Metropolitan area
A region of dense urban core and integrated surrounding territories.
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A metropolitan area, or metro, is a region comprising a densely populated urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories, which share industries, commercial areas, transport networks, infrastructure, and housing. It usually includes multiple principal cities, jurisdictions, and municipalities such as neighborhoods, townships, boroughs, cities, towns, exurbs, suburbs, counties, districts, and even states or nations in areas like the eurodistricts. As social, economic, and political institutions have changed, metropolitan areas have become key economic and political regions.
Quick Facts
- Common terms
- Metro service area
- metro area
- or MSA.
Facts from the source article.
Background
In practice, parameters vary widely: sometimes little different from an urban area, other times covering broad regions with little relation to a single urban settlement. Comparative statistics for metropolitan areas should account for this inconsistency. The term can also refer to a county-level municipal government structure with shared services between a central city and its suburbs, which may or may not include the entire metro area.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Metropolitan area?
A metropolitan area is a region that fuses a densely populated urban core with its surrounding built-up territories, all tied together by shared jobs, commerce, and transit links. It typically spans multiple cities, suburbs, counties, and sometimes even cross-border jurisdictions.
What is Metropolitan area known for?
Metropolitan areas act as concentrated economic and political engines, pooling trade, industry, and infrastructure into one operational zone. A core defining trait is the commuting bond: at least 15% of workers in the surrounding zone are employed in the central city.
More in Other Geographic Features
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Metropolitan area (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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