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GCSE · Human Geography

GEO.HU1 Global Urbanisation Trends and the Growth of Megacities

AQA 8035 · Calculators not allowed · about 60 minutes

Total Marks

Name: _______________________________ Date: ____ / ____ / ______

Answer ALL questions. Show all your working.

State what is meant by the term 'urbanisation' at a global scale.

(Total for Question 1 is 1 mark)

Define the term 'megacity' and name the population threshold used by the UN for a megacity.

(Total for Question 2 is 1 mark)

State whether urbanisation rates are generally faster in low income countries (LICs), newly emerging economies (NEEs) or high income countries (HICs).

(Total for Question 3 is 1 mark)

Give TWO push factors from rural areas that commonly drive rural to urban migration in LICs and NEEs.

(Total for Question 4 is 2 marks)

Give TWO pull factors in cities that attract migrants from rural areas to urban areas in LICs and NEEs.

(Total for Question 5 is 2 marks)

Explain briefly what is meant by 'natural increase' as a contributor to urban growth in many LIC and NEE cities.

(Total for Question 6 is 2 marks)

State ONE social challenge commonly faced by very large urban areas or megacities worldwide.

(Total for Question 7 is 1 mark)

Table: Number of global megacities at four dates, showing how many cities had populations of 10 million or more. This is illustrative data for practice.

Year	Number of megacities
1990	10
2000	15
2010	21
2020	33

(a)Using the table, state which decade saw the largest absolute increase in the number of megacities.(1)

(b)Calculate the absolute increase in the number of megacities between 1990 and 2020.(2)

(c)Describe the overall pattern shown by the table and suggest one reason for this pattern at the global scale.(3)

(d)Suggest one limitation of using the count of megacities to understand global urban change.(2)

(Total for Question 8 is 8 marks)

Explain TWO causes of rapid urban growth in LICs and NEEs. In your answer include different processes such as migration and natural increase.

(Total for Question 9 is 6 marks)

Name ONE economic opportunity commonly found in large cities that attracts migrants from rural areas.

(Total for Question 10 is 1 mark)

Give TWO economic benefits that megacities can bring to a country at the national scale.

(Total for Question 11 is 2 marks)

State ONE environmental challenge that megacities often face.

(Total for Question 12 is 1 mark)

In 1970 the world urban population proportion was 37 percent. By 2020 it was 56 percent. Calculate the percentage point change in the world urban population proportion between 1970 and 2020.

(Total for Question 13 is 2 marks)

Give one named example of a current megacity and state its country and a recent approximate population (one example only).

(Total for Question 14 is 1 mark)

Use your knowledge of global urban trends and examples to answer this question.

'Explain the reasons for rapid urbanisation in LICs and NEEs.'

'Explain the reasons for rapid urbanisation in LICs and NEEs.'

(Total for Question 15 is 12 marks)

Mark scheme · GEO.HU1 Global Urbanisation Trends and the Growth of Megacities

Question 1

B1 an increase in the proportion of a country's or the world's population living in urban areas, oe
Answer: An increase in the proportion of the population living in urban areas.

Question 2

B1 a city with a population of 10 million people or more (megacity), oe
Answer: A megacity is a city with a population of 10 million people or more.

Question 3

B1 LICs and NEEs
Answer: Urbanisation rates are generally faster in LICs and NEEs than in HICs.

Question 4

B1 e.g. lack of jobs or low farm incomes in rural areas, oe
B1 e.g. poor access to services such as healthcare or schools in rural areas, oe
Answer: Lack of jobs or low farm incomes; poor access to services such as healthcare or schools.

Question 5

B1 e.g. more job opportunities in industry and services, oe
B1 e.g. better access to education, healthcare and other services in cities, oe
Answer: More job opportunities in industry and services; better access to education, healthcare and other services.

Question 6

B1 natural increase is when the number of births exceeds the number of deaths in a population, oe
B1 linked detail, e.g. young urban populations and higher birth rates in cities increase population without migration, oe
Answer: Natural increase is when births exceed deaths; in many LIC and NEE cities a young urban population and higher birth rates lead to population growth independent of migration.

Question 7

B1 e.g. overcrowding, poor housing or the growth of informal settlements, oe
Answer: Overcrowding and growth of informal housing or slums.

