title: Kevin De Bruyne

text: De Bruyne began his career at Genk, where he was a regular player when they won the 2010–11 Belgian Pro League. In 2012 he joined English club Chelsea, where he was used sparingly and then loaned to Werder Bremen. He signed with Wolfsburg for £18 million in 2014, where he established himself as one of the best players in the Bundesliga and was integral in the club's 2014–15 DFB-Pokal win. In the summer of 2015 De Bruyne joined Manchester City for a club record £54 million. He has since won four Premier League titles, five League Cups and an FA Cup with the club. In 2017–18 he had a significant role in Manchester City's record in becoming the only Premier League team to attain 100 points in a single season. In 2019–20, De Bruyne equalled the record for most assists in a Premier League season and was awarded Player of the Season (which he won again in 2021–22).


title: Kevin De Bruyne

text: De Bruyne made his full international debut in 2010, and he has since earned over 90 caps and scored 25 goals for Belgium. He was a member of the Belgian squads that reached the quarter-finals both at the 2014 FIFA World Cup and at UEFA Euro 2016. He represented Belgium at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, where Belgium won the third place play-off match against England, and was named in the FIFA World Cup Dream Team.


title: Kevin De Bruyne

text: De Bruyne has been named in the UEFA Champions League Squad of the Season five times, the IFFHS Men's World Team four times, the UEFA Team of the Year and the ESM Team of the Year three times each, the "France Football" World XI, and the Bundesliga Team of the Year. He has also won the Premier League Playmaker of the Season twice, the PFA Players' Player of the Year twice, Manchester City's Player of the Year four times, the UEFA Champions League Midfielder of the Season, the Bundesliga Player of the Year, the Footballer of the Year (Germany), the Belgian Sportsman of the Year and the IFFHS World's Best Playmaker twice.


title: Kevin De Bruyne

text: De Bruyne began his career with hometown club KVV Drongen in 1997. Two years later, he joined Gent and moved to Genk in 2005. De Bruyne continued his development in their youth set-up and was rewarded for his progress by being promoted to the first team squad in 2008. From an Interview with his youth club, it was revealed that De Bruyne was a Liverpool fan and admirer of Michael Owen.


title: Kevin De Bruyne

text: De Bruyne made his first team debut for Genk in a 3–0 defeat at Charleroi on 9 May 2009. Having established himself in the team the following season, on 7 February 2010, De Bruyne scored his first goal for the club, which secured all three points for Genk in a 1–0 win against Standard Liège. He scored five goals and made 16 assists in 32 league matches during the 2010–11 season as Genk were crowned Belgian champions for the third time. On 29 October 2011, De Bruyne scored his first hat-trick for Genk against Club Brugge, which ended in a 5–4 win for Genk. On 28 January 2012, De Bruyne scored a brace against OH Leuven in a 5–0 win. On 18 February 2012, De Bruyne scored his first goal back at Genk following his agreed transfer to Chelsea and also assisted the other goal in a 1–2 away win against Mons. De Bruyne ended the season by wrapping up the scoring in a 3–1 victory over Gent. He finished the league campaign with eight goals from 28 appearances.


title: Kevin De Bruyne

text: On 31 January 2012, on the winter transfer deadline day, Premier League club Chelsea and Genk announced the permanent signing of De Bruyne, with the fee rumoured to be in the region of £7 million. He signed a five-and-a-half-year contract at Stamford Bridge, but would stay at Genk for the remainder of the 2011–12 season. De Bruyne told the club website, "To come to a team like Chelsea is a dream but now I have to work hard to achieve the level that's necessary." On 18 July 2012, De Bruyne made his debut for Chelsea in a friendly match against Major League Soccer (MLS) side Seattle Sounders FC in a 4–2 win. De Bruyne also played the first half against Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain at Yankee Stadium, New York City.


title: Kevin De Bruyne

text: On 31 July 2012, Chelsea announced that De Bruyne was to join Werder Bremen in the Bundesliga on a season-long loan deal. He scored his first goal for Bremen in a 3–2 defeat to Hannover 96 on 15 September, netting from 11 yards out after being played in by Eljero Elia. He continued his good form, scoring in Bremen's next game, a 2–2 draw with VfB Stuttgart, on 23 September. De Bruyne got back on the score sheet on 18 November, scoring the winning goal — despite his team being down to 10 men — as Bremen came from a goal down to defeat Fortuna Düsseldorf 2–1.


