countries where the urbanization rate is over 90% while Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Mexico, and the United States are countries where the urbanization rate is between 80% and 90%, although within the U.S. state of New Jersey, the urbanization rate is 100%.[13]

## Largest urban areas

There are two measures of the degree of urbanization of a population. The first, urban population, describes the percentage of the total population living in urban areas, as defined by the country. The second measure, rate of urbanization, describes the projected average rate of change of the size of the urban population over the given period of time. According to Urbanization by sovereign state article, the world as a whole is 56.2% urbanized, with roughly one-quarter of the countries reported as greater than 80% urbanized. Data is taken from the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency World Factbook estimates from 2020.[14]

According to Demographia, these are the urban areas in the world with a population exceeding 5,000,000 (as of 2025):[15]

| Urban Area  | Country/ Region  | Population

|
|
|

1  | Guangzhou-Shenzhen  | China  | 69,562,000
2  | Shanghai-Changzhou  | China  | 45,115,000
3  | Tokyo-Yokohama  | Japan | 37,325,000
4  | Jakarta | Indonesia  | 36,877,000
5  | Delhi | India | 33,224,000
6  | Mumbai  | India  | 26,237,000
7  | Manila | Philippines  | 25,521,000
8  | Dhaka | Bangladesh  | 25,305,000
9  | Seoul-Incheon  | South Korea | 23,825,000
10  | Mexico City | Mexico  | 23,146,802
11  | Cairo | Egypt | 22,684,000
12  | Beijing | China  | 22,363,000
13  | São Paulo  | Brazil  | 21,747,000
14  | Karachi | Pakistan  | 21,258,000
15  | Kolkata | India  | 20,327,000
16  | Bangkok | Thailand  | 20,284,000
17  | New York  | United States | 19,426,449
18  | Moscow | Russia  | 19,100,000
19  | Bangalore  | India  | 16,216,000
20  | Ho Chi Minh City | Vietnam  | 16,024,000
21  | Buenos Aires | Argentina  | 15,933,000
22  | Lagos | Nigeria  | 15,283,000
23  | Johannesburg-Pretoria | South Africa  | 15,026,000
24  | Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto | Japan  | 14,998,000
25  | Istanbul  | Turkey | 14,749,000
26  | Lahore  | Pakistan  | 14,256,000
27  | Tehran | Iran | 14,137,000
28  | Kinshasa | Democratic Republic of the Congo  | 13,060,000
29  | Rio de Janeiro  | Brazil  | 12,546,000
30  | Hangzhou-Shaoxing  | China  | 12,422,000
31  | Los Angeles  | United States  | 12,237,376
32  | Shantou-Jieyang  | China  | 12,187,000
33  | Tianjin | China  | 12,095,000
34  | Chennai  | India  | 11,950,000
35  | Luanda | Angola  | 11,892,000
36  | Chongqing | China  | 11,524,000
37  | London | United Kingdom  | 11,360,000
38  | Paris | France  | 11,282,000
39  | Lima | Peru  | 10,914,000
40  | Bogota | Colombia  | 10,734,000
41  | Hyderabad | India  | 10,101,000
42  | Wuhan | China  | 10,041,000
43  | Kuala Lumpur | Malaysia  | 9,899,000
44  | Taipei | Taiwan  | 9,866,000
45  | Nagoya  | Japan  | 9,617,000
46  | Nanjing  | China  | 8,929,000
47  | Dar es Salaam | Tanzania  | 8,877,000
48  | Chicago  | United States  | 8,790,000
49  | Riyadh | Saudi Arabia  | 8,589,000
50  | Xi'an  | China  | 8,313,000
51  | Chengdu  | China  | 8,040,000
52  | Ahmedabad  | India  | 7,961,000
53  | Addis Ababa | Ethiopia  | 7,922,000
54  | Shenyang-Fushun  | China  | 7,768,000
55  | Onitsha  | Nigeria  | 7,756,000
56  | Khartoum | Sudan  | 7,677,000
57  | Washington-Baltimore  | United States  | 7,636,000
58  | Bandung  | Indonesia  | 7,490,000
59  | Boston-Providence  | United States  | 7,375,000
60  | Nairobi | Kenya  | 7,264,000
61  | Santiago | Chile  | 7,192,000
62  | Baghdad | Iraq  | 7,160,000
63  | Hong Kong | Hong Kong | 7,117,000
64  | Dallas-Fort Worth  | United States  | 6,980,000
65  | Madrid | Spain  | 6,966,000
66  | Pune  | India  | 6,944,000
67  | Essen-Düsseldorf | Germany  | 6,874,000
68  | Zhengzhou  | China  | 6,860,000
69  | Surabaya  | Indonesia  | 6,820,000
69  | Yangon | Myanmar  | 6,820,000
71  | Houston  | United States  | 6,804,000
72  | Amman | Jordan  | 6,694,000
73  | Quanzhou  | China  | 6,487,000
74  | Abidjan | Ivory Coast  | 6,461,000
75  | Toronto  | Canada  | 6,400,000
76  | San Francisco  | United States  | 6,376,000
77  | Accra | Ghana | 5,785,000
78  | Surat  | India  | 6,601,000
79  | Xiamen-Zhangzhou  | China  | 6,237,000
80  | Miami  | United States  | 6,129,000
81  | Singapore | Singapore | 6,056,000
82  | Kabul | Afghanistan  | 6,009,000
83  | Alexandria | Egypt  | 5,916,000
84  | Hefei  | China  | 5,875,000
85  | St. Petersburg | Russia  | 5,869,000
86  | Qingdao  | China  | 5,806,000
87  | Hanoi | Vietnam  | 5,700,000
88  | Philadelphia  | United States  | 5,697,000
89  | Faisalabad  | Pakistan  | 5,650,000
90  | Ankara | Turkey  | 5,638,000
91  | Milan  | Italy  | 5,631,000
92  | Atlanta  | United States  | 5,495,000
93  | Barcelona | Spain  | 5,489,000
94  | Jiddah  | Saudi Arabia  | 5,482,000
95  | Taiyuan  | China  | 5,371,000
96  | Belo Horizonte  | Brazil  | 5,368,000
97  | Mashhad | Iran  | 5,321,000
98  | Rawalpindi-Islamabad | Pakistan  | 5,203,000
99  | Kumasi | Ghana  | 5,192,000
100  | Melbourne | Australia  | 5,185,000
101  | Dubai  | United Arab Emirates | 5,097,000
102  | Yaounde | Cameroon  | 5,095,000
103  | Kampala | Uganda  | 5,074,000
104  | Sydney | Australia  | 5,037,000

## Definitions

Presently, urban data are based on arbitrary definitions that vary from country to country and from year or census to the next, making them difficult to compare.

