Urban Growth Patterns
More than half the world now lives in cities, and the number is rising fastest in poorer countries. Learn what urbanisation is, what a megacity is, and why cities grow through migration and natural increase.
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The urban world 🌆
For the first time in history, more than half of all people live in towns and cities. That share is still climbing, and it is climbing fastest in the lower-income countries of the world. This module explains what urbanisation is, what counts as a megacity, and the two reasons cities in poorer countries are growing so quickly.
Words to know 🔑
Four terms run through this topic. Learn them first.
Push or pull? ⚖️
People migrate for two kinds of reason.
Match the term 🔗
- Urbanisation
- Megacity
- Rural-urban migration
- Natural increase
- The growing share of people living in cities
- A city of over ten million people
- People moving from the countryside to the city
- Growth when births outnumber deaths
How big is a megacity? 🎯
A megacity is a city with a population of over how many people?
- 10 million
- 1 million
- 100 thousand
- 100 million
Two engines of growth 💡
Cities in LICs (lower-income countries) and NEEs (newly emerging economies) grow for two reasons. One is rural-urban migration, as people move in from the countryside. The other is natural increase, as a young population has more births than deaths.
Match the word 🔀
- Push factor
- Pull factor
- LIC
- NEE
- Something that drives people away from an area
- Something that attracts people to an area
- A lower-income country
- A newly emerging economy
Pull factors ✅
Which TWO are PULL factors that attract people to cities? Choose all that apply.
- More jobs and better pay
- Better schools and hospitals
- Drought ruins the crops
- Few jobs in the countryside
Rising urban share 🔢
An interactive activity.
How a city grows 🪜
An interactive activity.
Complete the sentences 🧩
The rising share of people living in cities is called _____. A city of over ten million people is a _____. People moving from the countryside to the city is rural-urban _____. A reason that drives people away from an area is a _____ factor. When births outnumber deaths, a city grows by natural _____.
Spot the push factors 🖍️
An interactive activity.
Why did they move? 🧭
An interactive activity.
Explain the growth ✍️
An interactive activity.