title: Kevin De Bruyne

text: De Bruyne scored his first goal in over two months on 4 May 2013, since netting a consolation goal in Bayern Munich's 6–1 hammering of Bremen, putting his side up 2–0 at home to TSG 1899 Hoffenheim before a late brace from Sven Schipplock meant that the game finished 2–2. He followed this up with a goal in Bremen's next match, securing a place in the Bundesliga for the next season with a 1–1 draw against Eintracht Frankfurt on 11 May.


title: Kevin De Bruyne

text: After a successful loan spell in the Bundesliga with Werder Bremen, De Bruyne was linked with a move to stay in Germany with either Borussia Dortmund or Bayer Leverkusen. Incoming manager José Mourinho, however, assured De Bruyne he was a part of Chelsea's plan for the future, and the player officially returned to Chelsea on 1 July 2013.


title: Kevin De Bruyne

text: De Bruyne injured a knee while scoring his first goal for Chelsea, in a pre-season friendly game against a Malaysia XI, but was fit to make his competitive debut on the opening day of the 2013–14 Premier League season against Hull City, and made an assist for the first goal in a 2–0 win.


title: Kevin De Bruyne

text: On 18 January 2014, Wolfsburg signed De Bruyne for a fee of £18 million (€22 million). On 25 January 2014, he made his debut for Wolfsburg in a 3–1 home loss against Hannover 96. On 12 April 2014, De Bruyne assisted 2 goals in their 4–1 home win against 1. FC Nürnberg. After a week he scored his first goal for Wolfsburg in 3–1 away win against Hamburger SV. He also scored in the last two matches of the Bundesliga helping his team to win against VfB Stuttgart and Borussia Mönchengladbach.


title: Kevin De Bruyne

text: De Bruyne scored his first goal of the 2014–15 season on 2 October 2014, volleying in a clearance from outside the box to salvage a 1–1 draw against Lille in the Europa League. In the third group match away to Krasnodar on 23 October, De Bruyne scored twice as Wolfsburg secured their first win in the competition with a 4–2 victory. On 30 January 2015, he scored another brace in a 4–1 home win against Bayern Munich, their first Bundesliga defeat since April 2014. On 1 March 2015, De Bruyne assisted three goals in a 5–3 win over his former club Werder Bremen.


title: Kevin De Bruyne

text: On 12 March 2015, De Bruyne scored two goals in a 3–1 first leg Europa League round of 16 victory over Internazionale. On 15 March 2015, he scored one goal and assisted another two in 3–0 victory over SC Freiburg.


title: Kevin De Bruyne

text: De Bruyne ended the league season with 10 goals and 21 assists, the latter a new Bundesliga record, as Wolfsburg finished second in the Bundesliga and qualified for the 2015–16 UEFA Champions League. On 30 May 2015, he started and scored in the 2015 DFB-Pokal Final as "Die Wölfe" defeated Borussia Dortmund 3–1 at the Olympiastadion in Berlin.


title: Kevin De Bruyne

text: De Bruyne ended his breakout season with 16 goals and 27 assists in all competitions, and was named the 2015 Germany Footballer of the Year.


title: Kevin De Bruyne

text: De Bruyne began the season by winning the 2015 DFL-Supercup against Bayern Munich, providing the cross for Nicklas Bendtner's 89th-minute equaliser for a 1–1 draw and then scoring in the subsequent penalty shootout. On 8 August 2015, he continued his good form by scoring his first goal of the season, and providing two assists in a 4–1 win at Stuttgarter Kickers in the first round of the DFB-Pokal.


title: Kevin De Bruyne

text: In August, in the midst of transfer speculation, De Bruyne said that he would not force Wolfsburg to sell him, but also said that he could not ignore interest from Manchester City, saying: "If an offer does come, I will hear about it and how much it is, but I have not yet heard anything... I would not go to England just to prove that I can play there. I do not have to go to England... If I go there it's because for me and for my family it is a good choice. That's the key for me."


title: Kevin De Bruyne

text: On 10 August, it was reported that Manchester City had made a second bid for De Bruyne worth £47 million. Wolfsburg sporting director, Klaus Allofs, said the club would fight to keep him, saying "I think some other clubs have definitely turned Kevin’s head... Some huge figures are doing the rounds and I can understand why Kevin is leaving everything open." On 27 August, it was reported that City had made a further bid for De Bruyne worth £58 million. Klaus Allofs said that City had made an "astonishing" wage offer to De Bruyne.


