How many cities in China? The largest cities of China

The world leader in terms of population is China. On the territory of this country there are more than 1 billion inhabitants of the planet. But few people know how many cities in China where the population exceeds one million people. Let's try to figure this out.

Separation of cities by level

The official status of a city in China is assigned to administrative units of various levels. Almost all of them consist of the central part, as well as the adjacent territory, which is many times larger than the area of ​​the city itself. To find out how many cities are in China, you need to figure out what similar administrative units include. And they, in turn, are divided into 5 levels:

1. Provincial. This category includes cities of central subordination (GPC), of which there are 4 units in China. They are equated to the provinces.
2. District. These include 283 cities that have a district significance.
3. County In China, there are 374 settlements that have the status of a county town or district of city subordination. 5 Taiwanese provincial cities also fall into this category.
4. Volost. This level includes 19,522 villages in China, as well as 61 townships and 32 county-level cities located in Taiwan.
5. Intermediate. This category includes sub-provincial urban districts, the number of which is 15 administrative units and cities of sub-district level.

Top Cities in China: List

The main cities can be called 4 megacities that have GPC status:

• Beijing.
• Shanghai.
• Chongqing.
• Tianjin.

These megacities are not only the largest, but also the most densely populated in China. In the capital of China - Beijing, the population is more than 21 million people. There are about 24 million inhabitants of Shanghai. The largest city in China is Chongqing. Today, more than 53 million people live in it, and the population density is 600 people / km ² . The area of ​​Chongqing is 82 403 km ² . More than 14 million people live in Tianjin, while the total agglomeration totals over 23 million people. This number includes residents of nearby settlements adjacent to the metropolis.

In China, there are two other cities that have GPC status - this is Taipei and Kaohsiung. They are located on the island of Taiwan. The powers of these cities are somewhat different from the first four. If on the mainland of China such megacities are authorized to manage territories many times larger than their area, then on the island of Taiwan they have the zone that relates directly to the city itself.

GPC status was granted to Kaohsiung and Taipei in 1949 by the local authorities, but since the Chinese leadership considers this decision illegitimate, in the PRC these megacities are not considered cities of central subordination.

Million-plus cities in China

On the territory of this state there are more than 100 cities in which the population exceeds 1 million citizens. The largest of them, where more than 10 million people live, are described in the table.

Capital of china

The city of Pikin has an ancient history, although its name has undergone changes for many centuries. In the first millennium BC, in its place was the capital of the kingdom of Yan - the city of Ji. In 938, it was renamed Nanjin, which means "southern capital." After the territory was seized by the Jin empire, the city was called the "Central Capital" (Zhongdu). In 1215, it was completely destroyed by the troops of Genghis Khan, but in 1267, it was completely rebuilt. Khan Hubilai, who is the founder of the Yuan Empire, gave the city a new name, "The Great Capital." In Chinese, it sounded like Dadu, and in Mongolian it was Hanbalyk.

After the fall of the Yuan Empire (1368), the city was destroyed, but with the advent of the Ming Dynasty, it was restored, and in 1421 the emperor appointed it the capital, renaming it Beijing. It was during the reign of the Ming Empire that the capital of modern China acquired its outlines, which have survived to this day. Over the centuries, the city was renamed several times, and the usual name for us was “Beijing”, it was received in the middle of the 20th century, with the coming to power of the Communist Party.

Today, this metropolis is one of the largest not only in China, but throughout the world. Beijing has a population of over 21 million. This is one of the richest cities in Asia. The city’s GDP is about $ 60 billion, or 366, 11 billion yuan.

Shanghai is China's richest city

Almost all cities with over one million cities in China have a developed economic sphere and attract potential investors. However, Shanghai stands out against the general background. This port city is known far beyond China. More than 24 million citizens live here, and the megalopolis’s GDP is more than $ 67 billion annually. Shanghai is one of the most important economic centers of the country. Many foreign investors invest huge amounts of money in the city’s enterprises. The high level of GDP and the fast pace of economic development allow the state to build new cities and establish their infrastructure.

The rapid development of Shanghai began in the 90s of the last century. After the tax burden was lifted, the city flourished economically. Previously, about 70% of all tax revenue in China came from Shanghai. Now this figure is 20-25%.

In 2005, the city received the status of the largest port in the world. The volume of transported goods amounted to 443 million tons. Not many million-plus cities in China can boast of such achievements.

Chongqing City - the largest in area

Chongqing in Chinese means "Capital of the Mists." The city received this name due to the frequent fogs that are observed here from October to April. This metropolis has the status of GPC and is the most important economic component of the country. Chongqing can rightly be called the largest in China. Its area is more than 82 thousand km ² . Chongqing has a large number of industrial enterprises. The main industries are engineering, metallurgy and the chemical industry. On the territory of the city are located:

• more than 400 enterprises producing spare parts for cars;
• five car factories;
• 2 steelmaking corporations;
• air conditioning plant;
• aluminum smelter;
• six chemical enterprises.

The presence of a huge number of industrial facilities requires the training of qualified personnel. Therefore, the city has more than a thousand research institutes, 25 specialized universities. The number of scientific and technical workers is more than 400 thousand people.

It is difficult to say how many cities in China can boast such dimensions and such a large population.

Tianjin City

This metropolis has a little more than 14 million inhabitants. Over the past century, Tianjin has become a kind of locomotive of China's industrialization. This is one of the largest centers where heavy and light industry enterprises are concentrated. The main activities: mechanical engineering, metalworking, textile and petrochemical industries. Tianjin also has developed agriculture (growing rice, wheat and corn), fishing, mining of salt, boron and manganese. In 2009, an airliner assembly company (Airbus) was opened in this city.

The population of China is growing rapidly, which is why the country's leadership is rapidly building many new settlements. There is such a thing as ghost towns. These are huge megacities in which there are practically no people. High-rise buildings have been built here, roads have been made, there are all the necessary administrative buildings, but the number of residents, corresponding to the number of apartments, is no more than 20%.

The Chinese government hopes that some 250 million people from rural areas will soon relocate here. But for now, they all remain lifeless. How many ghost towns in China are hard to say.