Greek megas - large + polis - city) is a term first proposed by the English author of travel essays T. Herbert in the 17th century. to designate the main city of the country. In the British Dictionary of Geographical Terms (published in 1961) it is considered outdated, but has not completely disappeared from the lexicon (especially journalistic).

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Megapolis

megacity), a very large city. Until the 1880s, until us. London did not exceed 4 million inhabitants; cities of this size were unknown. By 1980, the number of such cities reached 35, and at the end. By 1990 there were more than 60 of them, 50 of them in developing countries. Among the largest cities, a subgroup of cities stands out - agglomerates, according to UN terminology. In 1980, we had seven agglomerates. more than 10 million people In con. 1990s There are now 22 such cities, all but five of which are in developing countries. Mn. Mexico is already facing enormous difficulties (urbanization) in providing its residents with water, electricity, food and work (employment).

Man builds his cities in breadth and height, occupying more and more space around the centers of his states. In this way, unusually large cities are formed in which millions live, seek their happiness, work and relax. The lights of a big city, a metropolis, are hypnotizing. The second word, so exquisitely impressive, is increasingly used in conversations. It has long replaced the word “city” for some of these centers. As we know, a metropolis is a very large city. Or maybe we know very little about him, about this beautiful word? We propose to understand in a little more detail what a metropolis is. The word itself comes from a combination of two Greek forms. If someone came up with an association with such a phenomenon of ancient civilization as city-states, then this is very useful. Megalo, which translates as “big” and polis, which translates as “city”, are the two components that make up the modern designation for the largest city. So, we got the answer to the most important question - what is a metropolis. We know the definition and origin of the word. We will touch upon its historical development further. The history of the use of the word "metropolis" in geographical science began in the 17th century. The English researcher T. Herbert first used this term to designate the capitals of states. Since then, the evolution of the meaning of the word has tied it to the name of only cities that are especially large in global significance. According to the criterion introduced in UN publications, a metropolis must have at least 10 million inhabitants.

A metropolis is the largest form of settlement, which is formed as a result of the merger of many neighboring urban agglomerations. For reference, let's digress to the additional concept of agglomeration (from Latin agglomero - “I join”) - a set of cities with strong economic and cultural ties. As a result, they become a single functional unit. They form around large cities, mainly in industrial areas with high population densities. With further growth and development of connections, cities and agglomerations are united into megacities.

Now we know what a metropolis is in geography. The formation and development of large cities were constantly monitored. Thus, according to statistics, in 1900 there were only 10 cities in the whole world that could be considered megacities. In 1955, there were already 61 cities with a population of more than a million, and in 1990 - as many as 276. As can be seen from the figures, trends towards globalization and consolidation of settlements are gaining momentum. The most populous cities historically appeared in America. So, back in 1950, New York had more than 12 million residents. The Eurasian continent lagged behind just a little - Shanghai with its 10 million and London. Before the start of the new millennium, in 1995, the picture of the world's megacities was even more impressive. In Japan, the Tokyo-Yokohama megacity had more than 26 million inhabitants. New York did not grow as much - up to 16 million, Mexico City - up to 15.5.

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Meaning of the word metropolis

metropolis in the crossword dictionary

Economic dictionary of terms

(from the Greek genus megas, megalus - big and polis - city) metropolis

the largest form of urban settlement, resulting from the integration of the main city with its surrounding settlements and agglomerations.

Explanatory dictionary of the Russian language. S.I.Ozhegov, N.Yu.Shvedova.

metropolis

A, m. A city with a population of many millions.

adj. metropolitan, oh, oh.

New explanatory dictionary of the Russian language, T. F. Efremova.

metropolis

m. A giant city formed as a result of the merger of several settlements; megalopolis.

Wikipedia

Megapolis (disambiguation)

Megapolis- a term that is not used in geography and demography, but is widely used outside of these sciences to designate a very large city. Most often used to mean “a city with a population of over 1 million people.”

