There are some changes that have occured in cities population this year, so I've decided to update this article according to new data.

Do you live in a big city or a small town? Which one is better? Sometimes people dispute about this. The truth is both of them have their advantages and disadvantages. It’s up to you! As for me, I love big cities! The big city is the place where all industrial, cultural and educational centers are situated. In big cities you can find museums, theaters, clubs, cinemas, big shops and hospitals, comfortable modern flats. Living in a huge metropolis you’ll never be bored, you can always find something interesting for you. Here is a list of the top 11 largest urban agglomerations in the world. Agglomerations include a central city and neighboring communities linked to it. Some agglomerations have more than one central city. Each of these cities is like a separate small country.

1. Tokyo

Population: 33,800,000
Country: Japan

Position in our list in 2007: 1 (haven't changes)

Tokyo is the capital of Japan. This huge, wealthy and fascinating metropolis brings high-tech visions of the future side by side with glimpses of old Japan, and has something for everyone. Over 400 years old, the city of Tokyo grew from the modest fishing village of Edo. Now it is the destination for business, education, modern culture, and government. Tokyo is vast: it's best thought of not as a single city, but a constellation of cities that have grown together. Tokyo's districts vary wildly by character, from the electronic blare of Akihabara to the Imperial gardens and shrines of Chiyoda, from the hyperactive youth culture mecca of Shibuya to the pottery shops and temple markets of Asakusa. If you don't like what you see, hop on the train and head to the next one, and you will find something entirely different.

2. Seoul

Population: 23,800,000
Country: South Korea

Position in our list in 2007: 2 (haven't changed)

Seoul is the largest city in South Korea, its capital and the unquestioned economic, political and cultural hub of the country. Seoul suffers from a partly unwarranted reputation for pollution and traffic jams. These days, strict emissions laws have brought the pollution under control and, while traffic jams do still snarl up Seoul's streets at rush hour, the extensive subway network means that the traveler can easily shortcut through it almost all of the time. With beautiful palaces, great food and a hopping nightlife.

3. Mexico City

Population: 22,800,000
Country: Mexico

Position in our list in 2007: 3 (haven't changed)

Mexico City is the capital of Mexico. Mexico City, forms a rough oval of about 60 by 40 kilometers, on the dry bed of lake Texcoco, surrounded on three sides by tall mountains and volcanoes such as the Ajusco, the Popocatepetl and the Ixtlacihuatl. The city is located 2200 meters above the sea level. Mexico City's night life is like all other aspects of the city; it's huge. There is an enormous selection of venues: clubs, bars, restaurants, cafes, and variations and combinations thereof to choose from. There is incredible variation, from ultramodern lounges in Santa Fe and Reforma, to decades-old dance halls in Centro and Roma. There are also pubs in Tlalpan and Coyoacán and clubs of every stripe in Insurgentes, Polanco, Condesa and the Zona Rosa.

4. Delhi

Population: 22,200,000
Country: India

Position in our list in 2007: 6 (increased)

Delhi is northern India's largest city. One part of it, known as New Delhi, is officially designated the capital of India, but the names are often used interchangeably. Delhi is said to be one of the oldest existing cities in the world, along with Damascus and Varanasi. Legend estimates it to be over 5000 years old. Over the millennia, Delhi is said to have been built and destroyed 11 times. Delhi is as flat as a pancake. River Yamuna flows down the eastern side of the city and the Aravalli Hills form a wide but low arc across the west. On the west bank are crowded and congested Old (Central) Delhi and, to the south, the broad, tree-lined avenues of New Delhi, built by the British to rule their empire. The rest is an endless low-rise sprawl of suburbia and slums, with southern Delhi (nearer to New Delhi) generally somewhat wealthier and the western reaches rather poorer.

5. Mumbai (Bombay)

Population: 22,200,000
Country: India

Position in our list in 2007: 5 (increased)

Mumbai, earlier known as Bombay, is the largest city in India and the capital of Maharashtra state. Mumbai is different from the rest of India in pretty much the same way that New York is different from the United States. The pace of life is more hurried; time is money and money is important. The idea that in this city one can always make a living one way or another is pervasive. Mumbai is one of India's largest port cities and looms large as the commercial capital of India. Its nature as the most eclectic and cosmopolitan Indian city is symbolised in the presence of Bollywood within the city, the centre of the globally-influential Hindi film and TV industries.