> The UN publishes data on cities, urban areas and rural areas, but relies almost entirely on national definitions of these areas. The UN principles and recommendations state that due to different characteristics of urban and rural areas across the globe, a global definition is not possible.

— [16]

European countries[which?] define urbanized areas on the basis of urban-type land use, not allowing any gaps of typically more than 200 metres (220 yd), and use satellite imagery instead of census blocks to determine the boundaries of the urban area. In less-developed countries[which?], in addition to land use and density requirements, a requirement that a large majority of the population, typically 75%, is not engaged in agriculture and/or fishing is sometimes used.

## By region

### Africa

#### South Africa

Cape Town, South Africa's second-largest metro by population

South Africa has eight metro areas. Metropolitan municipalities (Category A municipalities), as defined in SA, are the most developed areas of the country, and execute all the functions of local government for a city or conurbation. They are created by provincial governments.[17] As per the country's 2022 census data, South Africa has five metros (major urban areas) with a population of over four million residents, with the other three having a population of around one million. The country's three branches of government are split over different cities. Cape Town is the legislative capital, Pretoria the administrative capital, and Bloemfontein the judicial capital. The table below shows all South African metro areas, ranked by population size.

Name  | Province  | Seat of government  | Population
(2022)[18] | Area
(km2)[19] | Pop. density
(per km2)

|
|
|
|
|

City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality  | Gauteng  | Johannesburg | 4,803,262  | 1,645  | 2,924
City of Cape Town Metropolitan Municipality  | Western Cape  | Cape Town | 4,772,864  | 2,446  | 1,956
eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality  | KwaZulu-Natal  | Durban  | 4,239,901  | 2,556  | 1,659
City of Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality  | Gauteng  | Germiston  | 4,066,691  | 1,975  | 2,058
City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality  | Gauteng  | Pretoria | 4,040,315  | 6,298  | 642
Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality  | Eastern Cape  | Gqeberha  | 1,190,496  | 1,957  | 608
Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality  | Eastern Cape  | East London  | 975,255  | 2,750  | 354
Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality  | Free State  | Bloemfontein | 811,431  | 9,886  | 82

### Asia

#### East Asia

##### China

Since 2000, China's cities have expanded at an average rate of 10% annually. It is estimated that China's urban population will increase by 292 million people by 2050,[4] when its cities will house a combined population of over one billion.[20] The country's urbanization rate increased from 17.4% to 46.6% between 1978 and 2009.[21] Between 150 and 200 million migrant workers work part-time in the major cities, returning home to the countryside periodically with their earnings.[22][23]

China has more cities with one million or more long-term residents than any other country, including the three global cities of Beijing, Hong Kong, and Shanghai; by 2025, the country will be home to 221 cities with over a million inhabitants.[20] The figures in the table below are from the 2008 census, and are only estimates of the urban populations within administrative city limits; a different ranking exists when considering the total municipal populations (which includes suburban and rural populations). The large "floating populations" of migrant workers make conducting censuses in urban areas difficult;[24] the figures below include only long-term residents.

Panoramic view of Pudong's skyline from the Bund in Shanghai

Template:Most populous cities in the People's Republic of China

##### Japan

In Japan, urbanized areas are defined as contiguous areas of densely inhabited districts (DIDs) using census enumeration districts as units with a density requirement of 4,000 inhabitants per square kilometre (10,000/sq mi).

##### South Korea

Seoul is the largest urban area in South Korea.

##### Taiwan

Greater Taipei is the largest urban area in Taiwan.

#### South Asia

##### Bangladesh

In Bangladesh, there are total 532 urban areas, which are divided into three categories. Those are City Corporation, Municipal Corporation (Pourasova) and Upazila town. Among those urban areas, Dhaka is the largest city by population and area, with a population of 19.10 million.[25] In Bangladesh, there are total 11 City Corporations and 329 Municipal Corporations and 203 Small towns, which serves as the center for Upazilas. According to 2011 population census, Bangladesh has an urban population of 28%, with a growth rate of 2.8%.[26] At this growth rate, it is estimated that the urban population of Bangladesh will reach 79 million or 42% of total population by 2035.

##### India

For the Census of India 2011, the definition of urban area is a place having a minimum population of 5,000 of density 400 persons per square kilometre (1,000/sq mi) or higher, and 75% plus of the male working population employed in non-agricultural activities. Places administered by a municipal corporation, cantonment board or notified town area committee are automatically considered urban areas.[27]

The Census of India 2011 also defined the term "urban agglomeration" as an integrated urban area consisting of a core town together with its "outgrowths" (contiguous suburbs).[28]

Template:Largest urban agglomerations in India

##### Pakistan

In Pakistan, an area is a major city and municipality if it has more than 100,000 inhabitants according to census results. Cities include adjacent cantonments.

Urbanisation in Pakistan has increased since the time of independence and has several different causes. The majority of southern Pakistan's population lives along the Indus River. Karachi is its most populous city.[29] In the northern half of the country, most of the population lives in an arc formed by the cities of Lahore, Faisalabad, Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Gujranwala, Sialkot, Gujrat, Jhelum, Sargodha, Sheikhupura, Nowshera, Mardan and Peshawar. During 1990–2008, city dwellers made up 36% of Pakistan's population, making it the most urbanised nation in South Asia. Furthermore, 50% of Pakistanis live in towns of 5,000 people or more.[30] Karachi is the most populated city in Pakistan closely followed by Lahore according to the 2017 Census.