title: Kevin De Bruyne

text: On 30 August 2015, Manchester City announced the arrival of De Bruyne on a six-year contract, for a reported club-record fee of £55 million (€75 million), making him the second most expensive transfer in British football history after Ángel Di María's move to Manchester United in 2014. He made his debut for the team in the Premier League on 12 September against Crystal Palace, replacing the injured Sergio Agüero in the 25th minute. On 19 September, he scored his first goal for the club against West Ham United in first half stoppage time in an eventual 2–1 loss. He went on to score in a 4–1 League Cup win against Sunderland, on 22 September and a 4–1 loss to Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League on 26 September. On 3 October, he scored in the team's 6–1 win against Newcastle United.


title: Kevin De Bruyne

text: On 2 October, De Bruyne was announced as one of the players on the longlist for the prestigious FIFA Ballon d'Or award, alongside teammates Agüero and Yaya Touré. Just 18 days later, on 20 October he was revealed by FIFA as one of the players on the 23-man shortlist for the Ballon d'Or. On 21 October, De Bruyne scored an injury-time winner against Sevilla in the UEFA Champions League, to take City within one point of group leaders Juventus, with three games remaining. On 1 December, he scored a brace in a 4–1 win over Hull City to send Manchester City through to the semi-finals of the Football League Cup.


title: Kevin De Bruyne

text: On 27 January 2016, De Bruyne scored a goal in a League Cup semi-final 3–1 victory over Everton, but sustained an injury to his right knee that would keep him out of the team for two months. On 2 April, De Bruyne made his return from injury in a 4–0 win against Bournemouth at Dean Court, scoring the team's second goal in the twelfth minute. Four days later, he scored the opening goal in a 2–2 draw with Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Champions League quarter-final first-leg at the Parc des Princes. On 12 April, De Bruyne scored the winning goal against Paris Saint-Germain, advancing Manchester City to the Champions League semi-finals, for the first time in the club's history, on an aggregate score of 3–2. Writing in "The Independent", Mark Ogden said, "It was a stunning goal from the Belgian, who took a touch to control the ball before curling it beyond Kevin Trapp from the edge of the penalty area." De Bruyne's next goal came on 8 May 2016 in a 2–2 draw with Arsenal, although the result left City's Champions League qualification hopes out of their own hands.


title: Kevin De Bruyne

text: On 10 September 2016, De Bruyne scored and assisted in the first Manchester derby of the season which City won 2–1 and was awarded the "Man of the Match". On 17 September 2016, De Bruyne was awarded the "Man of the Match", in a 4–0 win over Bournemouth. De Bruyne scored the first, assisted the fourth, and provided key passes on both the second and third goals. After the international break, Manchester City drew their next game, against Everton, played on 15 October 2016 with the scoreline finishing at 1–1. Agüero and De Bruyne both missed their penalties while Nolito came off the bench to equalise for City. On 1 November, De Bruyne scored from a free kick in the team's 3–1 win over FC Barcelona. On 21 January 2017, De Bruyne was involved in both of City's goals, as he netted once himself and also assisted Leroy Sané's, in a 2–2 home draw with Tottenham Hotspur; he was subsequently named man of the match. On 19 March 2017, De Bruyne displayed an excellent performance in a 1–1 draw against Liverpool at the Etihad Stadium, where he set up a goal for Agüero.


title: Kevin De Bruyne

text: De Bruyne set up both Agüero's and Gabriel Jesus' goals, on 9 September 2017, in a 5–0 home victory over Liverpool. On 16 September, De Bruyne assisted Agüero for his first goal in an eventual 6–0 win over Watford. On 26 September, De Bruyne scored his first goal of the 2017–18 season in a 2–0 win over Shakhtar Donetsk. On 30 September 2017, he scored his first goal of the 2017–18 Premier League season, as City beat his former club Chelsea with a 1–0 scoreline at Stamford Bridge. On 14 October, De Bruyne provided two assists in a 7–2 win over Stoke City. On 5 November, De Bruyne scored in a 3–1 win over Arsenal. On 18 November, he scored in a 2–0 away win over Leicester City. On 29 November, he scored City's opener and assisted Raheem Sterling's last-minute winner in a 2–1 win over Southampton.


title: Kevin De Bruyne

text: On 13 December, De Bruyne scored in a 4–0 away win over Swansea City, which extended their record run of consecutive top-flight wins to 15 games. On 16 December, he scored in a 4–1 win over Tottenham Hotspur, with Pep Guardiola saying that De Bruyne is "helping the club become a better institution". On 27 December, De Bruyne provided an assist for Sterling's goal in a 1–0 win over Newcastle United. On 9 January, De Bruyne scored in a 2–1 win over Bristol City in the first leg of the semi-finals of the EFL Cup. On 20 January, he provided an assist for Agüero's first goal of the game (who scored a hat-trick in the game), in a 3–1 win over Newcastle United.


