| Also, I agree that metro area is a much better representation of the size of cities in the world, especially when comparing cities across from vastly different regions. In my opinion, what is interesting about the population of a city is the amount of people who live in the immediate area (say, a 35 mile radius just to give a number). Political boundaries, such as city limits, can often give a misleading impression of the actual size of a city. For example, the city limits of Boston (a very old U.S. city) are very small (around 50 square miles) in comparison to other, newer cities (Chicago-about 212, LA-about 300), as well as cities that have annexed surrounding incorporated areas over the years (NYC). This is misleading because the Boston area is very densely populated despite its low city population. Other countries have had vastly different methods of incorporating cities, so the best way to compare these with US cities is to use metro areas. Good quiz and good choice of data. |
US Cities 1900 
'D' World Metros 
Biggest North American Cities on Rivers