Can also mean:

Megapolis (group)

"Megapolis"- Soviet and Russian rock band, founded in Moscow in 1987. The group’s birthday is apparently May 27, which is when the debut album “Morning” was released. The first performance of Megapolis took place in June 1987 at the Moscow Rock Laboratory festival in the Gorbunov House of Culture.

Many of the group's songs are written to poems by famous poets: Joseph Brodsky ( “There”, “Christmas Romance”, “Debut”), Alexander Barash ( “Loner”, “Mary of Egypt”, “Homage to Dennis Silk”, “Thunderstorm in the Country”, “The Ballad of Wax and Honey”, “Wet Lies”, “After Half a Century”), Vasco Popy ( "Seeds", "Nails"), Andrei Voznesensky ( "New Moscow sirtaki").

In the mid-90s, Oleg Nesterov began producing. In 1996, the album “Thunderstorm in the Village” was released, after which the group went on a long rest, releasing individual songs. She left to return in May 2010 with a new album, “Supertango,” which was recognized as the most successful.

Megapolis (KVN team)

"Megapolis"- KVN team from Moscow. In 2005, they shared the championship in the Major League with “Narts from Abkhazia”.

Megapolis (train)

"Megapolis"- fast branded train No. 19/20 between Moscow and St. Petersburg of the private company Tverskoy Express LLC. The train runs daily; departure time is 00:28 from Moscow and at 22:29 from St. Petersburg. Travel time: 7:28 min; The train includes 16 carriages including a dining car.

Examples of the use of the word megapolis in literature.

Berlarak easily opened the massive lattice door that blocked the passage to the air purification system of the lowest level of the huge underground metropolis.

Of course, the landscape outside the window still only vaguely resembled that metropolis, during Cermentator’s youth, he grew up on the site of six cities - Tokyo itself, Yokohama, Kawasaki, Kawaguchi, Ichikawa and Chiba - but the President did not know the future, and therefore was not horrified.

Gardening areas megacities gradually turned into a forested area with nests of gardening and field plots, with pockets of nature reserves, reserves and planetary parks.

The entire inhabited part of the country is a huge metropolis, only formally divided into separate cities, .

From the eternal sleepless light of the North Megapolis a stratospheric plane jumped out, plunged into the night and now tirelessly drew south along the fifteenth meridian, swallowing a thousand kilometers every ten minutes, leaving behind the lighthouses of the island of Bornholm, the multi-colored puddles of Szczecin and Prague.

On three other sides there was a picturesque view of the sun-drenched metropolis.

Imagine your own home, a real home, a mowed lawn around, a white fence, or at least an apartment in metropolis.

In the evening, daytime cloud seeding activity could cause rain, and then the air above metropolis I will be able to breathe for another three days.

However, investment in the Tokaido sector metropolis by this time they were already so significant that the losses turned out to be huge.

Khaidarov flew alone, and the night seemed endless, although the flight was from Megapolis to the Tejerhi Cosmodrome will last a little over an hour.

After the noisy, buzzing and traffic-clogged city artery, where is the pulse metropolis is felt most acutely, you find yourself in an enclave of calm.

The town - even in its best times, hardly aspires to the title of hectic metropolis- fell into a complete stupor, and it was in this silence that Ralph Roberts first heard the tapping of the Death Guard's staff and realized that in the interval between the cool green of June and the roasted stillness of July, Caroline's slim chances had turned into nothing.

This Rush is building not only a city, not only metropolis, stuffed with equipment and the latest technology for life today.

A quiet street, a remote area with several five-story panel buildings on the left side of the road - well, this in itself was not yet a headache, everyone already knew that an experienced person, contrary to other stereotypes, chooses just such places: it is very difficult to disguise yourself outside, not what's on a crowded avenue metropolis.

Man builds his cities in breadth and height, occupying more and more space around the centers of his states. In this way, extraordinary communities are formed in which millions live, seek their happiness, work and relax.

The lights of the big one are hypnotizing. The second word, so exquisitely impressive, is increasingly used in conversations. It has long replaced the word “city” for some of these centers. As we know, a metropolis is a very large city. Or maybe we know very little about him, about this beautiful word? We propose to understand in a little more detail what a metropolis is.

