In order to know the meaning of the term megalopolis, it is necessary, first of all, to discover its etymological origin. In this case, we can emphasize that it is a word that derives from Greek. Exactly it is the result of the sum of two lexical components of said language:
-The word “megalos”, which can be translated as “greatness” and which comes, in turn, from “megás”, which is synonymous with “great”.
-The noun “polis”, which means “city” as well as “state”.
The notion of megalopolis refers to a large city . The concept is usually used to name conurbations of highly populated cities .
The urban development of different metropolitan areas causes these sectors to begin to unite, giving rise to a megalopolis. These are urban systems with millions of inhabitants and, generally, with intense economic movement.
An example of a megalopolis is SanSan , which extends between San Diego and San Francisco , on the coast of California ( United States ). Most of the population of that state resides in SanSan .
The Golden Triangle of Colombia , a region between Medellín , Cali and Bogotá , can also be considered a megalopolis. More than half of Colombians live there and more than 75% of the country's GDP ( Gross Domestic Product ) is generated.
It is important to keep in mind that the definition of a megalopolis is often a source of debate and discussion. Different specialists have different ideas about the term, which often leads to confusion.
There are those who consider megacities to be megalopolises, focusing above all on the magnitude of the geographical area and the number of inhabitants. Others prefer to emphasize the influence of the region at an economic, political, cultural and social level.
If we only take into account the number of inhabitants, we have to establish that the most populated megalopolises in the world are the following:
-Guangzhou, which has just over 46,500,000 citizens and is located in the south of the People's Republic of China.
-Tokyo, which has more than 40 million inhabitants and is the capital of Japan.
-Shanghai, which has a population that exceeds 33,500,000. It is located in the aforementioned People's Republic of China.
-Jakarta, which has 31,300,000 inhabitants and is the capital of Indonesia. It has an area of 650 square kilometers and is the financial and political center of its country.
-Delhi, which has about 30,300,000 citizens. It is one of the most important states in India and is home to one of the most significant cities in the aforementioned country, New Delhi.
These megalopolises are joined by others that are also among the most populated in the world. This would be the case in Manila, Bombay and even Seoul.
The idea of megalopolis is also associated with the global city . In this case, the international impact of the urbanization in question appears as the main factor. Tokyo ( Japan ), London ( England ) and New York ( United States ) would be megalopolises of this class.