All Megacities By Etymology

Etymology

Population

Agglomeration

Named after the "Guang Province", which itself means "broad" or "expansive".

46.7 m

Originally called Edo, meaning "estuary", with the word "capital" being later appended.

40.4 m

Hanzi characters directly translate to "upon the sea".

33.6 m

Corruption of a settlement's name which translated to "Victorious Deed" or "Complete Victory", referring to a victory by Fatahilla against the Portuguese.

31.3 m

Unknown. Potentially named after an ancient king, meaning "loose" in reference to Chandragupta II's iron pillar, meaning "eminence", named after a currency, or meaning "gateway".

30.3 m

Meaning, "Where indigo is found" in Tagalog.

25.7 m

Named after the patron goddess of the Koli community Mumbadevi.

25.1 m

Descended from the word Seorabeol, which might mean "metal/gold city".

24.8 m

Named after Mexico.

23.0 m

Meaning "Saint Paul" in Portuguese.

22.4 m

Named in honor of the Duke of York.

22.1 m

Derived from its official Arabic name, which means "The Vanquisher" in reference to Mars rising when the city was founded.

21.0 m

Unknown. Potentially named after a type of tree, a musical instrument, or the hidden Hindu Goddess Dhakeshwari.

20.2 m

Hanzi characters translate to "Northern Capital".

19.8 m

Meaning "lakes" in Portuguese.

19.4 m

Unknown. Potentially means "island village on a stream", or a "village on a stream" and makok, a plant that bears olive-like fruit.

18.8 m

Corruption of the original name, in honor of the father of a famed deadly crocodile slayer.

17.8 m

Meaning "The Angels" in Spanish.

17.7 m

Means "Large hill/slope".

17.7 m

Derived from the Moskva River.

17.3 m

Unknown. Potentially meaning "Field of Kali", derived from Kalighat, derived from a word meaning "Flat Area", two words meaning "dug canal", or named in reference to regional production of quicklime and coir.

16.8 m

Meaning "Good Airs" (or less literally, Fair Winds).

16.8 m

Derived from an old Greek phrase meaning "to the city".

16.4 m

Unknown. Potentially meaning "The Abode of Tir/Mercury", "a warm place", or "bottom of the mountain slope".

15.3 m

Unknown. Probably corrupted from the Latinization of Brittonic Londinion.

14.8 m

Named after someone named Johannes, though nobody knows which one.

13.9 m

Meaning "River of January" in Portuguese.

13.2 m

Unknown. Potentially corrupted from a name derived from the Ravi River, possibly meaning "Blacksmith", or maybe "City of Lava".

13.0 m

Hanzi characters translate to "Heavenly Ford".

12.7 m

Named for a nearby village, whose name refers to marsh.

12.4 m

Corrupted from an older name meaning "City of Guards" in Old Kannada.

12.2 m

Named after an indigenous tribe. the Parisii.

11.4 m

Derived from a Telugu ruler, Damarla Mudirasa Chennappa Nayakudu.

11.3 m

Potentially meaning "Peaceful".

10.5 m

Meaning "Haydar's City" or "Lion City", named for Caliph Ali Ibn Abi Talib, also known as Haydar.

10.2 m

Corrupted from Limaq, meaning "Talker" or "Speaker".

10.1 m

Named for a nearby castle, whose Hanzi characters translate to "Mansion Gate" or "Gate of China".

10.0 m