The most populated cities are mainly located in Asia or South America and only one European city is in top 10. It is Moscow.

Shanghai

Shanghai, a Chinese city, is the first world`s most populated city. It is one of the biggest seaport located in the delta of the Chang Jiang. By January 1, 2008 the population of Shanghai accounted for 24 million people. It is also one of the world`s most leading financial centers. During WWII Shanghai was an asylum of many refugees from Europe, at that time the only city in the world that was open to Jews, victims of the Holocaust. Even in the gloomy times of the the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution Shanghai managed to keep the high manufacture level and stability. When in 1992 the Chinese government authorized the development of the market economy the city started to grow rapidly. Today Shanghai strikes foreigners by its modern architecture and openness; foreign investors are always welcomed. Shanghai, one of the most beautiful and interesting cities in the region, pretends to be the capital of East Asia.

Instanbul

Istanbul, the cultural and political center of Turkey, the former capital of the Ottoman Empire, is located on the both banks of Bosporus and on the side of the Sea of Marmara. The city is in Europe and at the same time in Asia; the European part is divide into two by the Golden Horn, a very beautiful bay. Istanbul is one of the world`s most ’spreading’ cities; its area is about 3 thousand sq. kilometers. 13 million 760 thousand 433 people live in Istanbul. The city has the rich history; Istanbul has changed its name for several times — Byzantium, Constantinople, Tsargrad, New Rome. Byzantium was founded by Greek settlers on the bank of Bosporus in 667 B.C. Its happy geographic and strategic location favoured the trade growth and prosperity of the city that controlled trade routes to Asia. In 330 the emperor Constantine the Great officially moved the capital of the Rome Empire to the city on the bank of Bosporus and named it Constantinople-New Rome. In 1923 after the foundation of the Turkish republic the capital of the country was moved from Istanbul to Ankara.

Mumbai

Mumbai early known as Bombay is the most populated city in India; its population is13 662 885 people. Mumbai together with satellite towns forms the sixth world`s biggest agglomeration. The area of Greater Mumbai is 603,4 sq. kilometers. The city stretches 140 kilometers along the coast of the Arabian Sea. Mumbai is located at a height of 10 meters above sea level and sits on Salsette Island, partially shared with the Thane district. Mumbai differs from other Indian cities by its high standard of life and business activity. Many workers from the East Asian region come to Mumbai to find a job. This flow of workers of different nationalities makes the city multicultural.

Tokyo

Tokyo, the capital of Japan, is located in the southeastern part of Honshu island in the Tokyo Bay of the Pacific Ocean. Its area is 2 187 sq. kilometers; its population is 12,544 million people. Until 1869 the city was called Edo; it grew very rapidly and by the 18th century it became one of the world`s biggest cities. In the middle of the 19th century there was a boom of industry and shipbuilding in Tokyo. In 1982 the railway Tokyo-Yokohama was built, in 1877 — the railway Kobe-Osaka-Tokyo. On September 1, 1923 Tokyo suffered very much from the destructive earthquake; almost the half of the city was destroyed, there were 90 000 victims. During WWII Tokyo was under air attack; many historic buildings were burnt out. However the postwar ‘economic miracle’ led to the fact that Tokyo became one of the most dynamic world`s economies by the end of the 1980s.

Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina, together with its satellite towns is reputed to be one of the world`s most populated cities. More than 12 million people live there. The city grows very rapidly because of the immigrants from Bolivia, Paraguay, Peru. It is a multinational city; the main part of its population is Spaniards and Italians that are offsprings of the Spanish colonizers of the period from 1550 to1850. What is more, Buenos Aires is a home of Arabs, Jews, the British, Armenian, Japans and Koreans. The city is located in La Plata, a well-protected bay, on the right bank of the Riachuelo. The average temperature in July is +10 degrees, in January — +24 degrees. The Grand Buenos Aires consists of 18 suburbs; the total area is 3646 sq. kilometers.

Delhi

Delhi is the second largest and most populated city in India next to Mumbai. It is the official capital of the country that is located in the north of India on the coast of the River Yamuna. Its population is about 12 million people. There are a lot of rapidly developing international corporations, commercial and trade centers, mass media in Delhi. The city plays an important role in IT technologies (30% of IT technologies is concentrated in Delhi) and also in natural science and applied science. Delhi is reputed to be a paradise for tourists; there are about 60000 monuments of the world`s importance that were built more than thousand years ago. Historical scientists think that Delhi was founded about in 3000 B.C. and called Indraprastha. The name ‘Delhi’ origins from the Persian word ‘Dahliz’ ( it means ‘threshold’) or as another version says from the name of the king Raja Dhava. Delhi consists of many districts: New-Delhi (a well-planned district with the high standard of life), Old Delhi, Paharganj(a district near a railway station that tourists enjoy most of all). But there are slums where tourists are not allowed to visit because of insanitary conditions.

Moscow

Moscow is the ninth world`s largest cities; its population is about 10 million 509 thousand people. It is the most populated city in Europe. There are ten administrative districts. At the time of the USSR Moscow was called ‘a capital of five seas’. Today the city is connected to the other world through international airports Vnukovo, Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo and Bykovo; three river ports can provide the communication to sea basins of the Atlantic and Artic Oceans. There are nine active railway stations and three more railway stations are to be built. Since 1935 the underground has worked that is considered to be one of the most popular places of interest of Moscow. A tourist must be also inspired with Red Square, the beauty of the Kremlin and intricate monuments by Zurab Tsereteli that changed the Manege Square very much. And if a curious traveler feels nostalgic for the past he/she can stand near Lenin`s Mausoleum that is still a subject of disputes whether such a tomb in the center of Red Square is appropriate. Moscow was first mentioned in the chronicle of 1147. In 1426 Moscow became the capital of Russia. In the 15th century the city consisted of the Kremlin, Kitai-gorod and Bely Gorod. In the beginning of the 17th century the Earthen city, Yamskaya quarter, Meschanskaya quarter and German quarter were added. In 1712 the capital of the Russian Empire moved to St. Petersburg but Moscow was the place of coronation of emperors. In 1918 Moscow got back its status; the city became the capital of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic.