The Biggest Cities

Toronto (pronounced /t??r?nto?/, colloquially /?tr?no?/ or /t??r?no?/) is the most populous city in Canada and the provincial capital of Ontario. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. With over 2.5 million residents, it is the fifth most populous municipality in North America. Toronto is at the heart of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), and is part of a densely populated region in Southern Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe, which is home to 8.1 million residents and has approximately 25% of Canadas population. The census metropolitan area (CMA) had a population of 5,113,149, and the Greater Toronto Area had a population of 5,555,912 in the 2006 Census.

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London (pronounced /?l?nd?n/) is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and its history goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. Londons core, the ancient City of London, the square mile, retains its medieval boundaries. Since at least the nineteenth century, the name London has also referred to the metropolis developed around it. Today, the bulk of this conurbation forms the London region and the Greater London administrative area, with its own elected mayor and assembly.

London is a major global city and one of the worlds largest financial centres. Central London is home to the headquarters of more than half of the UKs top 100 listed companies (the FTSE 100) and more than 100 of Europes 500 largest. Londons influence in politics, education, entertainment, media, fashion, the arts and culture in general contributes to its global position. It is a major tourist destination for both domestic and overseas visitors. London hosted the 1908 and 1948 Summer Olympics and will host the 2012 Summer Olympics.

London contains four World Heritage Sites: the Tower of London; the historic settlement of Greenwich; the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; and the site comprising the Palace of Westminster, Westminster Abbey and St. Margarets Church.

London has a wide range of peoples, cultures, and religions, and more than 300 languages are spoken within its boundaries. In July 2007, it had an official population of 7,556,900 within the boundaries of Greater London,making it the most populous municipality in the European Union. The Greater London Urban Area (the second largest in the EU) has a population of 8,278,251. while the metropolitan area (the largest in the EU) has an estimated total population of between 12 million and 14 million. The public transport network, administered by Transport for London, is the most extensive in the world, London Heathrow Airport is the worlds busiest airport by number of international passengers and the airspace is the busiest of any urban centre in the world.

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Here you can find all general information about the city of florence, as the history of the city, the art and the culture of Florence as well as his famous peoples. Here you can also find information about the economy of the city, the most important events in Florence besides to the folkloristic one;

INFORMATION:

Discover the city of Florence having a look at the monuments and museums, walking through our suggested itineraries and having a break in its beautiful parks and gardens, or, if you prefer, choose among our collections of Florence Virtual Tours. If you like to discover local food and drink have a look at the Florentine cuisine. Would you like to bring home a local souvenir? Dont forget to take note of the local typical markets of Florence, and, above of all, dont forget to make an excursion in the Florence environs: visiting Tuscany and its beautiful cities like Siena, Pisa or Lucca.

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What Is It? Moscow is the capital of Russian Federation. The city area is about 30 km in diameter and the population reaches to almost 10 million people.
Moscow was founded by Yury Dolgoruky in 1147.
Nowadays Moscow is the most important political and business center of Russia and has a true Russian feel. Some people even call it a big village.

Where Is It? In the center of European Russia, 8 hours by car or train from St. Petersburg, and 4 hours by plane from London.

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Giovanni da Verrazano, an Italian-born navigator sailing for France, discovered New York Bay in 1524. Henry Hudson, an Englishman employed by the Dutch, reached the bay and sailed up the river now bearing his name in 1609, the same year that northern New York was explored and claimed for France by Samuel de Champlain.

In 1624 the first permanent Dutch settlement was established at Fort Orange (now Albany). One year later Peter Minuit purchased Manhattan Island from the Indians for trinkets worth about 60 Dutch guilders and founded the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam (now New York City), which was surrendered to the English in 1664.

New Yorks extremely rapid commercial growth may be partly attributed to Gov. De Witt Clinton, who pushed through the construction of the Erie Canal (Buffalo to Albany), which was opened in 1825. Today, the 641-mile Gov. Thomas E. Dewey Thruway connects New York City with Buffalo and with Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania express highways. Two toll-free superhighways, the Adirondack Northway (linking Albany with the Canadian border) and the North-South Expressway (crossing central New York from the Pennsylvania border to the Thousand Islands), have been opened.

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1. Tokyo Japan 34.2
2. Mexico City Mexico 22.8
3. Seoul South Korea 22.3
4. New York USA 21.9
5. Sao Paulo Brazil 20.2
6. Bombay India 19.9
7. Delhi India 19.7
8. Shanghai China 18.2
9. Los Angeles USA 18.0
10. Osaka Japan 16.8
11. Jakarta Indonesia 16.5
12. Calcutta India 15.7
13. Cairo Egypt 15.6
14. Manila Philippines 15.0
15. Karachi Pakistan 14.3
16. Moscow Russia 13.8
17. Buenos Aires Argentina 13.5
18. Dhaka Bangladesh 13.3
19. Rio de Janeiro Brazil 12.2
20. Beijing China 12.1
21. London England 12.0
22. Tehran Iran 11.9
23. Istanbul Turkey 11.5
24. Lagos Nigeria 11.1
25. Shenzhen China 10.7
26. Paris France 10.0
27. Chicago USA 9.8

Shanghai, situated on the banks of the Yangtze River Delta in East China, is the largest city of the People’s Republic of China and the seventh largest in the world. Widely regarded as the citadel of China’s modern economy, the city also serves as one of the nation’s most important cultural, commercial, financial, industrial and communications centers. Administratively, Shanghai is a municipality of the People’s Republic of China that has province-level status. Shanghai is also one of the world’s busiest ports, and became the largest cargo port in the world in 2005.

