Lesson video

Hello, I'm Ms. Grey, and I'm so excited that you decided to join me to learn geography today.

Today's lesson is in our unit of cities.

What are they like to live in? And the title of today's lesson is: Global Cities and Megacities.

By the end of the lesson today, you will be able to explain how some cities have a global influence.

There are some key words that we'll come across in today's lesson.

They are megacity, global city and multicultural.

A megacity is a city with a population of over 10 million people.

A global city is a city that has a major international influence, for example on trade and travel, culture and politics.

A multicultural is including people with different cultures and beliefs and reflecting this diversity in a place's food, fashion, architecture, amongst other things.

Today's lesson on global cities and megacities is split into two learning cycles.

The first, what is a global city? And the second, how do global cities shape the modern world? Let's take a look at that first learning cycle.

What is a global city? A megacity is a city with a population of more than 10 million people.

New Delhi and Mumbai in India are both megacities.

New Delhi is the capital of India and has a population of around 10 million people.

Mumbai is India's largest city and has a population of around 20 million people.

A global city is important for the world's business, culture and ideas.

Global cities are often connected by international trade, banking and media.

London is an example of a global city.

Mumbai also has global influence.

It is the hub for India's film industry, known as Bollywood.

A global city has a major international influence on trade and travel, culture and ideas.

As a hub for India's world-famous film industry, Mumbai has a global influence.

Bollywood's Hindi films are watched by millions of people around the world.

And so, because it's watched by so many people, it's global.

Therefore, Mumbai is a global city.

It has an influence internationally.

Let's have a look at our first check for today, then.

A global city has an influence on international what? Is it a, trade.

B, culture.

C, population What do you think? So pause the video, write down your answer, and then come back, and let's see how you got on.

Okay, how did you get on? A global city has an influence on international trade and culture.

Did you get those? Well done.

Now, not all megacities are global cities.

And not all global cities are megacities.

Lagos is a megacity.

It has a population of around 16.

5 million people.

So therefore, it's a megacity because it's got more than 10 million people.

But Lagos is not a global city because it has less global influence.

So, it doesn't have as much influence globally.

Therefore, it's not a global city.

But its population is more than 10 million at 16.

5 million.

So, it's a megacity.

Paris is a global city.

Its population is only 2.

2 million.

So, it's a global city but not a megacity.

Its iconic architecture and fashion industry influences culture, and ideas around the world, which is why it's classed as a global city.

Another check now, then.

True or false? All megacities are global cities because they are so big.

Is that true or false? So, pause the video, write down your answer, and then come back, and let's see how you got on.

Okay, how did you get on? True or false? All megacities are global cities because they are so big.

That is false.

Not all megacities are global cities.

While megacities have populations of over 10 million, global cities are those with major international influence in areas such as trade and transport, ideas and culture.

A global city has major influence on the world's business, banking and culture.

Let's have a look at the influence that global cities can have on business, banking and culture, and some examples.

So, let's have a look at business.

Global cities generally have headquarters of major companies and international trade hubs.

For example, Apple's headquarters in California collects technology businesses globally.

Banking, global cities are generally home to major banks and stock exchanges, such as Wall Street and London Stock Exchange.

Global cities are also often centres of art, fashion, media and entertainment, such as Hollywood in Los Angeles or the BBC in London.

New York in the USA is a global city.

It is one of the most globally connected cities.

It is the headquarters for the United Nations, and it has universities.

So, it has political influence and ideas for banking, the New York Stock Exchange, and Wall Street.

Its influence culturally is through Broadway musicals, film and TV, and music.

Our first task of the lesson now, then.

Fill in the gaps to describe the key features of a global city.

So, we've got a table there which shows us business, banking and culture.

And for each of those, you have to write about the influence and then some examples.

Some of them have already been filled in for you, so you just need to have a look and fill in the gaps.

So, pause the video, write down your answer, and then come back, and let's see how you got on.

Okay, how have you got on? Let's have a look at that then.

So, for business and the influence a global city has, they are generally headquarters of major companies and international trade hubs.

Now, for banking, what was missing there was the example, and the examples there were Wall Street or the London Stock Exchange.

What about for culture? What did you get for that? For the influence section, you could have written centres of art, fashion, media and entertainment.

And for examples, you might have written Hollywood in Los Angeles or the BBC in London.

Did you get all of those right? Well done.

Okay, so we've looked at our first learning cycle now, which is what is a global city? And now we're going to move on to our second learning cycle.

How do global cities shape the modern world? Global cities are centres or hubs for international travel.

Global cities may be home to major international airports, global shipping ports and connections for trade, tourism and business.

So those global cities being centres for international travel, they're going to have lots of different areas to allow travel to happen, like airports, shipping ports, and they're also going to have lots of connections there for trade, tourism and business.

That's what makes them a global city.

Dubai is one of the world's busiest international airports, connecting Europe, Asia and Africa.

Now, Sam asks, is London Heathrow Airport busy too? Brilliant question, Sam.

And the answer is yes.

London Heathrow Airport serves over 200 destinations across the world.

