City proper (administrative unit) A city can be defined by its administrative boundaries, otherwise known as
city proper.
UNICEF defines city proper as, "the population living within the administrative boundaries of a city or controlled directly from the city by a single authority." A city proper is a locality defined according to legal or political boundaries and an administratively recognised urban status that is usually characterised by some form of
local government. Cities proper and their boundaries and population data may not include suburbs. The use of city proper as defined by administrative boundaries may not include suburban areas where an important proportion of the population working or studying in the city lives. The Chinese municipality of
Chongqing, which is the largest city proper in the world by population, comprises a huge administrative area of 82,403 km2, around the size of
Austria. However, more than 70% of its 30-million population are agricultural workers living in a
rural setting.
Metropolitan area , the world's third-largest city by metropolitan population A city can be defined by the inhabitants of its
demographic population, as by
metropolitan area, or
labour market area. UNICEF defines metropolitan area as follows: In many countries, metropolitan areas are established either as a local administrative organisation or only for statistical purposes. In the
United States,
metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is defined by the
U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB). In the
Philippines, metropolitan areas have an official agency, such as
Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), which manages
Manila metropolitan area. Similar agencies exist in
Indonesia, such as Jabodetabekjur Development Cooperation Agency for
Jakarta metropolitan area.
Urban area A city can be defined as a conditionally
contiguous urban area, with relatively less regard to territorial or administrative boundaries.
UNICEF defines urban area as follows: According to
Demographia, an urban area is a continuously built up land mass of urban development that is within a labor market (metropolitan area or metropolitan region) and contains no
rural land. == List ==