#### Southeast Asia

##### Philippines

A view of downtown Manila.

In 2020, 54 percent of the Philippine population lived in urban areas.[31] With an estimated population of 16.3 million, Metro Manila is the most populous metropolitan area in the Philippines and the 11th in the world. However, the greater urban area is the 5th largest in the world with a population of 20,654,307 people (2010 estimate).[32]

##### Singapore

As an island city-state, about 5.6 million people live and work within 700 square kilometres (270 sq mi). With 64 islands and islets, Singapore Island makes up the largest urban area in the country. According to the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, the country has the highest urbanised population in Southeast Asia, with 100 percent of its population living in an urban area.[33] The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) is responsible for the urban land-use planning, which designates land use and urban density of the country.[34] The country is divided into 5 regions for planning purposes by the URA, even though as a city state Singapore is defined as a single continuous urban area. It is further subdivided into 55 urban planning areas, which acts as the boundaries of planned towns within the country.[35]

##### Thailand

Bangkok is the largest urban area in Thailand.

##### Vietnam

In Vietnam, there are six types of urban areas:

* Special urban area (2 municipalities): Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.
* Type I urban area (18 provincial cities and 3 municipalities): Long Xuyên, Pleiku, Mỹ Tho, Thủ Dầu Một, Bắc Ninh, Biên Hòa, Hải Dương, Thanh Hóa, Hạ Long, Việt Trì, Thái Nguyên, Nam Định, Vũng Tàu, Buôn Ma Thuột, Đà Lạt, Quy Nhơn, Nha Trang, Huế, Vinh, Cần Thơ, Đà Nẵng and Hải Phòng.
* Type II urban area (21 provincial cities and 1 district):Châu Đốc, Đồng Hới, Uông Bí, Bắc Giang, Ninh Bình, Bạc Liêu, Bà Rịa, Thái Bình, Rạch Giá, Cà Mau, Phan Rang–Tháp Chàm, Tuy Hòa, Phan Thiết, Vĩnh Yên, Lào Cai and Phú Quốc.
* Type III urban area (31 provincial cities and 12 towns).
* Type IV urban area (35 towns and 35 townships).
* Type V urban area (586 townships and 54 communes).

### Europe

#### Finland

A street sign in Vimpeli indicating the beginning of an urban area in Finland

As in other Nordic countries, an urban area (taajama in Finnish) in Finland must have a building at least every 200 m (660 ft) and at least 200 people. To be considered a town or a city (kaupunki) for statistical purposes, an urban area must have at least 15,000 people. This is not to be confused with the city / town designation used by municipalities.[36][37]

#### France

In France, an urban area (Fr: aire d'attraction d'une ville) is a zone encompassing an area of built-up growth (called an "urban unit" (unité urbaine)[38] – close in definition to the North American urban area) and its commuter belt (couronne). Americans would find the INSEE definition of the urban area[39] to be similar to their metropolitan area.

The largest cities in France, in terms of urban area population (2017), are Paris (12,628,266), Lyon (2,323,221), Marseille (1,760,653), Toulouse (1,360,829), Bordeaux (1,247,977), Lille (1,191,117), Nice (1,006,201), Nantes (972,828), Strasbourg (790,087) and Rennes (733,320).[40]

Panorama of Paris as seen from the Eiffel Tower as full 360-degree view (river flowing from north-east to south-west, right to left

#### Germany

Skyline of downtown Berlin.

Germany has a number of large cities. The largest conurbation is the Rhine-Ruhr region (11 million in 2008[update]), including Düsseldorf (the capital of North Rhine-Westphalia), Cologne, Bonn, Dortmund, Essen, Duisburg, and Bochum.[41]

#### Netherlands

A street view of downtown Amsterdam.

The Netherlands is the 30th-most densely populated country in the world, with 404.6 inhabitants per square kilometre (1,048/sq mi)—or 497 inhabitants per square kilometre (1,287/sq mi) if only the land area is counted. The Randstad is the country's largest conurbation located in the west of the country and contains the four largest cities: Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, and Utrecht. The Randstad has a population of 7 million inhabitants and is the 6th largest metropolitan area in Europe.

#### Norway

Norway defines urban areas ("tettsteder") similarly to the other Nordic countries. Unlike in Denmark and Sweden, the distance between each building has to be of less than 50 m, although exceptions are made due to parks, industrial areas, rivers, and similar. Groups of houses less than 400 m from the main body of an urban area are included in the urban area.[42]

#### Poland

In Poland, official "urban" population figures simply refer to those localities which have the status of towns (miasta). The "rural" population is that of all areas outside the boundaries of these towns. This distinction may give a misleading impression in some cases, since some localities with only village status may have acquired larger and denser populations than many many smaller towns[43] with most excessive example of Poznań, most spread urban area of the country with population of the city app. 534 thousand and metropolitan area around 1 million inhabitants. On the other hand, the Katowice urban area with numerous large and medium cities covers 1,468 km and has above 2 million people. The metropolitan areas in Poland are the biggest urban zones (e.g. Katowice metropolitan area, Łódź metropolitan area and Szczecin metropolitan area) and have great impact on the rural surroundings, as it is around Lublin, Radom, Kielce, Tarnów and Białystok.

#### Russia

Moscow, the capital and largest city of Russia

Moscow, the capital and largest city of Russia, has a population estimated at 12.4 million residents within the city limits,[44] while over 17 million residents in the urban area,[45] and over 20 million residents in the Moscow Metropolitan Area.[46] It is among the world's largest cities, being the most populous city entirely within Europe, the most populous urban area in Europe,[45] the most populous metropolitan area in Europe,[46] and also the largest city by land area on the European continent.[47] Saint Petersburg, the cultural capital, is the second-largest city, with a population of roughly 5.4 million inhabitants.[48] Other major urban areas are Yekaterinburg, Novosibirsk, Kazan, Nizhny Novgorod, and Chelyabinsk.

#### Spain

Spain is a very highly urbanized country. Madrid is its largest urban area. The Southern and Eastern coasts with Barcelona, Valencia and Málaga are more urbanised than the Northern and Western ones.

