world cities

Avec 19,6 millions d'habitants (2010), Pékin est la deuxième ville la plus peuplée de Chine après Shanghai. La zone urbaine compte quant à elle 18 millions d'habitants. Le parler pékinois forme la base du mandarin standard. D'un point de vue économique, Pékin est la troisième ville de Chine par le PIB total derrière Shanghai et Hong Kong. Elle connaît une croissance économique très rapide, nettement plus de 10 % par an dans les années 2000. Un nouveau Central business district (CBD) est en construction.

Bangkok is the capital city of and largest urban area in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep, meaning "city of angels". Bangkok is by far the most densely populated city in Thailand with about 12 million people. Bangkok was a small trading post near the mouth of the Chao Phraya River during the Ayutthaya Kingdom in the 15th century. It eventually grew in size and became the site of two capital cities: Thonburi in 1768 and Rattanakosin in 1782. Because of its strategic location in Southeast Asia, Siam (later Thailand) acted as a buffer-zone between the French and British colonial empires. Bangkok itself has gained a reputation as an independent, dynamic and influential city. Bangkok is the political, social and economic centre of Thailand, and one of the leading cities in Southeast Asia. Due to the 1980s and 1990s Asian investment boom, many multinational corporations make their regional headquarters in Bangkok and the city is a regional force in finance and business. Its increasing influence on global politics, culture, fashion and entertainment underlines its status as an Alpha global city. In 2009, it was the second most expensive city in South-East Asia behind Singapore.(from wikipedia)