At one time these places were referred to as Megacities, now in the 21st century we call them Global Cities. Metropolitan area by definition includes suburban areas immediately surrounding a major city and sometimes multiple major cities which may be close enough together to function essentially as one area. Here are the 11 largest metropolitan areas by population in 2005.

1. Tokyo, Japan (35,197,000)
2. Mexico City, Mexico (19,411,000)
3. New York City, New York (18,718,000)
4. Sao Paulo, Brazil (18,333,000)
5. Mumbai, India (18,196,000)
6. Delhi, India (15,048,000)
7. Shanghai, China (14,503,000)
8. Kolkata, India (14,277,000)
9. Jakarta, Indonesia (13,215,000)
10. Buenos Aires, Argentina (12,550,000)
11. Dhaka, Bangladesh (12,430,000)