#### Sweden

Main article: List of urban areas in Sweden by population

Urban areas in Sweden (tätorter) are statistically defined localities, totally independent of the administrative subdivision of the country. There are 1,956 such localities in Sweden, with a population ranging from 200 to 1,372,000 inhabitants.[49]

#### United Kingdom

A view of Elizabeth Tower (Often called "Big Ben") in downtown London.

In 2013 the United Kingdom's Office for National Statistics (ONS) published 2011 Built-up Areas – Methodology and Guidance which sets out its definition of a built-up area (BUA) as an area of built-up land of at least 20 hectares (0.077 sq mi), separated from other settlements by at least 200 metres (660 ft). For 2011 census data there are 5,493 built-up areas, of which 501 are divided into built-up area sub-divisions (BUASD) for which data is also available. Each built-up area is named algorithmically, using Ordnance Survey place-name data.[50]

The ONS has produced census results from urban areas since 1951, and since 1981 based upon the extent of irreversible urban development indicated on Ordnance Survey maps. The definition is an extent of at least 20 ha and at least 1,500 census residents. Separate areas are linked if less than 200 m (220 yd) apart. Included are transportation features.[51] The UK has five Urban Areas with a population over a million and a further sixty nine with a population over one hundred thousand. Template:Largest Urban Areas of the United Kingdom

### North America

#### Canada

According to Statistics Canada, an urban area in Canada is an area with a population of at least 1,000 people where the density is no fewer than 400 persons per square kilometre (1,000/sq mi).[52] If two or more urban areas are within 2 km (1.2 mi) of each other by road, they are merged into a single urban area, provided they do not cross census metropolitan area or census agglomeration boundaries.[53]

The Downtown area of Toronto.

In the Canada 2011 Census, Statistics Canada redesignated urban areas with the new term "population centre";[54] the new term was chosen in order to better reflect the fact that urban vs. rural is not a strict division, but rather a continuum within which several distinct settlement patterns may exist. For example, a community may fit a strictly statistical definition of an urban area, but may not be commonly thought of as "urban" because it has a smaller population, or functions socially and economically as a suburb of another urban area rather than as a self-contained urban entity, or is geographically remote from other urban communities. Accordingly, the new definition set out three distinct types of population centres: small (population 1,000 to 29,999), medium (population 30,000 to 99,999) and large (population 100,000 or greater).[54] Despite the change in terminology, however, the demographic definition of a population centre remains unchanged from that of an urban area: a population of at least 1,000 people where the density is no fewer than 400 persons per km2.

#### Mexico

Downtown Mexico City as seen from the street.

Mexico is one of many countries where the urbanization rate is at least 80%. Mexico City, its capital, is the largest urban area in the country.

#### United States

In the United States, the Census Bureau defines urban areas and delineates urban area boundaries after each census. The Bureau defines an urban area as "a statistical geographic entity consisting of a densely settled core created from census blocks and contiguous qualifying territory that together have at least 2,000 housing units or 5,000 persons."[55] There were 2,646 urban areas identified by the Census Bureau for 2020. 511 of these had a population of 50,000 or more.[56]

For the 2000 and 2010 censuses, the Census Bureau differentiated between two kinds of urban areas: urbanized areas and urban clusters. The term urbanized area denoted an urban area of 50,000 or more people. Urban areas under 50,000 people were called urban clusters. Urbanized areas were first delineated in the United States in the 1950 census, while urban clusters were added in the 2000 census. The distinction between urbanized areas and urban clusters was removed for the 2020 census.[55]

Urban areas consist of a densely-settled urban core, plus surrounding developed areas that meet certain density criteria. Since urban areas are composed of census blocks and not cities, counties, or county-equivalents, urban area boundaries may consist of partial areas of these political units. Urban areas are distinguished from rural areas: any area not part of an urban area is considered to be rural by the Census Bureau.[55]

The downtown skyline of Dallas Texas.

The largest urban area in the United States is that of New York City and its surrounding suburbs. The New York–Jersey City–Newark, NY–NJ urban area had a population of 19,426,449 as of 2020, while the larger metropolitan area had a population of 20,140,470, and the combined statistical area had a population of 23,582,649. The next five largest urban areas in the U.S. are those of Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami, Houston, and Dallas.[56] 80.0 percent of the population of the United States lives within the boundaries of an urban area as of the 2020 census.[57]

The skyscrapers of New York City, the most populous city in the United States and the most populous U.S. metropolitan area, are almost all situated in Manhattan, the world's largest central business district, seen here in this panorama in February 2018, as viewed from Weehawken, New Jersey.

1. Riverside Church
2. Time Warner Center
3. 220 Central Park South
4. Central Park Tower
5. One57
6. 432 Park Avenue
7. 53W53
8. Chrysler Building
9. Bank of America Tower
10. Conde Nast Building
11. The New York Times Building
12. Empire State Building
13. Manhattan West
14. a: 55 Hudson Yards, b: 35 Hudson Yards, c: 10 Hudson Yards, d: 15 Hudson Yards
15. 56 Leonard Street
16. 8 Spruce Street
17. Woolworth Building
18. 70 Pine Street
19. 30 Park Place
20. 40 Wall Street
21. Three World Trade Center
22. Four World Trade Center
23. One World Trade Center

The concept of Urbanized Areas as defined by the U.S. Census Bureau is often used as a more accurate gauge of the size of a city, since in different cities and states the lines between city borders and the urbanized area of that city are often not the same. For example, the city of Greenville, South Carolina has a city population just over 68,000 and an urbanized area population of around 400,000, while Greensboro, North Carolina has a city population just over 285,000 and an urbanized area population of around 300,000 — meaning that Greenville is actually "larger" for some intents and purposes, but not for others, such as taxation, local elections, etc.

