World’s Largest Cities Author: Marty Mater Lesson Overview: Students will analyze information detailing population density throughout the world and across different historical periods. Essential Questions: • Where were the most populated cities of the world located during major historical periods? • Why were these areas densely populated? • How and why did the population of these cities change over time? Objectives: Students will be able to: • Locate the largest urban areas in the world in several time periods. • Describe the pattern of urban settlement in each period. • Explain some economic, geographic or political reasons for the location of the largest cities in each period. • Explain a change from one to another chronological era. • Identify questions about why certain changes took place. Subject/ Target Grade: World History and Geography, grades 6-12 Duration: 1 class period Student Materials: Patterns of World Cities worksheet; Comparing Cities worksheet; World Population Tables World’s Largest Cities Maps World’s Largest Cities PowerPoint Presentation
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Michigan Grade Level Content Expectations • 6 – G1.2.3 Use data to create thematic maps and graphs showing patterns of population, physical terrain, rainfall, and vegetation, analyze the patterns and then propose two generalizations about the location and density of the population. • 6 – W1.2.3 Explain the impact of the Agricultural Revolution (stable food supply, surplus, population growth, trade, division of labor, development of settlements). • 7 – G1.2.4 Draw the general population distribution of the Eastern Hemisphere on a map, analyze the patterns, and propose two generalizations about the location and density of the population. • 7 – W1.2.2 Explain the impact of the Agricultural Revolution (stable food supply, surplus, population growth, trade, division of labor, development of settlements). National Geography Standards • Standard 3: How to analyze the spatial organization of people, places, and environments on Earth’s surface • Standard 9: The characteristics, distribution, and migration of human populations on Earth’s surface • Standard12: The processes, patterns, and functions of human settlement National World History Standards • Era 2: Standard 1A: The student understands how Mesopotamia, Egypt, and the Indus valley became centers of dense population, urbanization, and cultural innovation in the fourth and third millennia BCE.
World’s Largest Cities
2013
Procedure 1. Opening Activity (Optional) Use PowerPoint (slides 1-7) to open lesson and involve students. 2. Give each student or group a pre-marked map of one time period in history and the Patterns of World Cities worksheet. (Slide 8) After examining the map, students write 2 descriptive statements about the pattern (e.g., all the cities are on or near water; most of the cities are in the Far East; all the cities are in the mid-latitudes; many clustered around Mediterranean Sea). 3. Using an atlas of world history, maps, or other sources including prior knowledge, have students propose an economic, geographic or political reason for the location of one or more of the largest cities in this period and discuss. Have students share answers using maps. (Slides 9-20 ) 4. Hang maps according to time period. Have students observe maps to complete Part 1 of Comparing Cities worksheet. (Slide 21) After sharing individual answers, discuss questions: o What region or regions lost or added cities? Why? (e. g., Decline of Roman Empire moved Rome from #1 in 100 CE to #8 in 500 CE) o What time period shows the most difference from the previous one? (e.g., from 1800 to 1900, Europe gained several large cities, and Asia lost several from the list) o At what point did a city in the Western Hemisphere appear on the list? (Teotihuacan, Mexico was #6 in the year 500 CE, but did not appear again. Another Western Hemisphere city did not appear on the list until 1600) o What time period shows a loss of urban population? (e.g., from 1000 CE to 1200 CE the population of the largest cities went from 450,000 to 255,000) o What event or events could have caused the change? (e.g., Black Plague, movement out of cities to rural areas) o When did the first city reach one million people? (Beijing reached 1.1 million people in 1800) Assessment Options • Participation in discussion • Choose a city on at least 3 lists that changed ranking. Write a paragraph describing its population changes and its relative location changes. (Part 2 on Comparing Cities Worksheet) References: Chandler, Tertius. Four Thousand Years of Urban Growth: An Historical Census, St. David’s University Press, 1987, Cardiff, Wales.