title: Kevin De Bruyne

text: On 22 January 2018, De Bruyne signed a new long-term contract with the club, keeping him at the club until 2023. On 23 January, he scored the winning goal in a 3–2 win over Bristol City in the EFL Cup semi-final second leg, which helped City advance to the final, having won the tie by an aggregate scoreline of 5–3. On 31 January, he scored and assisted in a 3–0 win over West Bromwich Albion, and was voted BBC "Man of the Match". On 10 February, he provided three assists, two for Agüero and one for Raheem Sterling, in a 5–1 win over Leicester City, taking his assists tally to 14. On 25 February, he started in the 2018 EFL Cup Final against Arsenal, and played the whole 90 minutes, with Manchester City winning 3–0 to obtain their first piece of silverware of the 2017–18 season, and their first trophy overall under Pep Guardiola.


title: Kevin De Bruyne

text: On 31 March 2018, he provided an assist for Gabriel Jesus in a 3–1 win over Everton, ensuring that City would require only one more win to secure the Premier League title. On 22 April, he scored in a 5–0 win over Swansea City. On 13 May, on the final day of the season, De Bruyne assisted Gabriel Jesus' winning goal in a 1–0 win over Southampton, which took champions City's total points tally to 100. De Bruyne was also voted as BBC "Man of the Match". For his 16 assists registered across the league season, De Bruyne won the inaugural Premier League Playmaker of the Season award. He was also selected in the PFA Team of the Year, and was also voted as Manchester City Player of the Season.


title: Kevin De Bruyne

text: On 15 August 2018, De Bruyne suffered a knee injury during a training session, with several news websites reporting that he could potentially not play for up to three months. Two days later, Manchester City confirmed that he had suffered a lesion of the lateral collateral ligament in his right knee, with no surgery required, and that he was expected to not play for three months. Soon after De Bruyne returned to action in October 2018, he once again suffered a knee ligament injury in the fourth round of the EFL Cup against Fulham. The injury was expected to keep him out for 5–6 weeks but he resumed full training much earlier than expected after only 3 weeks out. He came on as substitute in the FA Cup final against Watford, scoring the third goal and assisting two more, as City won the first-ever domestic treble in English men's football. His performances meant he was named "Man of the Match".


title: Kevin De Bruyne

text: On 30 November 2019, De Bruyne scored a half-volley in a 2–2 draw against Newcastle in the league, that strike was later voted as Premier League Goal of the Month for November. On 15 December 2019, he scored a brace in a 3–0 Premier League win over Arsenal at the Emirates.


title: Kevin De Bruyne

text: De Bruyne scored his 50th City goal in all competitions on 26 February 2020 in their 2–1 victory, coming from behind, over Real Madrid in their Champions League Round of 16 clash.


title: Kevin De Bruyne

text: In the final Premier League match of the season, City beat Norwich City 5–0 at home. De Bruyne scored two goals and registered his 20th league assist, which equalled Thierry Henry's record for the most assists in a season, and also won his second Playmaker of the Season award. In addition he became the first player in history to reach 20 assists in a single season in two of Europe's top five leagues. His long range curler in that game also won him Premier League Goal of the Month for the second time in the season.


title: Kevin De Bruyne

text: At the end of the season he was awarded the Premier League Player of the Season after scoring 13 goals, providing 20 assists and creating 104 chances from open play, the most for a player in any of Europe's top five leagues since 2006.


title: Kevin De Bruyne

text: He was also named in the PFA Team of the Year and won the PFA Player of the Year award, becoming the first ever Manchester City player to win it.


title: Kevin De Bruyne

text: On 21 September 2020, De Bruyne scored and assisted in a 3–1 away win over Wolverhampton Wanderers in City's first game of the season. With the crucial visit of the Premier League champions, Liverpool, De Bruyne assisted Gabriel Jesus' equalizer before winning a penalty, which he subsequently fired wide. The game ended in a 1–1 draw. On 7 April, De Bruyne signed a four-year contract after negotiating it with help of statistical data to make case for a 30% pay increase.


title: Kevin De Bruyne

text: On 25 April 2021, De Bruyne's free-kick was headed into the goal by Aymeric Laporte, allowing City to win 1–0 against Tottenham Hotspur in the EFL Cup Final at Wembley Stadium. On 28 April, he scored a goal in a 2–1 away win over Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League semi-finals. On 29 May, De Bruyne had a head injury after colliding with Antonio Rüdiger in the second half of the Champions League Final, to be substituted by Gabriel Jesus; however, his team lost 1–0 against his former club Chelsea. Medical scans after the game revealed De Bruyne to have suffered acute nose bone and left orbital fractures, placing doubt on his participation in the rescheduled UEFA Euro 2020 tournament.


