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"Today, 55% of the world’s population lives in urban areas, a proportion that is expected to increase to 68% by 2050". (United Nations, 2018).
Try out this interactive quiz Can you find the top 25 cities in the world? https://www.geoguessr.com/seterra/en/vgp/3127
Characteristics of a city
They have a large population size, a high population density, a dense built-up area and a wide range of functions.
Large population size
Cities have many people living and working in them. They have a large population size compared to other locations in the country. Different countries have different minimum population size to identify a city.
High population density
Population density = Number of people divided by the area they occupy (in sq km)
Though A has a smaller population size, the land area is very small and thus population density, which is the number of people divided by the land area, is higher than B.
3. Built-up area
Cities have large land surface covered by buildings known as built-up areas. There is also extensive infrastructure, which is a system of buildings and equipment to provide basic services such as water, electricity, sanitation, telecommunications and transport for its residents.
4. Range of functions
Cities serve a range of functions
administrative
commercial
economic
For example city of Jakarta
administrative - President office and highest court of law
economic - manufacturing industries that produce and sell variety of products including iron, paper and cars.
Relationship between rural and urban areas
o Rural-urban migration
Rural-urban migrants move for various reasons and they can be classified into push and pull factors. Push factors refer to reasons that make migrants want to leave their place of origin. Pull factors refer to reasons that attract migrants towards a destination such as the city.
o Provision of goods and services (e.g., food, hospitals)
Cities rely on rural areas for some of their food supply since they have limited space for agricultural activities.
Push factors: The undesirable qualities of the place they wish to leave e.g.
o Lack of job opportunities
o Poor educational facilities
o Lack of medical attention
o Famine
o War
Pull factors: The attractive qualities of the place they would like to move to e.g.
o Promise of work
o Better schooling and further education
o More hospitals and doctors
o Perception of exciting city life
o Political stability
• The decision to migrate is often due to a combination of both factors
• People in rural areas often migrate to cities for job opportunities in search of a better life
• Migrants do not always get jobs in cities
– There are a limited number of jobs for migrants
– Migrants may lack the skills required for jobs available in the cities
• Migrants who cannot obtain a source of income cannot afford housing
• Cities cannot build enough houses for huge numbers of migrants quickly enough, causing them to settle in slums
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