East Asia is a realm of great cities, including many of the largest in the world. Names like Tokyo, Beijing, and Shanghai represent the mega city phenomenon like few others. Upon closer examination, however, one notices that the countries of this realm display a range of urbanization levels from very high (Japan and South Korea) to very low (China, for all its burgeoning cities, remains the least developed in the realm). What geographic factors help explain these variable levels of urbanization among East Asian cities? Why does China have more cities in the one million plus population category than any other country in the realm and yet the lowest percentage of urbanization? Do you expect the urban geography of this realm to change, and if so, when and how?
