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List of primate cities

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Countries without a primate city

A primate city is a major city that works as the financial, political, and population center of a country and is not rivaled in any of these aspects by any other city in that country. Normally, a primate city must be at least twice as populous as the second largest city in the country. The presence of a primate city in a country usually indicates an imbalance in development — usually a progressive core, and a lagging periphery, on which the primate city depends for labor and other resources.[1] Not all countries have primate cities (United States, Germany, India, and the People's Republic of China, for example), but in those that do, the rest of the country depends on it for cultural, economic, political, and major transportation needs. Among the best known examples of primate cities are the alpha world cities of London and Paris. Other major primate cities include Athens, Baghdad, Bangkok, Budapest, Buenos Aires, Cairo, Dublin, Jakarta, Lima, Mexico City, Seoul, Tehran, and Vienna. Bangkok has been called "the most primate city on earth", being forty times larger than Thailand's second city.[2]

Some examples of nations without a primate city would include India, with the six main cities of Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad ; Canada, whose capital city, Ottawa, is overshadowed by the larger global cities of Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver; Brazil, whose capital and political center, Brasilia, is dwarfed in size and culture by São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and Belo Horizonte; Italy, whose political seat at Rome is balanced by its business, financial, and fashion "capital" of Milan; Australia, which has the two main cities of Sydney and Melbourne, while the political centre resides in the smaller city of Canberra; South Africa, with three official capitals in Pretoria, Cape Town, and Bloemfontein, each housing a different branch of government, and whose main commercial centre is yet another city, Johannesburg; and the United States, whose financial and cultural centers are widely dispersed throughout the country in cities such as New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago and whose political center is located in Washington, D.C. In Turkey, the historical, cultural, financial, business and transportation center Istanbul is more than twice as large as the second-largest city Ankara, but Ankara is the political capital. Additionally, Mumbai, São Paulo, Ho Chi Minh City, Sydney, and Berlin have close competitors as their countries' largest cities (Delhi, Rio de Janeiro, Hanoi, Melbourne, and Hamburg respectively).

Germany is unique, in that the post-Cold-War political center of Berlin is somewhat weak. Several major government institutions are spread throughout the country, in cities like Bonn (the former capital) and Karlsruhe (seat of the federal constitutional court). Likewise, Frankfurt is its most important financial centre, but has significant competition from Düsseldorf and Munich. Germany's cultural center is split between Berlin, Munich, Cologne, Dresden, and smaller cities. However, Berlin was considered a primate city of Germany in the years 1871-1945.

Whether primate cities or not, alpha cities tend to produce a large percentage of their countries' respective gross domestic product (GDP) and gross metropolitan product (GMP), though primate cities tend to have a larger economic influence individually over a country. The three largest world metros consisting of a combined statistical area (CSA), by GMP, are the Greater Tokyo, New York, and Los Angeles metropolitan areas. Each of these cities have a GMP approaching the $1 trillion mark. This is largely due to the vast amounts of trade, finance, manufacturing, fashion, media, science, research and technology, transportation (air, ocean/shipping, land), warehousing, and other industries that provide jobs and end products on mass scales with easy access to worldwide markets and other alpha and primate cities. In addition many multinational corporations are headquartered in many alpha and primate cities.

Some countries, such as the United States, Australia and Canada, have regional and/or provincial/state primate cities, such as Atlanta, Georgia; Winnipeg, Manitoba; and Perth in Western Australia.

Africa

Asia

Europe

North America

Oceania

South America

Countries without a primate city

Primate cities in country subdivisions

Country subdivisions without a primate city

See also

References

  1. ^ Brunn, Stanley et al. Cities of the World. Boulder, CO: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc, 2003
  2. ^ Baker, Chris; Pasuk Phongpaichit (2009). A history of Thailand (2nd ed. ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 199. ISBN 0-521-76768-7
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x World Urbanization Prospects: The 2003 Revision. United Nations Publications. 1 January 2004. pp. 97–102. ISBN 978-92-1-151396-7.
  4. ^ a b c d James D. Tarver (1996-01-01). The Demography of Africa. Greenwood Publishing Group. pp. 98–. ISBN 978-0-275-94885-6.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Joseph John Hobbs (2009). World Regional Geography. Cengage Learning. pp. 109–. ISBN 0-495-38950-1.
  6. ^ Gerald R. Pitzl (2004). Encyclopedia of Human Geography. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 81. ISBN 978-0-313-32010-1.
  7. ^ a b c d e Michael Pacione (2009). Urban Geography: A Global Perspective. Taylor & Francis. p. 79. ISBN 978-0-415-46201-3.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Kelly Swanson (7 August 2012). Kaplan AP Human Geography 2013-2014. Kaplan Publishing. ISBN 978-1-60978-694-6.
  9. ^ a b c d Ashok K. Dutt (31 October 1994). The Asian City: Processes of Development, Characteristics, and Planning. Springer. pp. 7–. ISBN 978-0-7923-3135-3. Retrieved 30 December 2013.
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Robert B. Kent (January 2006). Latin America: Regions and People. Guilford Press. pp. 144–. ISBN 978-1-57230-909-8.
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