Urbanisation: GCSE Geography Definition
What is urbanisation?
In GCSE geography, urbanisation is the process by which a large number of people migrate from the countryside (rural) to cities (urban). Rural-to-urban migration causes urbanisation.
This frequently happens in underdeveloped countries with industry concentrated in main hubs. These hubs act as beacons for people to improve their opportunities and way of life. The rates of urbanisation vary around the world depending on a country’s level of development.
Developed countries such as the UK, Germany and the USA have lower levels of urbanisation because people already live in towns and cities. However, countries like India and Brazil have high levels of rural to urban migration. China's urbanisation rate has slowed due to earlier industrialisation and regulated internal migration.
Urbanisation Revision Resources to Ace Your Exams
Use the Save My Exams urban change revision notes, flashcards and exam questions to revise the process of urban sprawl and related processes.
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Written by Jacque Cartwright
Geography Content Creator7 articlesJacque graduated from the Open University with a BSc in Environmental Science and Geography before doing her PGCE with the University of St David’s, Swansea. Teaching is her passion and has taught across a wide range of specifications – GCSE/IGCSE and IB but particularly loves teaching the A-level Geography. For the past 5 years Jacque has been teaching online for international schools, and she knows what is needed to get the top scores on those pesky geography exams.
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