title: Kevin De Bruyne

text: On 11 May 2022, De Bruyne scored four goals inside 24 minutes in City's 5–1 win at Wolverhampton Wanderers, his first hat-trick with the club and the third-quickest in Premier League history. Sky Sports commentator Andy Hinchcliffe described the feat as "Twenty-three minutes of footballing genius" and Jeremy Wilson, writing in "The Daily Telegraph", said "De Bruyne's 'wrong-footed' hat-trick was one of the best displays in Premier League history". De Bruyne was again bestowed with the Premier League Player of the Season award, becoming the fourth player to win the award more than once. He also went on to win Manchester City's Player of the Year award for the fourth time. As a result, he tied Richard Dunne for the most player of the year awards at the club.


title: Kevin De Bruyne

text: De Bruyne was capped by Belgium at under-18, under-19, and under-21 level. He made his debut for the Belgian senior team on 11 August 2010 in an international friendly against Finland in Turku; the game ended in a 1–0 loss for Belgium. Before making his full debut for Belgium's senior side, De Bruyne was eligible to play for Burundi, his mother's birthplace.


title: Kevin De Bruyne

text: De Bruyne became a regular member of Belgium's team during the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign, where he scored four goals as the Red Devils qualified for their first major tournament in 12 years.


title: Kevin De Bruyne

text: On 13 May 2014, he was named in Belgium's squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. In their first game of the tournament, against Algeria in Belo Horizonte, De Bruyne assisted Marouane Fellaini's equaliser and was named man of the match by FIFA. In the round of 16, De Bruyne scored Belgium's opening goal in the third minute of extra time as they defeated the United States 2–1.


title: Kevin De Bruyne

text: On 10 October 2014, De Bruyne scored twice in a 6–0 rout of Andorra in UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying, equaling the team's record victory in a European qualifier set in 1986. On 3 September 2015, De Bruyne scored in a 3–1 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina. On 10 October 2015, De Bruyne scored in a 4–1 win over Andorra, which secured Belgium's place at the UEFA Euro 2016 finals. Three days later, he scored in a 3–1 win over Israel, securing Belgium top-spot in the group.


title: Kevin De Bruyne

text: On 31 May 2016, De Bruyne was selected for Belgium's final 23-man squad for UEFA Euro 2016. On 18 June 2016, De Bruyne was praised for his performance in Belgium's 3–0 win over the Republic of Ireland. On 26 June 2016, De Bruyne was voted BBC "Man of the Match" for his performance in a 4–0 win over Hungary in the round of 16, where he provided two assists.


title: Kevin De Bruyne

text: De Bruyne was selected for Belgium's final 23-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. On 18 June, in the opening game against debutants Panama, De Bruyne provided an assist for Romelu Lukaku in an eventual 3–0 win. On 6 July, he scored the second goal of the match in a 2–1 quarter-final victory over Brazil and was named the man of the match. In the semi-finals, Belgium were defeated 1–0 by eventual champions France. On 14 July, Belgium defeated England 2–0 in the third-place play-off.


title: Kevin De Bruyne

text: On 17 June 2021, De Bruyne scored his first and the winning goal in Belgium's second match of UEFA Euro 2020, a 2–1 win over Denmark, having earlier in the game assisted the team's first goal. During the round of 16 clash with Portugal, De Bruyne suffered an ankle injury from a tackle from behind, by Portugal's Joao Palhinha. On 2 July Belgium manager Roberto Martinez said that De Bruyne could recover in time for the quarter-final match, later that day, despite not training all week and he was later confirmed in the starting line-up.


title: Kevin De Bruyne

text: De Bruyne is widely regarded as one of the best players in the world and he has often been described as a "complete" footballer. Considered to be a versatile and highly talented player in the media, he plays mainly as a central or an attacking midfielder but can also operate in several other positions and has been used as a winger or second striker. He has even been deployed in a deeper creative midfield position and on occasion, a box-to-box role or as a false 9. He is often described by pundits as one of the best and most complete modern day advanced playmakers due to his technique, skill, athleticism, work-rate off the ball, vision, crossing accuracy, wide range of passing, and powerful long-range shooting ability with either foot.


