Conurbation facts for kids
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A conurbation is an urban area comprising a number of cities, towns and villages which, through population growth and expansion, have physically merged to form one continuous built up area. It is thus a polycentric form of agglomeration. This term is commonly used in the United Kingdom.
A metropolitan area usually combines one or several conurbations with peripheral zones not themselves necessarily urban in character, but closely dependent on the conurbation(s) in terms of employment and commerce. The word conurbation is not used in the United States. The term metropolitan area is used instead.
The Randstad, which is a densely populated area in the Netherlands consisting of a cluster of the four biggest cities of the country and several smaller cities, towns and urbanized villages, is an appropriate example of a conurbation. The San Francisco Bay Area which is a cluster of cities, towns, and villages surrounding the San Francisco Bay is another example. The Brussels-Capital Region in Belgium, by contrast, is an ordinary type of agglomeration centered on one city.
Images for kids
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Satellite photo from 2012 showing Sydney in the centre, with Wollongong visible on the left and the Central Coast on the right
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Nocturnal view of the New York City metropolitan area, the world's most brightly illuminated conurbation and largest urban landmass. Long Island extends 120 miles eastward from Manhattan, the central core of the conurbation.
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The ten largest urban centers in China
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Satellite view of the Taipei-Taoyuan-Keelung Metropolitan Area, the largest metropolitan area in Taiwan.
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Satellite view of the Kaohsiung-Pingtung-Tainan metropolitan area.
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Rhine-Ruhr, the largest conurbation of the European continent
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2011 Rural Urban classification by Local Authority Districts in England
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2011 Rural Urban classification by census Output Areas in England
