A primate city is disproportionately larger than other cities in its country or region, having at least twice the population of the second largest city. Primate cities often have a "king effect" and unplanned development that leads to problems like shortages of housing, traffic congestion, pollution, and urban-rural inequalities. Examples given include London, Bangkok, Mexico City, and Paris - with Bangkok highlighted as the largest primate city in the world, containing over 7.5 million people or 70% of Thailand's urban population.

1. PRIMATE CITY
Drishti
International Institute for Population Sciences
Mumbai

2. WHAT IS A PRIMATE CITY ????
• A primate city is a disproportionately larger city in its country or
region than any others in the urban hierarchy
• This urban centers has a King effect,
• Proposed by the geographer Mark Jefferson in 1939
• He defines a primate city as being "at least twice as large as the
next largest city and more than twice as significant
• Primate cities are often but not necessarily the capital city of the
country

3. 1st order city 2nd order city 3rd order city

4. FACTORS AFFECTING PRIMACY
• Small size of the country
• Population density is very high
• PCI is low
• Agrarian economy
• Colonial history
• Export orientation of the economy
• Rural to urban migration pattern
• Unplanned development.

5. PROBLEMS FACED BY PRIMATE CITIES
• House shortages
• Traffic congestion
• Crime
• Pollution
• Urban rural inequalities
• Increase in land value resulting in price rise
• Imbalance in development – usually a progressive core, lagging
periphery on which primate city depends for labour and other
resources

6. EXAMPLES OF COUNTRIES WITH PRIMATE CITIES
COUNTRY 1st CITY Population 2nd CITY Population
United kingdom LONDON 7 million Birmingham 1 million
Thailand BANGKOK 7.5 million Chiang mai 1 million
Mexico MEXICO CITY 8.6 million Guadalajara 1.6 million
France PARIS 9.6 million Marseilles 1.3 million

7. CASE STUDY : BANGKOK
(LARGEST IN THE WORLD)
• Capital city of Thailand since more than 200years
• One of the worlds most populous city in the world
• 7.5 million registered population
• Geographical area : 1569 sq km
• Density : 3600 person per sq km
• Has explosive growth of urbanization
• 70% of Thailand's urban population lives in Bangkok

8. PROBLEMS IN BANGKOK
• Traffic congestion
• Poor urban planning
• Pressure on land use
• Few recreation spots
• Unemployment
• Poverty
• Degradation of standard of
living
• Pollution