Administrative divisions of China By its political level, when a "city" is referred to, it can be a: By its actual area and population, it can be: When used in the statistical data, the word "city" may have three different meanings: It is important to specify the definition of "city" when referring to statistical data of Chinese cities, otherwise, confusion may arise. For example, Shanghai is the largest city in China by population in the urban area but is smaller than Chongqing by the population within the administration area. Before the establishment of the Qin Dynasty, China was ruled by a network of kings,
Largest cities in Japan by population by decade Meiji Mergers" cut the number of municipalities in Japan by more than three quarters, while dramatically increasing the size of many cities as they absorbed their surrounding towns and villages. Source data is from the 1891 Imperial Japanese Registered Household Report (日本帝国民籍戸口表). Source data is from the 1898 Imperial Japanese Population Statistics (日本帝国人口統計). Source data is from the 1908 Imperial Japanese Population Statistics (日本帝国人口統計). Source data is from the 1920 Census (国勢調査), the first formal census to be taken in Japan. Source data is from the 1930 Census. Source data is from the 1940 Census. Japan emerged from the Second