Michigan Geographic Alliance
World’s Largest Cities
2013
Student Activity
Patterns of World Cities Using your map, answer the following: 1. What time period is represented on your map? 2. Write two statements about the pattern shown on this map. a. ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________
b. ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________
3. What might be one economic, geographic or political reason for the location of one or more of the largest cities in this period? I think ____________________ is on the list (# ____) because ____________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ I think ____________________ is on the list (# ____) because ____________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________
Michigan Geographic Alliance
World’s Largest Cities
2013
Student Activity
Part 1:
Comparing Cities
Using a map of a time period either immediately preceding, or immediately following your map, compare the patterns. Year: ______________________ to Year __________________________ 1. What cities have either dropped off or been added?
2. What new regions are represented?
3. What event or events could have caused the change?
Part 2: (After class discussion) Using the population tables or maps, choose a city that is on at least three lists. Describe its population changes and the change in its relative location at each period in history.
Student Resource
Michigan Geographic Alliance
World’s Largest Cities
2013
WORLD POPULATION Largest cities in the Year 100
Largest cities in the Year 1200
1
Rome, Italy
450,000
1
Hangzhou, China
255,000
2
Luoyang (Honan), China
420,000
2
Fez, Morocco
200,000
3
Seleucia (on the Tigris), Iraq
250,000
3
Cairo, Egypt
200,000
4
Alexandria, Egypt
250,000
4
Pagan, Myanmar
180,000
5
Antioch, Turkey
150,000
5
Kamakura, Japan
175,000
6
Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka
130,000
6
Angkor, Cambodia
150,000
7
Peshawar, Pakistan
120,000
7
Constantinople, Turkey
150,000
8
Carthage, Tunisia
100,000
8
Palermo, Italy
150,000
9
Wu (Suzhou), China
90,000
9
Marrakech, Morocco
150,000
10
Smyrna, Turkey
90,000
10
Seville, Spain
150,000
Largest cities in the Year 500 1
Constantinople, Turkey
2 3
Ctesiphon, Iraq
Largest cities in the Year 1500 400,000
1
Beijing, China
672,000
400,000
2
Vijayanagar, India
500,000
200.000
3
Cairo, Egypt
400,000
150,000
4
Hangzhou, China
250,000
4
Luoyang, China Nanjing, China
5
Antioch, Turkey
150,000
5
Tabriz, Iran
250,000
6
Teotihuacan, Mexico
125,000
6
Constantinople, Turkey
200,000
7
Carthage, Tunisia
100,000
7
Gaur, India
200,000
8
Rome, Italy
100,000
8
Paris, France
185,000
9
Alexandria, Egypt
100,000
9
Canton, China
150,000
10
Changan (Xi’an), China
100,000
10
Nanjing, China
147,000
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World’s Largest Cities
2013
Largest cities in the Year 900
Largest cities in the Year 1600
1
Baghdad, Iraq
900,000
1
Beijing, China
706,000
2
Changan (Xi’an), China
500,000
2
Constantinople, Turkey
700,000
3
Constantinople, Turkey
300,000
3
Agra, India
500,000
4
Kyoto, Japan
200,000
4
Osaka, Japan
360,000
5
Cordoba, Spain
200,000
5
Kyoto, Japan
300,000
6
Alexandria, Egypt
175,000
6
Hangzhou, China
270,000
7
Luoyang, China
150,000
7
Paris, France
245,000
8
Fustat (Cairo), Egypt
150,000
8
Naples, Italy
224,000
9
Manyakheta (Malkhed), India
100,000
9
Cairo, Egypt
200,000
10
Kairwan, Tunisia
100,000
10
Bijapur, India
200,000
Largest cities in the Year 1000
Largest cities in the Year 1800
1
Cordova, Spain
450,000
1
Beijing, China
2
Kaifeng, China
400,000
2
London, United Kingdom
861,000
3
