Chongqing: The Biggest City You've Never Heard Of

There has been little to equal the speed and extent of the development of the Chinese city of Chongqing, which is growing so rapidly, a population equivalent to that of Luxembourg is added each year.

1 minute read

March 16, 2006, 6:00 AM PST

By Michael Dudley

"Nowhere is the staggering urbanisation of the world more evident than in Chongqing [China]. Never heard of it? This is where the pace and scale of urbanisation is probably faster and bigger than anywhere in the world today. This is the Coketown of the early 21st century.

Set in the middle reaches of the Yangtze, this former trading centre and treaty port has long been the economic hub of western China. But after its government was given municipal control of surrounding territory the size of many countries, it has grown and grown, becoming what is now the world's biggest municipality with 31 million residents (more people than Iraq, Peru or Malaysia). The population in its metropolitan areas will double from 10 million to 20 million in the next 13 years."

FULL STORY: Invisible city

Wednesday, March 15, 2006 in The Guardian Unlimited

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