Activity One - Define

Throughout this unit you will be exploring why cities have developed and why their populations continue to grow. What the 'pull' of living in a city is and whether this growth is actually negative or positive. As I am sure you have read in the news migration is a controversial topic and there are no simple solutions to the issues that are caused by the movement of people. To begin with though we need to start with the basics what is a megacity? Where are the megacities location in the world?

Answer the following questions using the youtube clip about megacities above.

1. What is a megacity?

2. Which city in the world was the first to have over 1 million people living there?

3. Which is the largest populated area in the world today?

4. Which cities are expected to be the largest in the future?

Activity Two - Mapping

1. Collect an A4 map of the world such as the one below or draw an outline of the world on A4 paper. Make sure you give the map a title and draw a box at the bottom to develop a key.

2. Mark onto the map the top 20 largest cities in the world using the infographic above with a cross and then write the name of the city and the cities population next to it.

3. Using your notes from the previous activity mark on to your map where the megacities of the future are expected to be located. Use a different colour to do this.

4. On paper describe the pattern of where the top 20 megacities are today. You should be able to write a paragraph.

Megacities Mapping Exercise

Activity Three - Why should we study megacities?

It is all well and good to find out what a megacity is and where they are located in the world but why is this interesting in the geographical world? To find this out you will be watching the Ted Talk below which discussed the growth of megacities and how they are causing a fundamental shift in how we interact and utilise our environment. As you watch the youtube clip you will be mind mapping the different aspects of how megacities are changing the map of the world.

• • • • Collect a piece of A4 plain paper and a pack of coloured pens from the cupboard.

      • In the middle of paper write 'How megacities are changing the map of the world' and put a bubble around it.

      • Use the coloured pens to record the changes. Try and group the changes e.g. social, environmental, economic and political