GeographyThe changing human world28 min★★★ difficulty

Urbanisation and megacities

More than half of the world's people now live in cities. Understanding why, and what happens as cities grow into megacities, explains huge changes across the planet.

Part of your national curriculum

Human and physical geography: Understand urbanisation, including the causes and geographical effects, at country and city scale, of urbanisation and megacities

Lesson overview

What you'll learn in this lesson

Understand urbanisation, including the causes and geographical effects, at country and city scale, of urbanisation and megacities

Key learning points

• Causes of urbanisation
• Megacities
• Effects
• Managing growth

This lesson at a glance

28 minutes
19 parts to scroll through
3 quick checks
Marked quiz at the end
Gentle pace: short sittings with pauses

Words to know

urbanisationcausesgeographicaleffectscountry

Scroll down — the lesson carries on below

Part 1 of 19 · Discover5%

Watch & discover

Part 1 of 19

Urbanisation and megacities illustration

Visual introduction

Picture this

Urbanisation and megacities

More than half of the world's people now live in cities. Understanding why, and what happens as cities grow into megacities, explains huge changes across the planet.

In a nutshell

Understand urbanisation, including the causes and geographical effects, at country and city scale, of urbanisation and megacities

Learning cycle

Part 2 of 19

Learning cycle 1 of 2

Part 1 · Causes of urbanisation

A short piece of teaching, then a check to make sure it has landed.

Explore the idea

Part 3 of 19

Learn

Causes of urbanisation

Rural-to-urban migration is driven by push factors like limited farmland or drought, and pull factors like jobs, education and healthcare in cities. Natural population growth within cities adds further to their size.

Reset break

Part 4 of 19

Pause

That's sitting 1 of 5 done

Stretch, get a drink, look out of the window. There is no timer and nothing is counting down — your place is saved, so you can come back in five minutes or tomorrow.

Stop here for now

Explore the idea

Part 5 of 19

Learn

Megacities

A megacity has over 10 million people. Lagos in Nigeria and Mumbai in India have grown rapidly, often faster than infrastructure can cope with, creating large informal settlements alongside formal housing.

Quick check

Part 6 of 19

Quick check

What is the minimum population usually used to define a megacity?

Give me a hint

Quick check

Part 7 of 19

Quick check

Which of these is a 'pull' factor drawing people to cities?

Give me a hint

Reset break

Part 8 of 19

Pause

That's sitting 2 of 5 done

Stretch, get a drink, look out of the window. There is no timer and nothing is counting down — your place is saved, so you can come back in five minutes or tomorrow.

Stop here for now

Learning cycle

Part 9 of 19

Learning cycle 2 of 2

Part 2 · Effects

A short piece of teaching, then a check to make sure it has landed.

Explore the idea

Part 10 of 19

Learn

Effects

Rapid urbanisation can bring economic growth and better access to services, but also traffic congestion, pollution, housing shortages and strain on water and sanitation systems, especially in cities with weak planning.

Explore the idea

Part 11 of 19

Learn

Managing growth

Cities like Curitiba in Brazil have managed growth through planned public transport and green space, showing that urbanisation's effects depend heavily on planning and investment, not just population size.

Reset break

Part 12 of 19

Pause

That's sitting 3 of 5 done

Stretch, get a drink, look out of the window. There is no timer and nothing is counting down — your place is saved, so you can come back in five minutes or tomorrow.

Stop here for now

Quick check

Part 13 of 19

Quick check

What can result when urban growth outpaces infrastructure?

Give me a hint

Challenge round

Part 14 of 19

Game · Sort it

Which of these are true?

Drag each card into the right column. Tap a card first if dragging is fiddly.

True

Not true

Challenge round

Part 15 of 19

Game · Fill the gaps

Finish the sentences

Choose the word that belongs in each gap.

Rapid ____ can bring economic growth and better access to services, but also traffic congestion, pollution, housing shortages and strain on water and sanitation systems, especially in cities with weak planning.

Cities like Curitiba in Brazil have managed growth through planned public transport and green space, showing that urbanisation's ____ depend heavily on planning and investment, not just population size.

Reset break

Part 16 of 19

Pause

That's sitting 4 of 5 done

Stretch, get a drink, look out of the window. There is no timer and nothing is counting down — your place is saved, so you can come back in five minutes or tomorrow.

Stop here for now

Challenge round

Part 17 of 19

Game · Recall cards

Urbanisation means

Card 1 of 4

Mastery quiz

Part 18 of 19

Marked quiz

End of lesson quiz: Urbanisation and megacities

4 questions, marked with the reasoning shown. No timer.

1. Urbanisation means
2. Which is a push factor?
3. A megacity has a population of at least
4. Why does natural increase stay high in fast-growing cities?

Lesson round-up

Part 19 of 19

Lesson round-up

Ready when you are

Quiz score

Not sat

Games

Not played

Points this lesson

Best run

0 in a row

Luna: 0 out of 3 on the practice checks. Only if you feel up to it — one more?

Ask Luna

Part 1 of 19 · Watch & discover

0 points

How this is going

Not looked at yet
Understand urbanisation, including the causes and geographical effects, at country and city scale, of urbanisation and megacities