http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/30/Alfaworldcities.png
One of the first attempts to define, categorize, and rank global cities was made in 1998 by the Globalization and World Cities Study Group and Network (GaWC) based at the geography department of Loughborough University. The roster was outlined in the GaWC Research Bulletin 5 and ranked cities based on their provision of "advanced producer services" such as accountancy, advertising, finance, and law.[4] The GaWC inventory identifies three levels of global cities and several sub-ranks. This roster generally denotes cities in which there are offices of certain multinational corporations providing financial and consulting services rather than denoting other cultural, political, and economic centres.
Another attempt to redefine and re-categorise leading global cities was made by GaWC in 2004. This new roster acknowledged several new indicators but still ranked economics ahead of political or cultural importance.
The GaWC in 2008 re-published their roster of leading world cities. This roster, similar to the 1998 version is sorted through categories of "Alpha" world cities (four categories), "Beta" world cities (three categories), "Gamma" world cities (three categories), and cities with "High sufficiency" and "Sufficiency" world cities presence.
The GaWC's 2008 roster of leading Alpha, Beta and Gamma World Cities is reproduced below; see the source for the complete roster:[5][6]
Alpha World Cities ++:
* New York City, London
Alpha World Cities +:
* Hong Kong, Paris, Singapore, Sydney, Tokyo, Shanghai, Beijing
Alpha World Cities:
* Milan, Madrid, Seoul, Moscow, Brussels, Toronto, Mumbai, Buenos Aires, Kuala Lumpur
Alpha World Cities -:
* Warsaw, Jakarta, São Paulo, Zurich, Mexico City, Dublin, Amsterdam, Bangkok, Taipei, Rome, Istanbul, Lisbon, Chicago, Frankfurt, Stockholm, Vienna, Budapest, Athens, Prague, Caracas, Auckland, Santiago
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/30/Alfaworldcities.png
English: 7 cities New York City, London, Sydney, Toronto, Dublin, Chicago, Auckland
Spanish: 5 cities Madrid, Buenos Aires, Mexico City, Caracas, Santiago
Chinese: 4 cities Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing, Taipei
German: 3 cities Zurich, Frankfurt, Vienna
Portuguese: 2 cities São Paulo, Lisbon
Italian: 2 cities Milan, Rome
French: 2 cities Paris, Brussels
Russian: 1 city Moscow
As we can see, the most important are English, Spanish and Chinese (the three big)
Source - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_city
One of the first attempts to define, categorize, and rank global cities was made in 1998 by the Globalization and World Cities Study Group and Network (GaWC) based at the geography department of Loughborough University. The roster was outlined in the GaWC Research Bulletin 5 and ranked cities based on their provision of "advanced producer services" such as accountancy, advertising, finance, and law.[4] The GaWC inventory identifies three levels of global cities and several sub-ranks. This roster generally denotes cities in which there are offices of certain multinational corporations providing financial and consulting services rather than denoting other cultural, political, and economic centres.
Another attempt to redefine and re-categorise leading global cities was made by GaWC in 2004. This new roster acknowledged several new indicators but still ranked economics ahead of political or cultural importance.
The GaWC in 2008 re-published their roster of leading world cities. This roster, similar to the 1998 version is sorted through categories of "Alpha" world cities (four categories), "Beta" world cities (three categories), "Gamma" world cities (three categories), and cities with "High sufficiency" and "Sufficiency" world cities presence.
The GaWC's 2008 roster of leading Alpha, Beta and Gamma World Cities is reproduced below; see the source for the complete roster:[5][6]
Alpha World Cities ++:
* New York City, London
Alpha World Cities +:
* Hong Kong, Paris, Singapore, Sydney, Tokyo, Shanghai, Beijing
Alpha World Cities:
* Milan, Madrid, Seoul, Moscow, Brussels, Toronto, Mumbai, Buenos Aires, Kuala Lumpur
Alpha World Cities -:
* Warsaw, Jakarta, São Paulo, Zurich, Mexico City, Dublin, Amsterdam, Bangkok, Taipei, Rome, Istanbul, Lisbon, Chicago, Frankfurt, Stockholm, Vienna, Budapest, Athens, Prague, Caracas, Auckland, Santiago
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/30/Alfaworldcities.png
English: 7 cities New York City, London, Sydney, Toronto, Dublin, Chicago, Auckland
Spanish: 5 cities Madrid, Buenos Aires, Mexico City, Caracas, Santiago
Chinese: 4 cities Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing, Taipei
German: 3 cities Zurich, Frankfurt, Vienna
Portuguese: 2 cities São Paulo, Lisbon
Italian: 2 cities Milan, Rome
French: 2 cities Paris, Brussels
Russian: 1 city Moscow
As we can see, the most important are English, Spanish and Chinese (the three big)
Source - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_city