The term metropolis derives from the Latin language “metropolis” and is applied to define the city of greatest relevance in a specific region, the importance of said city will be influenced by different elements such as its size, the political relevance it has, the level of of economy that it presents, among other things. Another application of this word is to define an entity on which the regions or colonies belonging to said entity depend. On the other hand, in the religious sphere, a metropolis is called an ecclesiastical enclosure on which other churches depend.
In ancient times in Greece the word metropolis was used to define those cities from which other colonies would arise, these cities had great power to influence with regard to the political sphere of the entities under their charge, in addition to being the main religious, economic, cultural and societal foci of the region. Later, during the time of the Roman Empire, there were several entities that received the name of metropolis, alluding to the use it was given in Greece. Currently the term is not strictly limited to defining a single thing, since it can be used to refer to cities of global influenceHowever, it can be used to define cities with a fairly marked influence on a specific region, according to some definitions the population of a city considered as a metropolis can range between 2 and 9 million inhabitants, since if it exceeds this figure, to be called a megalopolis.
In most countries, metropolises are those cities that concentrate a fairly relevant level of importance in terms of economy, culture and population, in addition to being the main axis from where the main connections with the international sphere are managed, that is, which serves as the headquarters of the main ports and airports that are used to transport people and goods from said country to the interior of it and even to other nations. Sometimes the metropolises are also the headquarters from where political power functions, that is, from there the main decisions that affect the country's development are made.