Megapolis: the word and its origin

The word itself comes from a combination of two Greek forms. If someone came up with an association with such a phenomenon of ancient civilization as city-states, then this is very useful. Megalo, which translates as “big” and polis, which translates as “city”, are the two components that make up the modern designation for the largest city. So, we got the answer to the most important question - what is a metropolis. We know the definition and origin of the word. We will touch upon its historical development further.

The history of the use of the word "metropolis" in geographical science began in the 17th century. The English researcher T. Herbert first used this term to designate the capitals of states. Since then, the evolution of the meaning of the word has tied it to the name of only cities that are especially large in global significance. According to the criterion introduced in UN publications, a metropolis must have at least 10 million inhabitants.

Features of the metropolis

A metropolis is the largest form of settlement, which is formed as a result of the merger of many neighboring urban agglomerations.

For reference, let's digress to the additional concept of agglomeration (from Latin agglomero - “I join”) - a set of cities with strong economic and cultural ties. As a result, they become a single functional unit. They form around large cities, mainly in industrial areas with high population densities. With further growth and development of connections, cities and agglomerations are united into megacities.

World trends in the context of history

Now we know what a metropolis is in geography. The formation and development of large cities were constantly monitored. Thus, according to statistics, in 1900 there were only 10 cities in the whole world that could be considered megacities. In 1955, there were already 61 cities with a population of more than a million, and in 1990 - as many as 276. As can be seen from the figures, trends towards globalization and consolidation of settlements are gaining momentum.

The most populous cities historically appeared in America. So, back in 1950, New York had more than 12 million residents. The Eurasian continent lagged behind just a little - Shanghai with its 10 million and London.

Before the start of the new millennium, in 1995, the picture was even more impressive. In Japan, the Tokyo-Yokohama megacity had more than 26 million inhabitants. New York did not grow as much - up to 16 million, Mexico City - up to 15.5.

We looked at what a metropolis is, its definition by geography, and some statistics. Next, we need to touch on the problems of a modern big city.

What is a metropolis: the environmental side of the issue

In addition to comfort and a wide range of opportunities, life in a big city has many negative aspects. Residents of megacities are familiar with them, but those who are eager to move there will have to meet them. And it's better to be prepared.

What is a metropolis in the context of the influence of its scale on the life of the population? A person is surrounded by many dangerous factors. You might not even think about them: an extremely fast pace of life, a constant background noise, nervous stress experienced during moments, for example, waiting in a traffic jam, or a long journey to work and home. The psyche of a metropolis resident is subject to constant negative influence.

In large cities, there is a higher likelihood of not so frequent, but global problems: terrorism, man-made disasters. The epidemiological danger is considered separately in this issue.

Spread of diseases in the metropolis

Due to the dense population, frequent and long-term contacts of people in big cities, the risk of rapid spread of diseases here is off the charts.

Thus, the United States was closely faced with this problem in 2013. The country experienced a flu epidemic in which hundreds of thousands of cases were reported. Hospitals were packed, and people were getting even worse while queuing for medical care. There were also many deaths. New York at that moment was most vulnerable to the disease.

With a high population density, any epidemic quickly gets out of control. It’s worth looking at this too when assessing a metropolis as a place to live.

Ecology - problem No. 1

After the examples given here, we already know that a metropolis is not only about convenience and opportunity, but also about many dangers.

However, the leader among the problems of a big city is, after all, environmental. Operating industrial zones and vehicular smog cause a colossal blow to people’s health. Residents of the metropolis are more likely to have heart attacks, suffer from allergies, experience nervous breakdowns and other health problems.

Conclusion

Thus, we looked at what a metropolis is. This is the largest form of human settlement in the world, and it has many advantages for a comfortable life, but also many problems. The most important of the latter is the environmental situation, which adversely affects the health of city residents.

We hope you were interested in learning more about the largest human settlements of our time. And despite a significant number of negative factors, I would like to believe that the pleasant impressions of the world’s megacities will be brighter and larger-scale.

