metropolitan area

plural metropolitan areas

1. An area of population usually with a central or core city and surrounding towns or suburbs.

   1911 — Encyclopædia Britannica, "Brisbane" The population of the metropolitan area in 1901 was 119,907; of the city proper, 28,953; of South Brisbane, 25,481.

   3 more examples

   Before the year was out there were, in addition to Redwood's pioneer vehicle, quite a number of motor-perambulators to be seen in the west of London. I am told there were as many as eleven; but the most careful inquiries yield trustworthy evidence of only six within the Metropolitan area at that time.

   1904, H. G. Wells, The Food of the Gods, Book I ch 4

   1949 — ', Part IX A (c) Article 243P Definitions "Metropolitan area" means an area having a population of ten lakhs or more, comprised in one or more districts and consisting of two or more Municipalities or Panchayats or other contiguous areas, specified by the Governor by public notification to be a Metropolitan area for the purposes of this Part;

   The metropolitan area of Lima accounts for 43 per cent of gross domestic product, for four-fifths of bank credit and consumer goods production.

   1987 — UN World Commission on Environment and Development, Brundtland Report, sxn A/42/427