- A Megacity is defined as a city with more than 10 million people. At present there are around 25 such cities in the world, 13 of which are in Asia. Projections suggest there will be around 35 by 2015. Almost all of the new additions will be in Asia.
- Megacities make up a tiny fraction of the world's landmass, but consume roughly 60% of world water and produce 80% of carbon emissions. [Demographics of Megacities]
- Kuala Lumpur has a population of 4.4m, making it the 71st most populace city on earth. [City Population]
The Petronas Towers in KL, the world's second tallest buildings, were built unusually quickly. The designers decided to hire two consortia - one from Japan, the other from South Korea - to construct the two seperate towers. The result was an unofficial competition to be finished first, and a 24 hour construction schedule involving up to 2000 builders working through each night, on 12 hour shifts. Eventually, and despite starting weeks behind their rivals, the South Koreans won. [Tour of the towers.]
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