According to the explanatory dictionary of the Russian language, a metropolis is a city with a population of many millions.

By origin, the word itself is Greek, and even without knowing this language, you can guess that the translation into Russian is almost literal.

It would seem that everything should fall into place, but the concept of “many” is different for everyone, which is why opinions on this matter are often divided and the question of what a metropolis is does not have a clear answer.

Some believe that any millionaire city can already be classified as a megacity. Others increase the required population to 5 million.

In 1970, the United Nations proposed that the definition of a megacity include cities with a population of 8 million or more. And already in the early 90s this bar was raised to 10 million.

The number of people on the globe has been growing rapidly throughout history, and especially in recent decades. Thus, according to experts, in the 50s there were only 2 megacities - Tokyo (11.2 million) and New York (12.2 million). After 25 years, there were already 4 of them (Shanghai and Mexico City were added), and after 50 years the number of megacities had already exceeded 15.

Forecasts are that such growth will continue in the future.

Megacities of the world today

According to a report by the international organization Demographia World Urban Areas, as of 2018, the most populous cities are:

1. Tokyo-Yokohama - 38 million.
2. Jakarta - 32.3 million
3. Delhi - 27.3 million
4. Manila - 24.65 million
5. Seoul - 24.2 million
6. Shanghai - 24.1 million
7. Mumbai - 23.26 million
8. New York - 21.57 million
9. Beijing - 21.25 million
10. Sao Paulo - 21.1 million
11. Mexico City - 20.56 million
12. Guangzhou - 19.96 million
13. Dhaka - 17.42 million
14. Osaka-Kobe - 17.16 million.
15. Moscow - 16.85 million

More than 15 million inhabitants in Cairo, Bangkok, Los Angeles, Buenos Aires and Kolkata. There are 37 cities with a population of more than 10 million people on the planet!

Among Russian cities, only Moscow is a metropolis.

It is noteworthy that if you compare this rating with another - the most comfortable cities to live in, it turns out that there are no coincidences in them, except for Tokyo and Osaka, Japanese megacities. That such exceptions exist means that there are numerous serious problems.

Disadvantages of densely populated cities

• The growing number of cars, equipment and the increase in widespread automation becomes over time not just inconvenient, but also dangerous to health and life.
• Population growth does not occur naturally, but due to migrants and settlers from rural areas.
• The level of crime, drug addiction and alcoholism is growing.
• The environmental situation is suffering.

The last point is one of the most important and discussed. Exhaust gases and active production pollute the air, soil, and water. New diseases are appearing, life expectancy is decreasing - these are the main prerequisites for the fact that such megacities require the close attention of ecologists. And by devoting effort, time and money to this, Japan, for example, has achieved significant success.

Advantages of a metropolis

• Comfort of life. All advanced technologies first appear here. There is always a choice in everything.
• It is easier to get an education and find a suitable job in the city. Huge prospects for personal and career growth.
• Science, production, art and culture are developing.

These advantages often outweigh the disadvantages; people tend to live in cities because of the great opportunities. If previously there was a tendency for the stable middle class to move to urban suburbs, now the opposite is true.

Unknown metropolis

Few people have heard of the Chinese city of Chongqing, but its population is already more than 30 million, and according to forecasts, it will soon surpass Tokyo.

In this city, during the night, some blocks replace others - becoming taller and more modern. Road junctions confound the most sophisticated imagination, and moving from one end of the city to the other is a whole journey.

The growth rate is frightening. And 20 years ago, Chongqing was an ordinary city, until the Chinese government developed a new program to provide jobs to rural residents. Mass migration led to the fact that the concrete jungle replaced nature, and the widespread construction of skyscrapers led to overpopulation. Due to its geographical location, the city cannot expand in breadth, so it only grows in height.

The trends are such that large settlements located a short distance from each other are united into megacities. This is clearly expressed in Japan and America.

Experts believe that in the next ten to fifteen years the number of megacities may double, and perhaps we will answer the question of what a megacity is in a completely different way.