In the U.S. Department of Agriculture's natural resources inventory, urban areas are officially known as developed areas or urban and built-up areas. Such areas include cities, ethnic villages, other built-up areas of more than 10 ac (4 ha), industrial sites, railroad yards, cemeteries, airports, golf courses, shooting ranges, institutional and public administration sites, and similar areas. The 1997 national resources inventory placed over 98,000,000 ac (40,000,000 ha) in this category, an increase of 25,000,000 ac (10,000,000 ha) since 1982.[58]

### Oceania

#### Australia

The Australian Bureau of Statistics refers to urban areas as Urban Centres, which it generally defines as population clusters of 1,000 or more people.[59] Australia is one of the most urbanised countries in the world, with more than 50% of the population residing in Australia's three biggest urban centres. [59]

Sydney is Australia's largest city, home to 5.3 million inhabitants.[60]

#### New Zealand

Statistics New Zealand defines urban areas in New Zealand, which are independent of any administrative subdivisions and have no legal basis.[61] There are four classes of urban area: major urban areas (population 100,000+), large urban areas (population 30,000–99,999), medium urban areas (population 10,000–29,999) and small urban areas (population 1,000–9,999). As of 2021, there are 7 major urban areas, 13 large urban areas, 22 medium urban areas and 136 small urban areas. Urban areas are reclassified after each New Zealand census, so population changes between censuses does not change an urban area's classification. Template:Largest cities of New Zealand

### South America

#### Argentina

A view of downtown Buenos Aires.

Argentina is highly urbanized.[62] The ten largest metropolitan areas account for half of the population, and fewer than one in ten live in rural areas. About 3 million people live in Buenos Aires City and the Greater Buenos Aires metropolitan area totals around 15 million, making it one of the largest urban areas in the world, with a population of 18 million all up.[63]

Córdoba has around 1.5 million people living in the urban area, while Rosario, Mendoza and Tucumán have around 1.2 million inhabitants each[63] and La Plata, Mar del Plata, Salta and Santa Fe[63][64] have at least 500,000 people each.

#### Brazil

This section is an excerpt from List of metropolitan areas in Brazil § Definitions[ edit ]

Skyline of São Paulo, the largest city in Brazil

Template:Largest urban agglomerations in Brazil

#### Chile

Chile is highly urbanized. The largest urban area in the country is its capital, Santiago.

## See also

* City
* Developed environments
* List of largest urban areas by continent
* New Urbanism
* Urban climatology
* Urban culture
* Urban decay
* Urban forest
* Urban forestry
* Urban green space
* Urban planning
* Urban renewal
* Urban vitality
* Urbanization

## Notes

1. ↑ Also known as a built-up area or urban agglomeration.

## Sources

This article incorporates text from a free content work. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 License statement: The State of the World’s Land and Water Resources for Food and Agriculture 2025, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). To learn how to add open license text to HandWiki articles, please see this how-to page. For information on reusing text from HandWiki, please see the terms of use.

