Immobilien-Kosmos: Analysen und Berichte rund um die Immobilie

3 Settlement Pattern

The location of modern urban centers reflects India's colonial past. The British founded Kolkata, and developed Mumbai and Chennai as regional trade hubs and as harbors for export and import. In the 1911 the British moved the colonial capital from coastal Kolkata to the inland, where New Delhi was built adjacently to the old Mogul headquarters of Delhi.

India's urban pattern reveals regional specifics.

The northern heartland including its western extension (wheat growing areas) is more urbanized than the east (where rice farming dominates). The gradient is steep. While in the west about 40 % of the entire population reside in urban areas, in the east only approx. 10% do.
India's larger cities (> 100,000 inhabitants) are concentrated in three regions, namely the northern plains from Punjab to the Ganges delta, the Mumbai-Ahmedabad area, and the south of the subcontinent, with the primary centers of Chennai and Bengaluru.

4 Largest Cities

In 2007 more than 30 Indian cities recorded a population in excess of 1 m inhabitants. Mumbai (formerly Bombay) is the largest city of India in terms of population, being home to 13.1 m people. Delhi ranks second with approx. 11.5 m inhabitants followed by Bengaluru (5.3 m), Kolkata (4.6 m), and Chennai (4.4 m). Mumbai and Delhi are among the five most populous cities in the world.

5 Largest Agglomerations

Indian core cities are - like next to all major cities in the world - surrounded by urbanized areas. The most populous metropolitan areas are Mumbai, Delhi, and Kolkata. To give an impression regarding the dimensions of this areas: The Netherlands are populated by approx. 16.6 m people.

Rank	Area	Inhabitants (m)
1	Mumbai	19.9
2	Delhi	17.8
3	Kolkata	14.7
4	Chennai	7.0
5	Bengaluru	6.4
6	Hyderabad	6.0
7	Ahmedabad	5.1
8	Pune	4.7
9	Kanpur	3.2
10	Surat	3.0

As of 2007. Source: World Gazetteer

6 Outlook

India's towns and cities are still rapidly growing. However, it seems not adequate to speak of "unprecedented growth". In fact, the process of urbanization slowed significantly down. It is reasobable to assume that India will stay one of the less urbanizied countries for the foreseeable future.