Constantinople (Istanbul), Turkey
300,000
3
Canton, China
800,000
4
Angkor, Cambodia
200,000
4
Edo (Tokyo) Japan
685,000
5
Kyoto, Japan
175,000
5
Constantinople, Turkey
570,000
6
Cairo, Egypt
135,000
6
Paris, France
547,000
7
Baghdad, Iraq
125,000
7
Naples, Italy
430,000
8
Nishapur (Neyshabur), Iran
125,000
8
Hangzhou, China
387,000
9
Al-Hasa, Saudi Arabia
110,000
9
Osaka, Japan
383,000
10
Pata (Anhilwara), India
100,000
10
Kyoto, Japan
377,000
Michigan Geographic Alliance
World’s Largest Cities
1,100,000
2013
Largest cities in the Year 1900
Largest cities in the Year 2000*
1
London, United Kingdom
6,480,000
1
Tokyo, Japan
26,400,000
2
New York, United States
4,242,000
2
Mexico City, Mexico
18,100,000
3
Paris, France
3,330,000
3
Bombay, India
18,100,000
4
Berlin, Germany
2,707,000
4
Sao Paulo, Brazil
17,800,000
5
Chicago, United States
1,717,000
5
New York, United States
16,600,000
6
Vienna, Austria
1,698,000
6
Lagos, Nigeria
13,400,000
7
Tokyo, Japan
1,497,000
7
Los Angeles, United States
13,100,000
8
St. Petersburg, Russia
1,439,000
8
Calcutta, India
12,900,000
9
Manchester, United Kingdom
1,435,000
9
Shanghai, China
12,900,000
10
Philadelphia, United States
1,418,000
10
Buenos Aires, Argentina
12,600,000
Largest cities in the year 1950
Largest cities in the Year 2015*
1
New York, United States
12,463,000
1
Tokyo, Japan
26,400,000
2
London, United Kingdom
8,860,000
2
Bombay, India
26,100,000
3
Tokyo, Japan
7,000,000
3
Lagos, Nigeria
23,200,000
4
Paris, France
5,900,000
4
Dhaka, Bangladesh
21,100,000
5
Shanghai, China
5,406,000
5
Sao Paulo, Brazil
20,400,000
6
Moscow, Russia
5,100,000
6
Karachi, Pakistan
19,200,000
7
Buenos Aires, Argentina
5,000,000
7
Mexico City, Mexico
19,200,000
8
Chicago, United States
4,906,000
8
New York, United States
17,400,000
9
Ruhr, Germany
4,900,000
9
Jakarta, Indonesia
17,300,000
10
Kolkata, India
4,800,000
10
Calcutta, India
17,300,000
*agglomerations
Source: http://geography.about.com/library weekly Source: Atlas of World History, Nystrom, 2005
Michigan Geographic Alliance
World’s Largest Cities
2013
Source: Four Thousand Years of Urban Growth: An Historical Census by Tertius Chandler City
Became #1
Population Information
Memphis, Egypt
3100 BCE
Well over 30,000
Akkad, Babylonia (Iraq)
2240
Lagash, Babylonia (Iraq)
2075
Ur, Babylonia (Iraq)
2030
Thebes, Egypt
1980
Babylon, Babylonia (Iraq)
1770
Avaris, Egypt
1670
Memphis, Egypt
1557
Thebes, Egypt
1400
Nineveh, Assyria (Iraq)
668
Babylon, Babylonia (Iraq)
612
Alexandria
320
Pataliputra (Patna), India
300
Changan (Xi'an), China
195
400,000
Rome
25
450,000 (100 CE)
Constantinople, Turkey
340 CE
400,000 (500)
Ctesiphon, Iraq
570
Changan (Xi'an), China
637
400,000 (622); 600,000 (800)
Baghdad, Iraq
775
First over 1 million; 700,000 (800)
Cordova, Spain
935
Kaifeng, China
1013
Constantinople, Turkey
1127
Merv (Mary), Turkmenistan
1145
Constantinople, Turkey
1153
Fez (Fes), Morocco
1170
Hangzhou, China
1180
Cairo, Egypt
1315
Hangzhou, China
1348
432,000 (1350)
Nanking, China
1358
487,000 (1400)
Beijing, China
1425
600,000 (1450); 672,000 (1500)
Constantinople, Turkey
1650
700,000 (1650 & 1700)
Beijing, China
1710
900,000 (1750); 1.1 million (1800)
London, United Kingdom
1825
First over 5 million; 1.35 million (1825); 2.32 million (1850); 4.241 million (1875); 6.480 million (1900)
New York
1925
First over 10 million; 7.774 million (1925), 12.463 million (1950)
Tokyo
1965
First over 20 million; 23 million (1975)
Michigan Geographic Alliance
65,000
First above 200,000
400,000 (1000); 442,000 (1100) 200,000 (1150)
255,000 (1200); 320,000 (1250)
World’s Largest Cities
2013
