A2 World Cities

Industrialisation

A process in which an increasing proportion of the population are employed in the manufacturing sector of the economy, happened 200 years ago in the UK

Urban hierarchy

A ranking of settlements according to their size and economic functions.

Globalisation

A set of processes leading to the interconnectedness of the world through the transfer of goods, services, capital, people and information

World city

Dominant city in terms of its role in the global political economy. Not the world's biggest city in terms of population or industrial output, but rather centers of strategic control of the world economy.

Colonialisation

Exploitation by a stronger country of weaker one, a driving force behind some urban areas

Rural

Relating to farm areas and life in the country, a primary based economy dominates

Distribution

The arrangement of something across Earth's surface

Urbanisation

The increase in the proportion of the countries population living in towns and cities

Informationalisation

The increasing importance of the information-based sector of the economy which relies on electronic data transfer.

Resource centres

Urban areas that are principally based around providing resources

Learning centres

Urban areas whose principle function involves the delivery of education services such as universities

Millionaire city

an urban area with over a million people living there

Megacity

urban area over 10 million people, often an agglomeration of one or more urban centres