The Cities of Asia

"Singapore" is derived from the native Malay name for the country, meaning 'lion city'. Singapore is a popular destination for workers from other countries in the region. Nearly half the population were born overseas.

​

Kathmandu is Nepal's capital and most populous city with approximately 4 million people in the Kathmandu Valley. Kathmandu attracts large numbers of students and the families of male migrant workers who have gone overseas to support their families.

Kuala Lumpur means "muddy confluence" in Malay; Kuala is the point where two rivers join or an estuary, and lumpur means "mud". Nearly 8 million people live in the Klang Valley.

​

Dhaka is the capital of Bangladesh and home to approximately 25 million people. Its many large textile factories attract workers from the countryside. Many people live hand to mouth and face a constant struggle to put food on the table.

Phnom Penh, Cambodia’s busy capital, sits at the junction of the Mekong and Tonlé Sap rivers. Historically, it was a hub for both the Khmer Empire and French colonialists. Now it is a rapidly growing city of approximately 2.3 million.

​

Manila is a densely populated bayside city on the island of Luzon, which mixes Spanish colonial architecture with modern skyscrapers. The Greater Manila urban area is reported to contain 23 million people, one-quarter of the national population.

​

Taipei, the capital of Taiwan, is a modern metropolis with Japanese colonial lanes, busy shopping streets and contemporary buildings. It is the largest city in Taiwan with almost 8 million people.

Hong Kong is a city and a special administrative region in China. With 7.4 million residents in a 1,104-square-kilometre territory, Hong Kong is one of the most densely populated territories in the world.

Thimphu, Bhutan’s capital, occupies a valley in the country’s western interior. The city has a population of just 140,000.