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New
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Year 11
Edexcel B

Global trends in urbanisation

I can analyse global patterns in urbanisation.

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New
New
Year 11
Edexcel B

Global trends in urbanisation

I can analyse global patterns in urbanisation.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. The world is becoming increasingly urbanised.
  2. Trends in urbanisation (past, present and future) vary between global regions.
  3. Some urban areas have grown into megacities.
  4. Some urban areas have disproportionate economic and/or political influence.

Keywords

  • Urbanisation - an increase in the proportion of people that live in an urban area

  • Megacity - a city with a population of 10 million people or more

  • Urban primacy - when one city politically and/or economically dominates a country or region

Common misconception

The first cities to become megacities are now the largest global cities.

Most of the world's largest cities are relatively young megacities that have only grown to a significant size since 2000.


To help you plan your year 11 geography lesson on: Global trends in urbanisation, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Plotting megacities on a map is a good opportunity to develop and revise students’ atlas skills.
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This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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6 Questions

Q1.
What is the main difference between urban and rural areas?
Urban areas have fewer services and less population
Rural areas are more densely populated than urban areas
Correct answer: Urban areas have a high population density, rural areas are sparsely populated
Urban areas have less access to education than rural areas
Q2.
What is urbanisation?
The movement of people from cities to rural areas
Correct answer: The growth of cities as more people move into urban areas
The decline in population in urban areas
The process of building factories in rural areas
Q3.
What is the main reason for population growth in many developing countries?
Low birth rates
High death rates
Correct answer: High birth rates and falling death rates due to improved healthcare
Increased migration to rural areas
Q4.
Match the country with its income group:
Correct Answer:LIC (Low Income Country),Mozambique
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Mozambique

Correct Answer:NEE (Newly Emerging Economy),India
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India

Correct Answer:HIC (High Income Country),Germany
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Germany

Q5.
What is the term for the movement of people from rural areas to cities?
Emigration
Correct answer: Rural-urban migration
globalisation
Q6.
Order the following cities by population, from largest to smallest:
1 - Tokyo
2 - New York
3 - London
4 - Paris

4 Questions

Q1.
A is a city with a population of 10 million people or more.
Correct Answer: megacity
Q2.
When one city politically and/or economically dominates a country or region it is known as urban...
primark
Correct answer: primacy
pressure
Q3.
What is one major cause of urbanisation in developing countries?
Migration from urban areas to rural areas
Correct answer: Lack of jobs in rural areas leading people to migrate to cities
Improved healthcare in rural areas
A decrease in agricultural production in cities
Q4.
Which of the following statements is true about megacities?
The first cities to become megacities are now the largest global cities.
Correct answer: Many megacities have only grown to a significant size since 2000.
Every country has a megacity.