title: Kevin De Bruyne

text: Although he is not blessed with significant physical strength, pace, or ability in the air, he is a quick and elegant player on the ball with good dribbling skills, while his positional sense, tactical intelligence, movement, direct style of play and ability to run at defences when in possession also enable him to take advantage of spaces in the opposition's defence and subsequently create chances and goalscoring opportunities for himself or his teammates, making him a dangerous offensive threat on counter-attacks. In addition to his creative abilities, he is also capable of scoring goals by making late runs off the ball from behind into the penalty area and is an accurate set-piece taker. De Bruyne was ranked the fourth-best footballer in the world by "The Guardian" in 2017 and the twelfth-best in 2019. In 2020, his Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola described him as the best midfielder in the world.


title: Kevin De Bruyne

text: De Bruyne's mother is Belgian, born in Burundi and has also lived in the Ivory Coast. Drongen, his hometown, is a sub municipality of the city of Ghent, in Flanders, the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium. Aside from his mother tongue Dutch, De Bruyne also speaks French, English, and German. Since 2014 De Bruyne has been in a relationship with Michèle Lacroix. The couple married in June 2017, and have three children together.


title: Kevin De Bruyne

text: His autobiography, titled "Keep It Simple", was published by Borgerhoff & Lamberigts in October 2014, following an incident between De Bruyne and his compatriot Thibaut Courtois, in which De Bruyne's then-girlfriend left him for Courtois. De Bruyne wrote in his autobiography, "Although I still can not believe what Courtois has done, we continue to work together professionally."


title: Kevin De Bruyne

text: De Bruyne was an ambassador for the 2014 Special Olympics, which took place in Antwerp, and was involved in a controversial advertisement campaign, via his personal Instagram account. Employing the slogan (in Dutch): "Would you still be my fan if I looked like this?", De Bruyne was depicted resembling a person with Down syndrome.


title: Urban area

text: An urban area, built-up area or urban agglomeration is a human settlement with a high population density and infrastructure of built environment. Urban areas are created through urbanization and are categorized by urban morphology as cities, towns, conurbations or suburbs. In urbanism, the term contrasts to rural areas such as villages and hamlets; in urban sociology or urban anthropology it contrasts with natural environment. The creation of earlier predecessors of urban areas during the urban revolution led to the creation of human civilization with modern urban planning, which along with other human activities such as exploitation of natural resources led to a human impact on the environment. "Agglomeration effects" are in the list of the main consequences of increased rates of firm creation since. This is due to conditions created by a greater level of industrial activity in a given region. However, a favorable environment for human capital development would also be generated simultaneously.


title: Urban area

text: In 1950, around the world, 764 million people lived in urban areas. By 2014, it was 3.9 billion. The change was driven by a combination of increased total population and increased percent of population living in urban areas. In 2009, the number of people living in urban areas (3.42 billion) surpassed the number living in rural areas (3.41 billion), and since then the world has become more urban than rural. This was the first time that the majority of the world's population lived in a city. In 2014 there were 7.3 billion people living on the planet, of which the global urban population comprised 3.9 billion. The Population Division of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs at that time predicted the urban population would occupy 68% of the world population by 2050, with 90% of that growth coming from Africa and Asia.


title: Urban area

text: Urban areas are created and further developed by the process of urbanization. They are measured for various purposes, including analyzing population density and urban sprawl. Urban areas are also mostly found in the United States, Canada, Brazil, Argentina, Japan and Australia and many other countries where the urbanization rate is over 80%.


title: Urban area

text: Unlike an urban area, a metropolitan area includes not only the urban area, but also satellite cities plus intervening rural land that is socio-economically connected to the urban core city, typically by employment ties through commuting, with the urban core city being the primary labor market.


title: Urban area

text: The concept of an "urban area" as used in economic statistics should not be confused with the concept of the "urban area" used in road safety statistics. This term was first created by Geographer Brian Manning. The last concept is also known as "built-up area in road safety". According to the definition by the Office for National Statistics, "Built-up areas are defined as land which is 'irreversibly urban in character', meaning that they are characteristic of a town or city. They include areas of built-up land with a minimum of . Any areas [separated by] less than 200 metres [of non-urban space] are linked to become a single built-up area.


title: Urban area

text: Argentina and Japan are countries where the urbanization rate is over 90% while Australia, Brazil, Canada, Mexico and the United States are countries where the urbanization rate is between 80% and 90%.


