What Were the Largest Cities In the World In Population 1,000 Years Ago and How Many People Lived In Japan?

The world in the year 1000 was much smaller and quite different from the world today.

The list below shows the world’s biggest cities, and their estimated populations, at that time:

Cordova, Spain 450,000

Kaifeng, China 400,000

Constantinople (Istanbul), Turkey 300,000

Angkor, Cambodia 200,000

Kyoto, Japan 175,000

Cairo, Egypt 135,000

Baghdad, Iraq 125,000

Nishapur (Neyshabur) Iran 125,000

Al-Hasa, Saudi Arabia 100,000

Patan (Anhilwara), India 100,000

The first trace of human presence in Cordova, Spain are remains of a Neanderthal Man, dating to 32,000 BC.

Cordova was conquered by the Romans in 206 BC, and the city declined especially after Renaissance times.