## References

1. ↑ Florida. "The Real Powerhouses That Drive the World's Economy". Bloomberg.com. https://www.citylab.com/life/2019/02/global-megaregions-economic-powerhouse-megalopolis/583729/.
2. ↑ Morris, A.E.J. (2 December 2013). "The Early Cities". History of Urban Form Before the Industrial Revolution (3 ed.). London: Routledge. p. 1. ISBN 9781317885146. https://books.google.com/books?id=whBEAgAAQBAJ. "[...] the Bronze Age, starting between 3500 and 3000 BC [...]. During this [...] period the first urban civilizations were firmly established."
3. ↑ "United Nations Population Division – Department of Economic and Social Affairs". https://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/publications/urbanization/urban-rural.shtml.
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "City population to reach 6.4bn by 2050". Herald Globe. http://www.heraldglobe.com/index.php/sid/223727231/scat/2411cd3571b4f088/ht/City-population-to-reach-64bn-by-2050.
5. ↑ "Urban population growth". World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/gho/urban_health/situation_trends/urban_population_growth_text/en/.
6. ↑ Cox, Wendell (July 23, 2010). "How Much of the World is Covered by Cities?". https://www.newgeography.com/content/001689-how-much-world-covered-cities.
7. ↑ Ritchie, Hannah; Roser, Max (May 2024). "Land Use". Our World in Data. https://ourworldindata.org/land-use#half-of-the-world-s-habitable-land-is-used-for-agriculture. Retrieved October 30, 2024.
8. ↑ "Current world population". UniGeoHive. http://www.geohive.com/earth/population_now.aspx.
9. ↑ "Climate Change 2022: Mitigation of Climate Change" (in en). https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg3/.
10. ↑ (in English) The State of the World’s Land and Water Resources for Food and Agriculture 2025. FAO. 2025. doi:10.4060/cd7488en. ISBN 978-92-5-140285-6. https://openknowledge.fao.org/handle/20.500.14283/cd7488en.
11. ↑ "US Census Glossary". US census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/metro-micro/about/glossary.html.
12. ↑ "2011 Census: Characteristics of Built-Up Areas (4. Introduction)". Office for National Statistics. 28 June 2013. https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/housing/articles/characteristicsofbuiltupareas/2013-06-28.
13. ↑ Ritchie, Hannah; Samborska, Veronika; Roser, Max (2024-02-23). "Urbanization". Our World in Data. https://ourworldindata.org/urbanization#:~:text=Using these definitions, it reports,shown in the chart below.. Retrieved 2026-01-07.
14. ↑ "World Factbook Urbanization". Central Intelligence Agency. https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/field/urbanization.
15. ↑ Cox, Wendell (August 2025). "Demographia World Urban Areas – 20th Annual Edition". Demographia. https://blogs.chapman.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/56/2025/06/Demographia-World-Urban-2025.pdf.
16. ↑ Dijkstra, Lewis; Poelman, Hugo (2014). "A harmonised definition of cities and rural areas: the new degree of urbanisation". Europa Commission. https://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/sources/work/2014_01_new_urban.pdf.
17. ↑ "Hoàng Huy New City" (in en). https://hoanghuynewcity-haiphong.com/.
18. ↑ "South Africa: Administrative Division (Provinces and Municipalities) - Population Statistics, Charts and Map". https://www.citypopulation.de/en/southafrica/admin/.
19. ↑ "Shapefiles Statistics". http://www.demarcation.org.za/site/shapefiles/.
20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 "Preparing for China's urban billion". McKinsey Global Institute. February 2009. http://www.mckinsey.com/insights/mgi/research/urbanization/preparing_for_urban_billion_in_china.
21. ↑ "China urbanization (PDF)". World Bank Institute. 2011. http://wbi.worldbank.org/wbi/Data/wbi/wbicms/files/drupal-acquia/wbi/urban_china_urbanization2011.pdf.
22. ↑ Harney, Alexandra (3 February 2008). "Migrants are China's 'factories without smoke'". CNN. http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/02/01/china.migrants/index.html.
23. ↑ Tschang, Chi-Chu (4 February 2009). "A Tough New Year for China's Migrant Workers". Business Week. http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/content/feb2009/gb2009024_357998.htm.
24. ↑ Francesco Sisci. "China's floating population a headache for census". The Straits Times. 22 September 2000.
25. ↑ "Bangladesh Population & Housing Census-2011". http://www.bbs.gov.bd/WebTestApplication/userfiles/Image/National Reports/Union Statistics.pdf.
26. ↑ Population and Housing Census 2011 – Volume 3: Urban Area Report, Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, Aug 2014, http://203.112.218.65:8008/WebTestApplication/userfiles/Image/National Reports/Population Housing Census 2011.pdf
27. ↑ "Provisional Population Totals Urban Agglomerations and Cities, Data Highlights". Census of India 2011. 13 February 2012. http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011-prov-results/paper2-vol2/data_files/India2/1. Data Highlight.pdf.
28. ↑ "Urban Agglomeration" (in en). India Economic Service. 10 April 2015. http://www.arthapedia.in/index.php?title=Urban_Agglomeration.
29. ↑ N; P; R (2008-06-02). "Series Overview: The Urban Frontier — Karachi" (in en). NPR. https://www.npr.org/2008/06/02/91009748/series-overview-the-urban-frontier-karachi.
30. ↑ Burke, Jason (2008-08-16). "Pakistan looks to life without the general" (in en-GB). The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/aug/17/pakistan.
31. ↑ Mapa, Dennis S. (July 4, 2022). "Urban Population of the Philippines (2020 Census of Population and Housing)" (PDF) (Press release). Philippine Statistics Authority. Archived from the original on July 5, 2022. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
32. ↑ "World: metropolitan areas". World Gazetteer. http://world-gazetteer.com/wg.php?x=&men=gcis&lng=en&dat=32&srt=npan&col=aohdq&pt=a&va=&srt=pnan.
33. ↑ "The State of Asian and Pacific Cities 2015". United Nations ESCAP. 2015. https://www.unescap.org/sites/default/files/The State of Asian and Pacific Cities 2015.pdf.
34. ↑ "Singapore Urban Redevelopment Authority". URA (Singapore). https://www.ura.gov.sg/Corporate/About-Us/What-We-Do.
35. ↑ "Urban Redevelopment Authourity". http://www.ura.gov.sg/dgp_reports/angmokio/main.html.
36. ↑ "Locality – Concepts". Statistics Finland. http://www.stat.fi/meta/kas/taajama_en.html.
37. ↑ "Alueluokkien kuvaukset". Ymparisto. http://www.ymparisto.fi/fi-FI/Elinymparisto_ja_kaavoitus/Yhdyskuntarakenne/Tietoa_yhdyskuntarakenteesta/Kaupunkimaaseutu_luokitus/Alueluokkien_kuvaukset.
38. ↑ "Urban unit" (in en). INSEE. October 31, 2016. http://www.insee.fr/en/metadonnees/definition/c1501.
39. ↑ "Urban area" (in en). INSEE. October 31, 2016. http://www.insee.fr/en/metadonnees/definition/c2070.
40. ↑ "Tableaux de l'économie française, Édition 2020, Villes et communes de France". INSEE. https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/4277602?sommaire=4318291.
41. ↑ "Verdichtungsräume nach Fläche, Bevölkerung und Bevölkerungsdichte am 31.12.2017, im November 2018 wegen korrigierter Bevölkerung revidiert" (in de). Statistisches Bundesamt. 2017. p. 10. https://www.destatis.de/DE/Themen/Laender-Regionen/Regionales/Gemeindeverzeichnis/Administrativ-Nicht/30-verdichtungsraeume.html.
42. ↑ "Population statistics. Population and land area in urban settlements, 1 January 2008". Statistics Norway. June 20, 2008. http://www.ssb.no/english/subjects/02/01/10/beftett_en/.
43. ↑ "Polish official population figures". http://www.stat.gov.pl/gus/45_655_PLK_HTML.htm.
44. ↑ "RUSSIA: Central'nyj Federal'nyj Okrug – Central Federal District". City Population.de. August 8, 2020. https://www.citypopulation.de/en/russia/cities/central/.
45. ↑ 45.0 45.1 "Demographia World Urban Areas". Demographia. http://www.demographia.com/db-worldua.pdf.
46. ↑ 46.0 46.1 Alexander Akishin (August 17, 2017). "A 3-Hour Commute: A Close Look At Moscow The Megapolis". Strelka Mag. https://strelkamag.com/en/article/moscow-agglomeration.
47. ↑ "Moscow, a City Undergoing Transformation". Planète Énergies. September 11, 2017. https://www.planete-energies.com/en/medias/close/moscow-city-undergoing-transformation.
48. ↑ "RUSSIA: Severo-Zapadnyj Federal'nyj Okrug: Northwestern Federal District". City Population.de. 8 August 2020. https://www.citypopulation.de/en/russia/cities/northwestern/.
49. ↑ "Fortsatt stor ökning av befolkning i tätorter". Statistics Sweden. http://www.scb.se/Pages/PressRelease____317009.aspx.
50. ↑ ONS Geography (August 2015). "2011 Built-up Areas – Methodology and Guidance". Office for National Statistics. https://geoportal.statistics.gov.uk/documents/ons::built-up-areas-2011-user-guidance/explore.
51. ↑ KS01 Usual resident population: Census 2001, Key Statistics for urban areas
For the OS definition of an Urban Area, see the notes tab on the Excel version.
52. ↑ "Urban area (UA)". Statistics Canada. 2009-11-20. http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2006/ref/dict/geo049-eng.cfm.
53. ↑ "More information on Urban area (UA)". Statistics Canada. 2009-11-20. http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2006/ref/dict/geo049a-eng.cfm.
54. ↑ 54.0 54.1 "From urban areas to population centres" (in en). http://www.statcan.gc.ca/subjects-sujets/standard-norme/sgc-cgt/urban-urbain-eng.htm.
55. ↑ 55.0 55.1 55.2 United States Census Bureau (March 24, 2022). "Urban Area Criteria for the 2020 Census-Final Criteria". https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2022/03/24/2022-06180/urban-area-criteria-for-the-2020-census-final-criteria.
56. ↑ 56.0 56.1 "List of 2020 Census Urban Areas". United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/geography/guidance/geo-areas/urban-rural.html.
57. ↑ "Nation's Urban and Rural Populations Shift Following 2020 Census". United States Census Bureau. December 29, 2022. https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2022/urban-rural-populations.html.
58. ↑ This article incorporates public domain material from the Congressional Research Service document "Report for Congress: Agriculture: A Glossary of Terms, Programs, and Laws, 2005 Edition" by Jasper Womach.
59. ↑ 59.0 59.1 "Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS)". 23 May 2011. https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Lookup/2901.0Chapter23102011.
60. ↑ "3218.0 – Regional Population Growth, Australia, 2019–20". Australian Bureau of Statistics. 30 March 2021. https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/population/regional-population/latest-release.
61. ↑ "Urban area: Definition". Statistics New Zealand. http://www.stats.govt.nz/surveys_and_methods/methods/classifications-and-standards/classification-related-stats-standards/urban-area/definition.aspx.
62. ↑ "Field listing – Urbanization". The World Factbook. CIA. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2212.html?countryName=Argentina&countryCode=ar&regionCode=sa&#ar.
63. ↑ 63.0 63.1 63.2 "Major Cities". Government of Argentina. http://www.argentina.gov.ar/argentina/portal/paginas.dhtml?pagina=1484.
64. ↑ "Ubicación de la ciudad de salta" (in es). Directorate-General of Tourism, Municipality of the City of Salta. http://turismo.municipalidad-salta.gov.ar:8081/ubicacion.aspx.