title: Urban area

text: 15.370 million BUENOS AIRES (capital) ; 1.598 million Cordoba ; 1.574 million Rosario ; 1.209 million Mendoza ; 1.014 million San Miguel de Tucuman ; 904,000 La Plata (2022)


title: Urban area

text: 5.259 million Sydney ; 4,976 million Melbourne ; 2.568 million Brisbane ; 2.093 million Perth ; 1.356 million Adelaide ; 467,000 CANBERRA (capital) (2022)


title: Urban area

text: 22.478 million DHAKA (capital) ; 5.253 million Chittagong ; 950,000 Khulna ; 942,000 Rajshahi ; 928,000 Sylhet ; Bogra 864,000 (2022); Narayanganj:294,8000


title: Urban area

text: 285,000 PORTO-NOVO (capital) (2018) ; 1.189 million Abomey-Calavi ; 709,000 COTONOU (seat of government) (2022)


title: Urban area

text: 1.908 million LA PAZ (capital) ; 1.784 million Santa Cruz ; 1.369 million Cochabamba ; 278,000 Sucre (constitutional capital) (2022)


title: Urban area

text: 22.430 million Sao Paulo ; 13.634 million Rio de Janeiro ; 6.194 million Belo Horizonte ; 4.804 million BRASILIA (capital) ; 4.220 million Recife ; 4.185 million Porto Alegre (2022)


title: Urban area

text: 6.313 million Toronto ; 4.277 million Montreal ; 2.632 million Vancouver ; 1.611 million Calgary ; 1.519 million Edmonton ; 1.423 million OTTAWA (capital) (2022)


title: Urban area

text: 28.517 million Shanghai ; 20.133 million BEIJING (capital) ; 16.875 million Chongqing ; 14.012 million Tianjin ; 13.965 million Guangzhou ; 12.831 million Shenzhen (2022)


title: Urban area

text: 11.344 million BOGOTA (capital) ; 4.068 million Medellin ; 2.837 million Cali ; 2.325 million Barranquilla ; 1.366 million Bucaramanga ; 1.079 million Cartagena (2022)


title: Urban area

text: 15.628 million KINSHASA (capital) ; 2.765 million Mbuji-Mayi ; 2.695 million Lubumbashi ; 1.593 million Kananga ; 1.366 million Kisangani ; 1.190 million Bukavu (2022)


title: Urban area

text: 11.142 million PARIS (capital) ; 1.748 million Lyon ; 1.620 million Marseille-Aix-en-Provence ; 1.073 million Lille ; 1.049 million Toulouse ; 991,000 Bordeaux (2022)


title: Urban area

text: 3.571 million BERLIN (capital) ; 1.788 million Hamburg ; 1.566 million Munich ; 1.137 million Cologne ; 800,376 Nuremberg; 791,000 Frankfurt (2022)


title: Urban area

text: 32.066 million NEW DELHI (capital) ; 20.961 million Mumbai ; 15.134 million Kolkata ; 13.193 million Bangalore ; 11.503 million Chennai ; 10.534 million Hyderabad (2022)


title: Urban area

text: 11.075 million JAKARTA (capital) ; 3.622 million Bekasi ; 3.005 million Surabaya ; 2.942 million Depok ; 2.638 million Bandung ; 2.456 million Tangerang (2022)


title: Urban area

text: 9.382 million TEHRAN (capital) ; 3.318 million Mashhad ; 2.219 million Esfahan ; 1.699 million Shiraz ; 1.644 million Tabriz ; 1.587 million Karaj (2022)


title: Urban area

text: 7.512 million BAGHDAD (capital) ; 1.737 million Mosul ; 1.414 million Basra ; 1.052 million Kirkuk ; 930,000 Najaf ; 878,000 Erbil (2022)


title: Urban area

text: 4.298 million ROME (capital) ; 3.149 million Milan ; 2.180 million Naples ; 1.798 million Turin ; 907,000 Bergamo ; 850,000 Palermo (2022)


title: Urban area

text: 37.274 million TOKYO (capital) ; 19.060 million Osaka ; 9.572 million Nagoya ; 5.503 million Kitakyushu-Fukuoka ; 2.935 million Shizuoka-Hamamatsu ; 2.669 million Sapporo (2022)


title: Urban area

text: 9.976 million SEOUL (capital) ; 3.468 million Busan ; 2.834 million Incheon ; 2.185 million Daegu (Taegu) ; 1.573 million Daejon (Taejon) ; 1.526 million Gwangju (Kwangju) (2022)


title: Urban area

text: 7.860 million KUALA LUMPUR (capital) ; 1.815 million Johor Bahru ; 1.470 million Penang ; 785,000 Ipoh ; 755,000 Kuching ; 605,000 Seremban (2019)


title: Urban area

text: 22.085 million MEXICO CITY (capital) ; 5.340 million Guadalajara ; 5.037 million Monterrey ; 3.295 million Puebla ; 2.576 million Toluca de Lerdo ; 2.221 million Tijuana (2022)


title: Urban area

text: 3.840 million Casablanca ; 1.932 million RABAT (capital) ; 1.267 million Fes ; 1.238 million Tangier ; 1.277 million Marrakech, 960,000 Agadir (2022)