Originally a fishing town, Shanghai became China’s most important city by the twentieth century and was the center of popular culture, intellectual discourse and political intrigue during the Republic of China era. In the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century, Shanghai became the third largest financial center in the world, ranking after New York City and London, and the largest commercial city in the Far East. After the communist takeover in 1949, Shanghai languished due to heavy central government taxation and cessation of foreign investment, and had many of its supposedly “bourgeois” elements purged. Following the central government’s authorization of market-economic redevelopment of Shanghai in 1992, Shanghai has now surpassed early-starters Shenzhen and Guangzhou, and has since led China’s economic growth. Some challenges remain for Shanghai at the beginning of the 21st century, as the city struggles to cope with increased worker migration, a huge wealth gap, and environmental degradation. Despite these challenges, Shanghai’s skyscrapers and modern lifestyle are often seen as representing China’s recent economic development.

Seoul is the capital of South Korea and is located on the Han River in the country’s northwest. The city is situated about 50 km (~30 mi) south of the North Korean border, also known as the de-militarised zone (DMZ). Seoul is a city with ancient history, the area of Seoul appears in history as early as 18 BCE, when the kingdom of Baekje founded its capital, Wiryeseong, in what is now southeastern Seoul. Modern Seoul descends from a city called Hanyang, built during the Goryeo era, which then became the capital of the Joseon dynasty in 1394. Seoul has been the capital of successive Korean nations ever since.Designated the status of a Special City, Seoul is administered directly by the national government.

With over ten million people, Seoul is South Korea’s largest city and one of the largest cities in the world by population. Covering an area of only 605 square kilometres, smaller than New York City or Tokyo, it is one of the world’s most densely populated major cities.

The Seoul National Capital Area, which includes the major port city of Incheon, has almost 23 million inhabitants making it the second most populous metropolitan area in the world, after Greater Tokyo. Almost half of South Korea’s entire population lives in the Seoul National Capital Area, and nearly one quarter in Seoul itself, making it the country’s political, cultural, and economic centre, as well as a centre for international business. The rapid economic, social and technological development of the city has played a key role in South Korea’s development, and has been referred to as the “Miracle on the Han River”.

Seoul hosts more than three million registered vehicles and widespread traffic congestion is common. In recent years, the metropolitan government has undertaken extensive clean up of the city’s air and water pollution. The revival of Cheonggyecheon, a stream that flows through Seoul city centre, was a recent major urban beautification project.

Delhi sometimes referred to as Dilli, is the second-largest metropolis in India after Mumbai with a population of 13 million. Located in northern India on the banks of the River Yamuna, Delhi has the political status of a federally-administered union territory known as the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). A constitutional amendment in 1991 gave Delhi a special status among the Union Territories; Delhi has its own legislative assembly with limited powers. The National Capital Territory of Delhi comprises nine districts, 27 tehsils, three statutory towns viz. Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), New Delhi Municipal Committee (NDMC) and Delhi Cantonment Board (DCB), 59 census towns and 165 villages.

Delhi is one of the oldest continually inhabited cities in the world. Having been the capital of several empires in ancient India, Delhi was a major city in the old trade routes from northwest India to the Gangetic Plains. Many ancient monuments, archaeological sites and remains of national importance have been erected in its history. The Mughals built a section of the city (now known as Old City or Old Delhi) that served as the capital of Mughal Empire for a long period. During the British Raj, New Delhi was built as an administrative quarter of the city. New Delhi was declared the capital of India after India gained independence from British rule in 1947. As the seat of the Government of India, New Delhi houses important offices of the federal government, including the Parliament of India. Delhi has grown up to be a cosmopolitan city owing to the immigration of people from across the country. Like many other large cities of the world, Delhi suffers from urbanisation problems such as pollution, traffic congestion and scarcity of resources. The rapid development and urbanisation of New Delhi and surrounding areas coupled with the high average income of the populace has largely eclipsed socio-cultural traits that used to represent Delhi until a few years after independence.

Moscow is the capital of Russia and the country’s economic, financial, educational, and transportation centre. It is located on the Moskva River in the Central Federal District, in the European part of Russia. The name of the city is usually pronounced moskow in British English, and either moskva or moskov in American English. Moscow (Moskva) is the most populous city in Europe, whose population constitutes about 7% of the total Russian population. Historically, it was the capital of the former Soviet Union and the Grand Duchy of Moscow, the pre-Imperial Russian state. It is the site of the Kremlin, which now serves as the ceremonial residence of the President of Russia.

Moscow also remains a major economic centre and is home to a large number of Russian billionaires; it was recently named as the most expensive city in the world for expatriate employees. It is home to many scientific and educational institutions, as well as numerous sport facilities. It possesses a complex transport system that includes the world’s busiest metro system, which is famous for its architecture.