## External links

* United Nations Statistics Division (UNSTAT): Definition of "urban"
* World Urban Areas All identified world urbanized areas 500,000+ and others: Population & Density.
* Geopolis: research group, University of Paris-Diderot, France for world urban areas
* Gridded Population of the World – contains links to urban area definitions and maps for over 230 countries/territories
* City Mayors – The World's Largest Urban Areas in 2006
* City Mayors – The World's Largest Urban Areas Projected for 2020
* PopulationData – World's largest urban areas 1,000,000+ population

Template:Cities

* v
* t
* e

Designations for types of administrative territorial entities

English terms

Common English terms1

Area|

* Insular area
* Local government area
* Protected area
* Special area
* Statistical area
* Combined statistical area
* Metropolitan statistical area
* Micropolitan statistical area
* Trade area
* Free-trade area
* Urban area

Borough|

* County borough
* Metropolitan borough

Canton|

Half-canton

Capital|

* Federal capital
* Imperial capital

City|

* Autonomous city
* Charter city
* Independent city
* Incorporated city
* Imperial city
* Free imperial city
* Royal free city

Community|

* Autonomous community
* Residential community

County|

* Administrative county
* Autonomous county
* Consolidated city-county
* Metropolitan county
* Non-metropolitan county
* Viscountcy

Country|

* Overseas country

Department|

* Overseas department

District|

* Capital district
* City district
* Congressional district
* Electoral district
* Federal district
* Indian government district
* Land district
* Metropolitan district
* Non-metropolitan district
* Military district
* Municipal district
* Police district
* Regional district
* Rural district
* Sanitary district
* Service district
* Educational service district
* Local service district
* School district
* Intermediate school district
* Special district
* in the US
* Subdistrict
* Urban district

Division|

* Census division
* Police division
* Subdivision

Municipality|

* City municipality
* County municipality
* Regional county municipality
* Direct-controlled municipality
* District municipality
* Neutral municipality
* Regional municipality
* Resort municipality
* Mountain resort municipality
* Rural municipality
* Specialized municipality

Prefecture|

* Autonomous prefecture
* Subprefecture
* Super-prefecture
* Praetorian prefecture

Province|

* Autonomous province
* Overseas province
* Roman province

Region|

* Administrative region
* Special administrative region
* Autonomous region
* Capital region
* National capital region
* Development region
* Economic region
* Mesoregion
* Microregion
* Overseas region
* Planning region
* Statistical region
* Subregion

Reserve|

* Biosphere reserve
* Ecological reserve
* Game reserve
* Indian reserve
* Nature reserve

State|

* City-state
* Federal state
* Free state
* Sovereign state

Territory|

* Capital territory
* Federal capital territory
* National capital territory
* Dependent territory
* Federal territory
* Incorporated territory
* Organized incorporated territory
* Military territory
* Overseas territory
* Union territory
* Unorganized territory

Town|

* Census town
* Market town

Township|

* Charter township
* Civil township
* Paper township
* Survey township
* Urban township

Unit|

* Administrative unit
* Local administrative unit
* Municipal unit
* Regional unit
* Territorial unit
* Autonomous territorial unit

Zone|

* Economic zone
* Exclusive economic zone
* Free economic zone
* Special economic zone
* Exclusion zone
* Military exclusion zone
* Free speech zone
* Neutral zone
* Self-administered zone
* Trade zone
* Free-trade zone

Other English terms

Current|

* Alpine resort
* Bailiwick
* Banner
* Autonomous
* Block
* Cadastre
* Circle
* Circuit
* Colony
* Commune
* Condominium
* Constituency
* Duchy
* Eldership
* Emirate
* Federal dependency
* Governorate
* Hamlet
* Ilkhanate
* Indian reservation
* Manor
* Royal
* Muftiate
* Neighbourhood
* Parish
* Periphery
* Precinct
* Principality
* Protectorate
* Quarter
* Regency
* Autonomous republic
* Riding
* Sector
* Autonomous
* Shire
* Sultanate
* Suzerainty
* Townland
* Village
* Summer
* Ward

