Everything about Metropolis totally explained
A
metropolis (in
Greek μήτηρ,
mētēr meaning 'mother' and πόλις,
pólis meaning 'city/town') is a big
city, in most cases with over half a million inhabitants in the city proper, and with a population of at least one million living in its
urban agglomeration. Big cities belonging to a larger urban agglomeration, but which are not the core of that agglomeration, are not generally considered a metropolis but a part of it. A metropolis is usually a significant
economical,
political and
cultural center for some
country or
region, and an important hub for regional or international connections and communications. The plural of the word is most commonly
metropolises, though
metropoleis is sometimes used as well.
In a broader sense, it refers to the city or state of origin of a
colony (as of
ancient Greece), a city regarded as a center of a specified activity, or a large important city.
Antiquity
In the past, metropolis was the designation for a city or state of origin of a
colony. Many large cities founded by ancient civilizations have been considered important world metropolises of their times due to their large populations and importance. Examples include
Alexandria,
Angkor,
Antioch,
Athens,
Babylon,
Beirut,
Benares,
Byblos,
Cahokia,
Carthage,
Constantinople,
Corinth,
Damascus,
Dholavira,
Ephesus,
Great Zimbabwe,
Harappa,
Istanbul,
Jerusalem,
Nanjing,
Nineveh,
Macchu Picchu,
Mohenjo-Daro,
Rome,
Side,
Siracuse,
Tenochtitlan,
Teotihuacan,
Tikal,
Tyre,
Xian and
Ur. Some of these ancient metropolises survived until the modern days and are among the
world's oldest continuously inhabited cities.
Etymology and modern usage
The word comes from the
Greek metropolis ("
mother city"), which is how the
Greek colonies of
antiquity referred to their original cities, with whom they retained cultic and political-cultural connections. The word was used in post-classical
Latin for the chief city of a province, the seat of the government, and in particular ecclesiastically for the seat or see of a
metropolitan bishop to whom
suffragan bishops were responsible. This usage equates the province with the
diocese or
episcopal see.
In modern usage the word is also used for a
metropolitan area, a set of adjacent and interconnected
cities clustered around a major urban center. In this sense "metropolitan" usually means "spanning the whole metropolis" (as in "metropolitan administration"); or "proper of a metropolis" (as in "metropolitan life", and opposed to "
provincial" or "rural").
Global/world city
The concept of a
Global city (or a World city) means a city that has a direct and tangible effect on global affairs through socioeconomic, cultural, and/or political means. The term has become increasingly familiar, because of the rise of
globalization (for example,
global finance,
communications, and
travel). An attempt to define and categorize world cities by financial criteria was made by the Globalization and World Cities Study Group & Network (GaWC), based primarily at
Loughborough University in
England. The study ranked cities based on their provision of "advanced producer services" such as
accountancy,
advertising,
finance and
law. The Inventory identifies three levels of world cities and several sub-ranks (
See World cities ranking).
A metropolis isn't necessarily a global city, or being one, it couldn't be among the top ranking due to its standards of living, development, and infrastructures.
Local definitions by country
Canada
Statistics Canada defines a
census metropolitan area as one or more adjacent municipalities situated around a major urban core where the urban core has a population of at least 100,000.
(External Link
)
India
In
India, the Census Commission defines a metropolitan city as one having a population of over 4 million.
(External Link) Mumbai,
Delhi,
Chennai,
Kolkata,
Bangalore,
Hyderabad are the six cities that qualify. Residents of these cities are also entitled to a higher House rent allowance. The figure only applies to the city region and not the conurbation.
Japan
The Japanese legal term
to (都) is commonly translated as metropolis. Structured like a
prefecture instead of a normal city, there's only one
to in Japan, namely
Tokyo.
As of 2008, Japan has
11 other cities with populations greater than one million.
United Kingdom
Various
conurbations in the United Kingdom are considered to be metropolitan areas (see
Metropolitan county). The term 'Metropolis' itself is rarely used.
London is archaically referred to as 'the Metropolis'.
United States
In the
United States an
incorporated area or group of areas having a population more than 50,000 is required to have a
metropolitan planning organization in order to facilitate major infrastructure projects and to ensure financial solubility. Thus, a population of 50,000 or greater has been used as a
de facto standard in the United States to define a metropolis. A similar definition is used by the
United States Census Bureau. They define a
metropolitan statistical area as
at least one urbanized area of 50,000 or more inhabitants.
Metropole
Like in the
UK, in
French, in
Spanish language and
Portuguese language, the
cognate word
métropole (Fr.) /
metrópoli (Spa.) /
metrópole (Port.), designates the part of a country near or on the
European continent; in the case of France, this would mean France without its
overseas departments; for Portugal and Spain during the
Spanish Empire and
Portuguese Empire period, it used to be common to designate Portugal or Spain except its
colonies (the
Ultramar).
Notes and references
Further Information
Get more info on 'Metropolis'.
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