List of second cities

The second city of a country is the city which is second, usually after the capital city, in geographical size, population, cultural significance, economic or political importance. Which of these criteria are used is subject to debate and varies between countries and there is never any official recognition of such status.
Argentina
Córdoba is the second-largest city in Argentina, after the capital, Buenos Aires.
Australia
Melbourne is the second-largest city in Australia, after Sydney.
Brazil
Rio de Janeiro was Brazil's largest city until 1960, when it was surpassed by São Paulo as the nation's most populous metropolis. Rio also lost its status as the Federal Capital in 1960, to Brasília. It is therefore now known as Brazil's second city.
Bulgaria
Plovdiv is the second-largest city in Bulgaria, after the capital Sofia.
Canada
Montreal is considered Canada's second city. Prior to the 1970s, Montreal was Canada's largest city and was central to business and international relations in Canada until 1978, where Toronto surpassed Montreal in population and economic growth and stability. Hence, Toronto was recognized as the successor to Montreal as Canada's largest city. Many major corporations are now based in Toronto. It is also the nation's current economic hub and has since rapidly developed as a high-ranking world city. Montreal however still continues to be a historically important city in Canada.
China
Although having a higher population and GDP, Shanghai is sometimes considered China's second city, after Beijing.
Cuba
Santiago de Cuba has historically been regarded as Cuba's second city after Havana.
Estonia
The capital city of Estonia is Tallinn. The second city of Estonia is Tartu. The Supreme Court of Estonia and Estonian Ministry of Education and Research are situated in Tartu.
Indonesia
Surabaya is the second-largest city in Indonesia, after Jakarta. Surabaya is also Indonesia's second-most populous city.
India
Delhi is considered India's second City. Mumbai is the largest city, on the other hand Delhi is the political
capital, power seat of the Government of the Union Of India. Delhi is also the Cultural Capital of India. Delhi's State Domestic Product (FY 2007) was US$24.5 billion compared to Mumbai's US$ 44.71 billion. Delhi is currently ranked the 7th most expensive office hotspot in the world, with prices at $145.16 per square foot.
Ireland
Cork is considered the second city of the Republic of Ireland, after the capital Dublin.
Iran
Esfahan is the second largest metropolitan area after Tehran with 2.5 million population.
Italy
Milan is commonly regarded as Italy's second city after Rome, since it has the second highest GDP, city population, and number of international tourist arrivals every year, despite the fact that Milan has a higher GDP per capita, quality of life, world city rank and is more expensive than Rome.
Japan
The capital city of Japan is Tokyo, the center of . The second city of Japan is Osaka, the center of Kansai region.
Mexico
From colonial times, and until the beginning of the 20th century, Puebla was considered the second city in Mexico; it was the first to industrialize and the second most important cultural and academic centre. Throughout the 20th century, Guadalajara has been considered Mexico's second city due to its rapid industrialization and cultural influence for the rest of the country.
Northern Ireland
The capital city of Northern Ireland is Belfast. The second city of Northern Ireland is Derry. Until 2002 Northern Ireland's only other city was Armagh, the ecclesiastical capital of the island of Ireland. That year, Queen Elizabeth granted city status to Lisburn and Newry.
Philippines
Cebu City is regarded as the Philippines' second city because of its economic prominence and prevalence as an international tourist destination outside of Metro Manila.
Russia
The capital city of Russia is Moscow. The second city of Russia is St. Petersburg.
Serbia
Novi Sad is the second-largest city in Serbia, after Belgrade.
Slovenia
Slovenia's second city is Maribor, which is besides the capital Ljubljana the only Slovene town with population higher than 100,000. It is also the cultural and economic centre of Lower Styria.
United Kingdom
Since the formation of the UK, Dublin, Bristol, Glasgow, and Liverpool have all been identified as the second city by various sources. Glasgow, and to a lesser extent, Liverpool were often described as the second city of the entire British Empire in the late 19th and early 20th centuries due to their commercial prowess and importance.
Birmingham, the second-largest city both by geographical size and population, has been described as the second city of the UK since around the First World War.
More recently, many sources have claimed that Manchester deserves the distinction, and it has often been described as the second city of England (as opposed to the UK) in published media and public opinion polls.
The term has also been applied to Edinburgh as the capital of the second-largest UK country after England, and also, since the birth of the devolved Scottish Parliament, the second most important city for governmental affairs.
It is also the fifth biggest economy in all of Europe and hosts two of the UK's biggest banks. It is also the second biggest tourist destination in the UK after London and hosts the world's biggest arts festival every summer.
Leeds and Sheffield are also usually considered.
United States
In the United States, the term has long been a nickname for Chicago. Although Los Angeles has taken over the second-most populous city spot in the US, Chicago had already received the nickname for rebuilding itself as a modern city after the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. "Second city" was coined by Chicagoans who were building a "second city" out of the ashes of the Great Chicago Fire.
Scotland
The capital city of Scotland is Edinburgh, having been so since 1437. However, the largest city in Scotland in terms of population is Glasgow. After the Irish War of Independence, Dublin's Victorian nickname as the "Second City of the Empire," was eventually passed on to Glasgow. (the first city in this context being London).
South Africa
Durban and Cape Town are both considered the second city of South Africa. Durban International Airport, however, does not handle as much traffic as Cape Town International Airport. Moreover, Durban does not function as either a provincial or national capital as Cape Town does, and is not as economically strong as Cape Town. Problems have always existed with proclaiming South Africa's second city because there is a problem of defining the first city. With three capital cities, none of which are Johannesburg, the largest and economically strongest city, Pretoria (the de facto capital city) is sometimes included as both a first and second city. However Johannesburg is normally put as 'first city' because it is the most populous and Cape Town is often internationally counted as the 'second city' because of its history as the country's original European settlement and its large economic output.
South Korea
In South Korea, Busan Metropolitan city, with slightly over 3.6 million population, is the second largest city in the nation.
Spain
Barcelona is a major economic center with one of Europe's principal Mediterranean ports, and Barcelona International Airport is the second largest in Spain (handles about 30 million passengers per year) after Madrid.
Ecuador
Quito is the most important city in Ecuador, despite the fact that this city is less populated than Guayaquil, this city has a larger urban area and also the largest airport in Ecuador. It produces around 50% of Ecuadorian rents as well.

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