6. New York

Population: 21,900,000
Country: USA

Position in our list in 2007: 4 (decreased)

The metropolis of New York (also referred to as "New York City" or "the Big Apple") is at the mouth of the Hudson River in southern New York state. It is part of the Mid-Atlantic region on the Eastern Seaboard of the USA. The New York Metropolitan Area extends across three states—including lower New York (including parts of Long Island), northern New Jersey and parts of southwestern Connecticut. New York City is one of the global centers of international finance, politics, communications, film, music, fashion, and culture, and is among the world's most important and influential cities. It is home to many world-class museums, art galleries, and theatres. Many of the world's largest corporations have their headquarters here. The headquarters of the United Nations is in New York and most countries have a consulate here. Immigrants (and their descendants) from over 180 countries live here, making it one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the world. Travelers are attracted to New York City for its culture, energy and cosmopolitanism.

7. Sao Paulo

Population: 20,900,000
Country: Brazil

Position in our list in 2007: 7 (haven't changed)

Sao Paulo is the largest city in Brazil. It is the capital of the Southeastern state of Sao Paulo, and also a beehive of activity that offers a jovial nightlife and an intense cultural experience. Sao Paulo is one of the richest cities in the southern hemisphere. A large sprawling city can present numerous challenges to sensibilities. Although the first impression might be that of a grey concrete jungle, soon it becomes apparent that the city has a great number of pockets of beauty. The population and environment of Sao Paulo is diverse, and districts within it range from extremely luxurious areas to hovels housing the poor and destitute, located usually in suburbia far from the so-called "expanded center".

8. Manila

Population: 19,000,000
Country: Philippines

Position in our list in 2007: wasn't there, new (increased)

The City of Manila is the cosmopolitan capital of the Philippines located in the west coast of the island of Luzon. Up until World War II, Manila was considered one of the most beautiful cities in Asia but the war put the city into complete ruins. It was the second most destroyed city after Warsaw, Poland. But this modern capital-city is the premier Christian city of Asia and considered as one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the world. Historic, bustling, awe-inspiring, Manila is a blend of cultures and flavors that offers an endless serving of places to see, sights to behold, and experiences to never forget.

9. Los Angeles

Population: 18,000,000
Country: USA

Position in our list in 2007: 8 (decreased)

Los Angeles (City of Angels) is the heart of the second largest metropolitan area in the U.S. and is located on the west coast of California. While it's most famous for Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Malibu Beach, Santa Monica that are just some aspects of this sprawling city. Even before O.J. drove the Bronco or "The Terminator" became governor, Frank Lloyd Wright said, "Tip the world over on its side and everything loose will land in Los Angeles." Los Angeles is a very diverse city with nearly half of its population being born outside the United States. With temperate weather year-round, and blue skies much of the year, anytime is a good time to visit Los Angeles. There are so many things to see and do in Los Angeles that a single trip just isn't enough.

10. Shanghai

Population: 17,900,000
Country: China

Position in our list in 2007: 9 (decreased)

Shanghai was the largest and most prosperous city in the Far East during the 1930s, and remained the most developed city in Communist China. In the 1990s Shanghai again became an attractive spot for tourists worldwide. Shanghai is a fascinating mix of East and West. It has historic shikumen houses that blended the styles of Chinese houses with European design flair, and it has one of the richest collections of art deco buildings in the world. Because there were so many Concessions (designated districts) to Western powers during the turn of the 20th century, at times the city has the feel of Paris or Montreal, while Tudor style buildings give a German flair, and the 1930s buildings put you in New York or Chicago.

11. Osaka

Population: 16,700,000
Country: Japan

Position in our list in 2007: 10 (decreased)

Osaka is the second largest city in Japan, the central metropolis of the Kansai region and the largest of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto trio. If Tokyo is Japan's capital, one might call Osaka its anti-capital. With what you will call it so, however, is left much open to your own findings upon the visit to the city. Veiled much with a commercial-centric city touch, you may as well start from picking up the lively intonation of Osaka dialect, heard from the people as you ride on the escalators standing on the right, instead of the left in Tokyo; then discovering the contrast of popular food to eastern Japan, as you look for places to lunch. The deeper you get inside, and at the end of your stay, it is not completely impossible that you may have compiled your own original list of reasons covering from history, culture, sports, to business.

Cities Population has been calculated in October, 2008.