About This Quiz
Are you a world traveler, or just a student of geography? Either way, you're probably familiar with the major cities of the world. Take this quiz to find out how much you really know about the world's metropolises.
The world's biggest city, by population, is Shanghai, in China. More than 24 million people live there. But Shanghai isn't the only city that is bursting at the seams. In fact, there are roughly 500 cities throughout the world with populations of more than one million people. Shanghai may be overrun (not literally, lol) by Mexico City, Mexico very soon since Mexico City's population is growing at an astounding rate.Â
Although these megacities come with their own sets of problems and challenges, they also serve as hubs for the development of art, music, medicine, culture, and more. For instance, take New York, as the very first megacity (New York had grown to house more than 10 million people by 1930), and Tokyo as the second megacity (more than 10 million inhabitants by 1950), and you'll see how cities grow. But because we have kept track of the world's biggest cities, we also understand why they become so large.
Let's find out how much you know.
New York City is one of the richest and most populous cities on earth, as well as one of the most visited. It was the 5th most visited city on earth in 2016 with roughly 13 million foreign visitors.
Paris, France is the largest metropolis in Europe and the 25th largest in the world. It has a population of nearly 11 million.
Seoul, South Korea is one of Asia's coolest and most wired cities. This massive capital is famous for its singing and dancing K-Pop stars.
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Over 19 million people live in Cairo, Egypt. The Great Pyramids are less than an hour away from the center of this bustling African city.
Half of the top 10 most expensive cities to live in are located in Asia, as well as all of the top 5 but 1. Singapore, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Osaka and Seoul are some of the largest and most expensive cities to live in on earth.
While New York City is the 2nd richest city on earth, both Chicago, Illinois and Los Angeles, California occupy 2 other top 10 spots. Los Angeles is 3rd and Chicago is 8th.
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With a population pushing 40 million, Tokyo, Japan is the most populated metropolitan area on earth. In fact, a quarter of Japan's entire population lives there.
New York City has a metropolitan population of over 18 million people and is the 9th most populous city. Moscow is the 21st most populous city with roughly 12 million inhabitants.
Beijing, China is a massive city where you can see The Great Wall of China. It is also home to Tiananmen Square, the world's largest public square.
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With a metropolitan area population of more than 21 million, Sao Paulo, Brazil is the most populous city in the Americas. It is also the largest Portuguese-speaking city on earth.
21.4 million people live in Mumbai. It's India's most populated city and one of the top 5 cheapest places to live in the world due to local food, transportation and housing costs.
New York City is arguably the most famous city on earth. It is the 10th most populated and 9th most expensive city to live in on earth.
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Bangkok, Thailand is home to about 8 million residents and the most visited tourist destination in the world. It had over 20 million foreign overnight visitors in 2016.
Lagos, Nigeria is the largest city in Nigeria and one of the top 10 largest cities on earth. It is also one of the fastest growing cities in the world.
India has some of the world's most affordable big metropolises. These include New Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai.
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Shanghai is the 3rd largest city on earth after Tokyo and Delhi. Los Angeles is the 20th largest, by population.
Russia is the largest country on earth by land, but 9th in terms of total population. Its largest city, Moscow, is the 21st most populous city on earth.
Dubai is a city in the United Arab Emirates. It is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the Middle East and had more than 15 million visitors in 2016.
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Tokyo is the largest metropolis on earth and also the wealthiest by far. The GDP of the city is $1,520 billion.
Seoul, South Korea is the 17th largest city on earth, with about 25 million people living in its metropolitan area. That is about half of the country's entire population, about 51.44 million people.
London is the world's largest financial center. After the pound dropped in value following Brexit, nearly 20 million foreign visitors flocked to the city.
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New York City is the 10th most populated city on earth and Mexico City is the 7th. Mexico City has over 20 million residents and is famous for its incredible street food and terrible traffic.
Beijing, China is the 6th most populated city on earth, home to 21.2 million people. It's where you can visit the Forbidden City, the largest palace on earth.
Istanbul, Turkey is a city with over a thousand years of history that straddles the Bosphorus Strait, which separates Europe from Asia. Istanbul has the 3rd largest population of any city in the Middle East.
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In 2016, Paris was the 3rd most visited city on earth. The City of Love had more than 15 million overnight foreign visitors.
Sao Paulo, Brazil is a metropolis more than 21 million people call home. It's known for its vibrant nightlife.
Mumbai used to be known as Bombay officially, until the mid-1990s. This was an effort by the political party in power to break colonial ties and name the city after its patron goddess instead.
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Shanghai is China's largest city and the third largest in the world. In Shanghai, you can find Nanjing road, the longest shopping district in the world at 3.5 miles long.
New Delhi is the second-most populated city on earth after Tokyo, with over 26 million residents. This diverse city is a surprisingly green tourist hot spot with 18,000 parks.
Sao Paulo, Brazil has the 11th most populous metropolitan area on earth and the largest in the entire Southern Hemisphere. The city alone is so wealthy that its GDP could be ranked 24th globally compared to entire other countries.
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The richest city on earth is Tokyo. Seoul, Osaka, and Shanghai are also massive and wealthy metropolises that are within the top 10 richest cities globally.
Tokyo, Japan has an urban population of about 38 million people. The entire country of Canada, which is the second biggest on earth by total land, has a population of only about 35 million.
Tokyo is the most populous city on earth. Mumbai is 6th, New York City is 9th, and Moscow is the 21st most populous.
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Kinshasa is the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is the 3rd largest city in Africa and with a population larger than Paris, the most populous Francophone city in the world.
While China considers Hong Kong a part of China, Hong Kong does not. This global city has a population of roughly 7 million people and is one of the most visited cities in the world.