~ The World's Biggest Megacities ~

[MysteRy]

16. Dhaka, Bangladesh



Urban area: 15.4 million people
City: 7 million people

One of the fastest growing cities in the world, Dhaka has attracted economic migrants from all over Bangladesh. As many as one quarter of Dhaka’s residents live in crowded slums, according to the World Bank.

Urban Detail — Dhaka is known as the rickshaw capital of the world as most people get around using cycle rickshaws or autorickshaws. (Source: Reuters)

[MysteRy]

17. Los Angeles, USA



Urban area: 14.9 million people
City: 3.8 million people

Los Angeles is the second biggest city in the United States by land size. An extensive grid of freeways, boulevards, and smaller neighborhood roads spans the city.

Urban Detail — Los Angeles is home to the largest Mexican, Guatemalan, and Korean populations outside of those countries. Almost 40 percent of the city’s population was born outside the United States. (Source: Reuters)

[MysteRy]

18. Kolkata, India



Urban area: 14.4 million people
City proper: 4.5 million people

Kolkata, formerly Calcutta, sits on the banks of the River Hooghly which empties into the Bay of Bengal. The city is India’s oldest port and the commercial and cultural capital of East India, with the third largest economy in South Asia after Mumbai and Delhi. Here Kolkata students smear each other with colored powder during Holi, the Indian festival of colours heralding the beginning of Spring.

Urban Detail — Much of the city was originally wetland and swamp. The land was reclaimed over the centuries to accommodate the rapidly increasing population. Kolkata is where Mother Teresa began her work caring for the poor and the sick. (Source: Reuters)

[MysteRy]

19. Karachi, Pakistan



Urban area:13.8 million people
City: 13.0 million people

Students attend a rooftop evening class in a private school in a slum area in Karachi, the largest city, main seaport and financial center of Pakistan. Karachi is the second largest city proper in the world after Shanghai and accounts for about 20 percent of Pakistan’s GDP. It is growing rapidly due to rural-urban migration.

Urban Detail — After Pakistan won independence from the British and separated from India Karachi’s population increased hugely as hundreds of thousands of Muslim migrants from India settled there, transforming its demographics and economy. (Source: Reuters)

[MysteRy]

20. Buenos Aires



Urban area: 13.5 million people
City: 2.9 million people

According to the 2012 edition of Demographia's World Urban Areas index, the capital of Argentina is the second largest urban area in South America after Sao Paulo. Its per capita income is among the highest in Latin America and its quality of life is ranked number one in the region, although some estimates say that 4 million people in the area live in poverty. It is also reportedly the most visited city in Latin America.

Urban Detail — Buenos Aires is known for its European style architecture and culture, a legacy of the Spanish and Italian origins of most of the population. It has the highest concentration of theatres in Latin America and is the birthplace of Tango music and dance. (Source: Reuters)