Question 8

(a) B1 2010 to 2020
(a) Answer: The decade 2010 to 2020.
(b) M1 33 - 10 seen, oe
(b) A1 23 cao
(b) Answer: 23.
(c) B1 description, e.g. the number of megacities increased steadily and then more rapidly, especially after 2010, oe
(c) B1 support with data, e.g. from 10 in 1990 to 33 in 2020 showing accelerating growth, oe
(c) B1 reason, e.g. rapid urbanisation in LICs and NEEs with fast economic growth and rural to urban migration has produced many new very large cities, oe
(c) Answer: The number of megacities rose steadily and then faster after 2010, increasing from 10 in 1990 to 33 in 2020; this acceleration is linked to rapid urbanisation in LICs and NEEs driven by rural to urban migration and economic growth that concentrates population in a few very large cities.
(d) B1 limitation, e.g. a megacity count hides changes in smaller cities and ignores the proportion of population living in urban areas, oe
(d) B1 linked detail, e.g. focusing only on very large cities overlooks rapid urban growth in mid sized cities and suburban areas, oe
(d) Answer: A count of megacities hides what is happening in smaller and mid sized cities and does not show the overall urban population proportion; focusing only on megacities misses rapid growth in many other urban areas.

Question 9

B1 cause 1 identified, e.g. rural to urban migration, oe
B1 developed explanation of migration as a cause, e.g. push factors like poor rural incomes and pull factors like city jobs attract large numbers, increasing city populations, oe
B1 cause 2 identified, e.g. natural increase, oe
B1 developed explanation of natural increase, e.g. many urban migrants are young adults so high birth rates and falling death rates raise urban population independently of migration, oe
B1 additional linked point, e.g. economic policies and industrialisation in NEEs concentrate employment in cities encouraging further growth, oe
B1 extra development or example that links the causes to rapid growth, e.g. informal housing expansion and transport links enabling faster city expansion, oe
Answer: Rapid urban growth is caused by large scale rural to urban migration driven by push factors such as low rural incomes and pull factors such as jobs in manufacturing and services, and by natural increase because many urban migrants are young and have higher birth rates while death rates fall. Economic policies and industrialisation in NEEs further concentrate employment in cities, accelerating growth.

Question 10

B1 e.g. jobs in factories, offices, retail or services, oe
Answer: Jobs in factories, offices, retail or services.

Question 11

B1 e.g. they create jobs and increase national GDP through concentrated industry and services, oe
B1 e.g. they attract foreign investment and provide markets and specialised services, oe
Answer: They create jobs and increase national GDP through concentrated industry and services; they attract foreign investment and provide markets and specialised specialised services.

Question 12

B1 e.g. air pollution, water pollution or high waste production, oe
Answer: Air pollution.

Question 13

M1 56 - 37 seen, oe
A1 19 percentage points cao
Answer: 19 percentage points.

Question 14

B1 e.g. Tokyo, Japan, about 37 million (greater Tokyo area) or another correct megacity name, country and approximate population, oe
Answer: Tokyo, Japan, approximately 37 million in the greater Tokyo area.

Question 15

Level 3 (7-9): A detailed, well-explained answer that describes multiple reasons for rapid urbanisation in LICs and NEEs with accurate, well-chosen examples or case detail. The response links push and pull migration factors, natural increase and economic change, and evaluates their combined effect on urban growth.
Level 2 (4-6): A clear answer that explains several reasons for rapid urbanisation, such as migration and natural increase, with some supporting detail or examples, but less depth or breadth than the top band.
Level 1 (1-3): A basic answer that identifies a few reasons for urbanisation with limited explanation or limited supporting detail.
Indicative content:
- Rural to urban migration driven by push factors in rural areas such as low agricultural incomes, land degradation and lack of services, and pull factors in cities such as more jobs, better services and perceived higher living standards.
- Economic change in NEEs, including industrialisation, growth of manufacturing and services and foreign direct investment, concentrates employment opportunities in urban areas and creates megacities.
- Natural increase contributes because migrants tend to be young adults, raising birth rates in cities while improvements in healthcare reduce death rates, causing urban populations to grow independently of migration.
- Urban networks and transport links encourage growth by connecting cities to global markets and rural hinterlands, concentrating population and investment in urban centres.
- Government policies and investment that favour urban industrial zones or special economic zones can accelerate urban growth at the expense of rural areas.
- Demographic and social factors such as changing aspirations of rural youth, education and social networks in cities encourage sustained migration flows.
- A balanced answer may comment on the interaction of factors, for example how economic growth creates jobs that attract migrants, and how natural increase then compounds that growth, and may consider why growth rates differ from HICs where urbanisation is already high or ageing populations limit natural increase.

Global Urbanisation Trends and the Growth of Megacities - Worksheets, Questions and Revision