Historical|

* Agency
* Barony
* Burgh
* Exarchate
* Hide
* Hundred
* Imperial Circle
* March
* Monthon
* Presidency
* Residency
* Roman diocese
* Seat
* Tenth
* Tithing

1 Used by ten or more countries or having derived terms. Historical derivations in italics.

Non-English or loanwords

| Current|

* Amt
* Bakhsh
* Barangay
* Bezirk
* Regierungsbezirk
* Comune
* Frazione
* Fu
* Gemeinde
* Austria
* Germany
* South Tyrol
* Switzerland
* Gemeente
* Gmina
* Județ
* Kampong
* Kommun / kunta
* Finland
* Sweden
* Län (Sweden)
* Landskap (Finland)
* Località
* Maakunta
* Megye
* Muban
* Mukim
* Oblast
* Autonomous
* Okrug
* Ostān
* Poblacion
* Purok
* Shahrestān
* Sum
* Sýsla
* Tehsil
* Vingtaine

|

Historical|

* Commote
* Gau
* Heerlijkheid
* Köping
* Län / lääni
* Landskap (Sweden)
* Landskommun
* Maalaiskunta
* Nome
* Egypt
* Greece
* Pagus
* Pargana
* Plasă
* Satrapy
* Socken
* Subah
* Syssel
* Zhou

* v
* t
* e

Arabic terms for country subdivisions

First-level|

* Muhafazah (محافظة governorate)
* Wilayah (ولاية province)
* Mintaqah (منطقة region)
* Mudiriyah (مديرية directorate)
* Imarah (إمارة emirate)
* Baladiyah (بلدية municipality)
* Shabiyah (شعبية "popularate")

Second / third-level|

* Mintaqah (منطقة region)
* Qadaa (قضاء district)
* Nahiyah (ناحية subdistrict)
* Markaz (مركز district)
* Mutamadiyah (معتمدية "delegation")
* Daerah/Daïra (دائرة circle)
* Liwa (لواء banner / sanjak)

City / township-level|

* Amanah (أمانة municipality)
* Baladiyah (بلدية municipality)
* Ḥai (حي neighborhood / quarter)
* Mahallah (محلة)
* Qarya (قرية)
* Sheyakhah (شياخة "neighborhood subdivision")
* Majlis Mahalliyy (مجلس محلي local council)
* Majlis ʾIqlimiyy (مجلس اقليمي regional council)

English translations given are those most commonly used.

* v
* t
* e

French terms for country subdivisions

* arrondissement
* département
* préfecture
* subprefectures

* v
* t
* e

Greek terms for country subdivisions

Modern|

* apokentromenes dioikiseis / geniki dioikisis§ / diamerisma§ / periphereia
* nomos§ / periphereiaki enotita
* demos / eparchia§ / koinotita§

Historical|

* archontia/archontaton
* bandon
* demos
* despotaton
* dioikesis
* doukaton
* droungos
* eparchia
* exarchaton
* katepanikion
* kephalatikion
* kleisoura
* meris
* naukrareia
* satrapeia
* strategis
* thema
* toparchia
* tourma

§ signifies a defunct institution

* v
* t
* e

Portuguese terms for country subdivisions

Regional subdivisions|

* Estado
* Distrito federal
* Província
* Região
* Distrito
* Comarca
* Capitania

Local subdivisions|

* Município
* Concelho
* Freguesia
* Comuna
* Circunscrição

Settlements|

* Cidade
* Vila
* Aldeia
* Bairro
* Lugar

* Historical subdivisions in italics.

* v
* t
* e

Slavic terms for country subdivisions

Current|

* dzielnica
* gmina
* krai
* kraj
* krajina / pokrajina
* městys
* obec
* oblast / oblast' / oblasti / oblys / obwód / voblast'
* okręg
* okres
* okrug
* opština / općina / občina / obshtina
* osiedle
* powiat / povit
* raion
* selsoviet / silrada
* sołectwo
* voivodeship / vojvodina
* županija

Historical|

* darugha
* gromada
* guberniya / gubernia
* jurydyka
* khutor
* obshchina
* okolia
* opole
* pogost
* prowincja
* sorok
* srez
* starostwo / starostva
* uyezd
* volost
* ziemia
* župa

* v
* t
* e

Spanish terms for country subdivisions

National, Federal|

* Comunidad autónoma
* Departamento
* Distrito federal
* Estado
* Provincia
* Región

Regional, Metropolitan|

* Cantón
* Comarca
* Comuna
* Corregimiento
* Delegación
* Distrito
* Mancomunidad
* Merindad
* Municipalidad
* Municipio
* Parroquia
* Ecuador
* Spain

Urban, Rural|

* Aldea
* Alquería
* Anteiglesia
* Asentamiento
* Asentamiento informal
* Pueblos jóvenes
* Barrio
* Campamento
* Caserío
* Ciudad
* Ciudad autónoma
* Colonia
* Lugar
* Masía
* Pedanía
* Población
* Ranchería
* Sitio
* Vereda
* Villa
* Village (Pueblito/Pueblo)

* Historical subdivisions in italics.

* v
* t
* e

Turkish terms for country subdivisions

Modern|

* il (province)
* ilçe (district)
* şehir (city)
* kasaba (town)
* belediye (municipality)
* belde (community)
* köy (village)
* mahalle (neighbourhood/quarter)

Historical|

* ağalık (feudal district)
* bucak (subdistrict)
* beylerbeylik (province)
* kadılık (subprovince)
* kaza (sub-province)
* hidivlik (viceroyalty)
* mutasarrıflık (subprovince)
* nahiye (nahiyah)
* paşalık (province)
* reya (Romanian principalities)
* sancak (prefecture)
* vilayet (province)
* voyvodalık (Romanian provinces)

See also: Census division, Electoral district, Political division, and List of administrative divisions by country

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Original source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urban area. Read more

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