Isn't that huge? Over 200 destinations.

So, it's very, very busy.

Global cities are diverse and multicultural because they attract people from across the world.

New York City in the USA is multicultural.

Over 200 languages are spoken there.

That's very multicultural, isn't it? Over 200 languages.

So, lots and lots of different people from all across the world are living in New York City and speaking all those different languages.

Toronto in Canada is also multicultural.

More than 50% of the residents were born outside of Canada.

So more than 50%, more than half of the population of Toronto, are people that have moved into Toronto from somewhere different, from outside of Canada.

Cities that are diverse and multicultural have many benefits and bring ideas from around the world.

Zaha Hadid had an influence on the London Olympics.

She was born in Iraq and had an architectural practise in London.

Look at what she designed here.

She designed the London Aquatic Centre, which was one of the main venues during the 2012 Olympics.

A really good example there of diversity and how multicultural London is.

Another check now then.

True or false? Global cities are diverse and multicultural.

Is that true or false? What do you think? So pause the video, write down your answer, and then come back, and let's see how you got on.

Okay, how did you get on? True or false? Global cities are diverse and multicultural.

That is true.

Global cities are diverse and multicultural because of their international influence, which draws people to these places from across the world.

People of many cultures and ethnicities contribute new ideas and innovations, boosting the growth and influence of these cities.

Did you get that right? Well done.

Global cities do not stay the same forever.

A city's influence can change depending on a variety of different factors, such as political events, economic investment or crisis, technology and innovation, and global events, such as hosting the Olympics.

So, just like all cities, global cities are not going to stay the same forever.

Lots and lots of different things could happen, which could change the influence of that city.

It could make it have a bigger influence, or it could make it have a smaller influence.

Some cities, such as Shanghai in China, are growing in influence due to growth in trade and development.

It has a major port and transport hub.

The tech and banking sectors in Shanghai are expanding.

International investment is growing.

It's also home to almost 25 million people, including some of China's richest.

So, Shanghai is a rising global city with significant economic influence.

Another check for us now, then.

Why has Shanghai's global influence increased? Is it a, expanding tech sector? B, decreasing tech sector? C, rapid population growth? D, rapid population decline? What do you think? Why has Shanghai's global influence increased? So, pause the video, write down your answer and then come back and let's see how you got on.

Okay, how did you get on? Why has Shanghai's global influence increased? It was A and C because of its expanding tech sector and rapid population growth.

Did you get that? Well done.

Some cities are very well known to people, even if they haven't visited them.

Sam says, I feel like I know what New York is like.

I've seen it so many times on TV and in movies.

Have you seen New York on TV and in movies like Sam? Sophia says, I'd love to visit Paris to see what it is really like.

I've seen so many pictures.

Have you seen pictures of Paris? Do you feel like you know what it's like? So now on to our second task of the lesson then.

Question one.

List three reasons why being a travel hub extends a city's international influence.

So, three reasons why being a travel hub makes a city have more international influence.

Question two is fill in the gaps.

Global cities are diverse and multicultural because they attract people from across the world.

New York City in the USA is multicultural.

Over something languages are spoken there.

Toronto in where is multicultural? Over something of residents were born outside of Canada.

Question three.

Which global city do you feel you know, even though you've never been there? And why? So, you've got three questions to answer there.

Take a look at them all.

Think carefully.

Pause the video.

Write down your answer, and then come back, and let's see how you got on.

Okay.

How did you get on? List three reasons why being a travel hub extends a city's international influence.

So, why being a travel hub and a place where lots and lots of travel happens, and people can come in and go out? Why does that make a city have a bigger influence internationally? So, they have major international airports for travel and trade.

They have global shipping ports for international trade.

And they have connections for trade, tourism and business.

Question two is fill in the gaps.

Global cities are diverse and multicultural because they attract people from across the world.

New York City in the USA is multicultural.

Over 200 languages are spoken there.

Toronto in Canada is multicultural.

Over 50% of residents were born outside of Canada.

Question three.

Which global city do you feel you know, even though you've never been there? And why? So, you may have written about some of the following.

You might have written about cities that you've seen on TV or in movies.

New York and London are big cities that are often found in TV and in movies.

And so, a lot of people feel like they know those cities really well, even though they've never been there, because they've seen them so much.

You also might have written about cities you've seen photos in newspapers and magazines.

So, you might have seen lots of pictures of iconic cities, or iconic architecture in cities.

And that might make you feel like you know that city, even though you've never been there.

How did you get on with those questions? Did you get all of the answers? Well done.

So, we're at the end of today's lesson now on global cities and megacities.

Let's have a look at some of the things that we've learned today.

Global cities influence business, banking, ideas and culture around the world.

Not all global cities and megacities, which are 10 million or more, but their influence goes far beyond their population.

Global cities are hubs for international travel.

Global cities are diverse and multicultural, attracting people with new ideas and innovations.

The influence of different cities changes over time.

Thank you for joining me for today's geography lesson on global cities and megacities.

I've really enjoyed it, and I hope you have too.

I'll see you next time.