The Largest Cities in the World

Shanghai - 24 million

Shanghai's population of 24 million makes it the top populous city proper not only in Asia but the world as well. Shanghai strategically lies in the Yangtze River Delta and the city's port is ranked as the world's busiest having handled 37 million TEUs in 2016. Qinglong Town, founded in 746, preceded Shanghai and it grew as a trading port in Imperial China. Shanghai's economic potential made it a center of conflict in the 19th century as the British and French fought to control the city.