These Are The People In Your Neighborhood

My deep ignorance is revealed to me everyday (often through you, dear reader). But I did not really know until today that Mumbai is now the preferred name for Bombay. Nor did I know that it is the biggest city in the world.

In hopes of using my own ignorance for good not evil, here is a list of the most populous cities in the world, according to one source (the lists vary somewhat).

The most populous city list is, obviously, different than the most populous urban areas list.

I found both lists surprising and helpful.

        Most Populous Cities of the World
Rank     City                Population   Year
1.   Mumbai (Bombay), India  11,914,398   2001 
2.   Shanghai, China         10,996,500   2003
3.   São Paulo, Brazil       10,927,985   2005
4.   Seoul, South Korea      10,287,847   2004
5.   Moscow, Russia          10,101,500   2001 
6.   Delhi, India             9,817,439   2001
7.   Karachi, Pakistan        9,339,023   1998 
8.   Istanbul, Turkey         8,831,805   2000
9.   Beijing, China           8,689,000   2001
10.  Mexico City, Mexico      8,591,309   2000 
11.  Tokyo, Japan             8,483,050   2005
12.  Jakarta, Indonesia       8,389,443   2000
13.  New York City, U.S.      8,085,742   2003e 
14.  Teheran, Iran            7,796,257   2004e 
15.  Cairo, Egypt             7,629,866   2004e 
16.  London, U.K.             7,429,200   2004e 
17.  Bogotá, Colombia         7,185,889   2005e 
18.  Lima, Peru               7,029,928   2004e 
19.  Bangkok, Thailand        6,320,174   2000c 
20.  Rio de Janeiro, Brazil   6,094,183   2005e

     World’s Most Populous Urban Agglomerations: 2005
Rank        Name 		          Est. Population
1.    Tokyo, Japan                      35,327,000
2.    Mexico City, Mexico               19,013,000
3.    New York-Newark, U.S.             18,498,000
4.    Mumbai (Bombay), India            18,336,000
5.    Sao Paulo, Brazil                 18,333,000
6.    Delhi, India                      15,334,000
7.    Calcutta, Inida                   14,299,000
8.    Buenos Aires, Argentina           13,349,000
9.    Jakarta, Indonesia                13,194,000
10.   Shanghai, China                   12,665,000
11.   Dhaka, Bangladesh                 12,560,000
12.   Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana  12,146,000
13.   Karachi, Pakistan                 11,819,000
14.   Rio de Janeiro, Brazil            11,469,000
15.   Osaka-Kobe, Japan                 11,286,000
16.   Cairo, Egypt                      11,146,000
17.   Lagos, Nigeria                    11,135,000
18.   Beijing, China                    10,849,000
19.   Metro Manila, Philippines         10,677,000
20.   Moscow, Russia                    10,672,000