The distribution of megacities — that is, where they are located over space in the world — has also changed. In 1975, two megacities were located in the Americas and two in Asia. In 2014 more than half (15) of all megacities were located in Asia; and it is predicted that, in 2030, 23 of the 41 megacities will be located in Asia. There is also a change in terms of the wealth of countries that contain megacities, with the majority now located in developing countries. By 2030, it is predicted that 23 megacities will exist in less developed countries. In some parts of the world, megacities are merging to create megaregions . These regions are home to huge populations. Examples of megaregions include:
• Hong Kong–Shenzhen–Guangzhou in China, already home to 65 million people • Kyoto–Osaka–Kobe, with a population of approximately 19 million in 2015. Pearl River Delta (PRD)
This region is located in southern China on the South China Sea. The PRD is one of the fastest-growing regions in the world. There are five major cities — Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Dongguan, Foshan and Guangzhou and six smaller cities made up of Macau, Zhaoqing, Zhuhai, Jiangmen, Huizhou and Zhongshan, which are linked by transport routes and provide great economic opportunities. Until 1979, Shenzhen was a fishing village. In 1980 the government declared the area to be a Special Economic Zone (SEZ), attracting businesses and investment from other countries. Since then, the area has undergone rapid urbanisation that has dramatically changed the landscape around the Pearl River Delta (see FIGURE 5 ).
FIGURE5 Change in the Pearl River Delta between (a) 1988 and (b) 2014
(a)
(b)
Guangzhou
Guangzhou
Dongguan
Dongguan
Foshan
Foshan
Pearl River
Pearl River
Shenzhen
Shenzhen
Zhongshan
Zhongshan
0 10 20 km
0 10 20 km
Source: NASA
Source: NASA
In 1988, the rivers and streams flowed through a fertile region with rice paddies, wheat fields, orchards and fish ponds. The region was mostly rural, and the population of roughly 10 million distributed between rural areas and a few cities. By 2014, these cities had grown quickly and merged into an interconnected megalopolis with a population of 42 million. When combining the population of Hong Kong, the total is around 65 million. Megacity facts • Over half the future growth in megacities will be within Asia. • The 20 largest cities consume 80 per cent of the world’s energy and produce 80 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions. • Slums in megacities are especially vulnerable to climate change, as they are often built on hazardous sites in high-risk locations.
TOPIC15 Changing nations – urbanisation and migration 467
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