title: Urban area

text: 15.388 million Lagos ; 4.219 million Kano ; 3.756 million Ibadan ; 3.652 million ABUJA (capital) ; 3.325 million Port Harcourt ; 1.841 million Benin City (2022)


title: Urban area

text: 16.840 million Karachi ; 13.542 million Lahore ; 3.625 million Faisalabad ; 2.353 million Gujranwala ; 2.343 million Peshawar ; 1.198 million ISLAMABAD (capital) (2022)


title: Urban area

text: 10.004 million LIMA (capital) ; 1.226 million Arequipa ; Callao 1.172 million ; 1.163 million Trujillo ; 929,055 Piura ; 605,300 Chiclayo (2022)


title: Urban area

text: 13.484 million MANILA (capital) ; 3.339 million Metro Davao ; 3.165 million Metro Cebu ; 1.687 Metro Cagayan de Oro


title: Urban area

text: 12.641 million MOSCOW (capital) ; 5.536 million Saint Petersburg ; 1.686 million Novosibirsk ; 1.521 million Yekaterinburg ; 1.286 million Kazan ; 1.253 million Nizhniy Novgorod (2022)


title: Urban area

text: 7.538 million RIYADH (capital) ; 4.781 million Jeddah ; 2.115 million Mecca ; 1.545 million Medina ; 1.305 million Ad Dammam ; 860,000 million Hufuf-Mubarraz (2022)


title: Urban area

text: 10.110 million Johannesburg (includes Ekurhuleni) ; 4.801 million Cape Town (legislative capital) ; 3.199 million Durban ; 2.74 million PRETORIA (administrative capital) ; 1.281 million Port Elizabeth ; 909,000 West Rand (2022)


title: Urban area

text: 4.471 million New Taipei City ; 2.821 million Taichung ; 2.770 million Kaohsiung ; 2.742 million TAIPEI (capital) ; 2.296 million Taoyuan ; 863,000 Tainan (2022)


title: Urban area

text: 7.405 million DAR ES SALAAM (administrative capital) ; 1.245 million Mwanza ; 766,000 Zanzibar ; 262,000 Dodoma (legislative capital) (2022)


title: Urban area

text: 10.700 million BANGKOK (capital) ; 1.198 million Chiang Mai ; 500,000 Nakhon Ratchasima ; 420,000 Khon Kaen ; 410,000 Udon Thani (2022)


title: Urban area

text: 15.636 million Istanbul ; 5.310 million ANKARA (capital) ; 3.056 million Izmir ; 2.055 million Bursa ; 1.814 million Adana ; 1.773 million Gaziantep (2022)


title: Urban area

text: 3.010 million KYIV (capital) ; 1.423 million Kharkiv ; 1.008 million Odesa ; 952,000 Dnipro ; 893,000 Donetsk (2022)


title: Urban area

text: 9.426 million LONDON (capital) ; 2.750 million Manchester ; 2.626 million Birmingham ; 1.902 million West Yorkshire ; 1.681 million Glasgow ; 944,000 Southampton/Portsmouth (2022)


title: Urban area

text: 18.867 million New York - Newark ; 12.488 million Los Angeles - Long Beach - Santa Ana ; 8.901 million Chicago ; 6.603 million Houston ; 6.488 million Dallas - Fort Worth ; 5.434 million WASHINGTON, D.C. (capital) (2022)


title: Urban area

text: 2.957 million CARACAS (capital) ; 2.333 million Maracaibo ; 1.959 million Valencia ; 1.241 million Barquisimeto ; 1.230 million Maracay ; 950,000 Ciudad Guayana (2022)


title: Urban area

text: 9.077 million Ho Chi Minh City ; 5.067 million HANOI (capital) ; 1.786 million Can Tho ; 1.382 million Hai Phong ; 1.188 million Da Nang ; 1.078 million Bien Hoa (2022)


title: Urban area

text: This is the list of countries where the urbanization rate is at least 80%. Japan and the United States are included in the list and are among other very highly urbanized countries.


title: Urban area

text: European countries define urbanized areas on the basis of urban-type land use, not allowing any gaps of typically more than , and use satellite imagery instead of census blocks to determine the boundaries of the urban area. In less-developed countries, in addition to land use and density requirements, a requirement that a large majority of the population, typically 75%, is not engaged in agriculture and/or fishing is sometimes used.


title: Urban area

text: Since 2000, China's cities have expanded at an average rate of 10% annually. It is estimated that China's urban population will increase by 292 million people by 2050, when its cities will house a combined population of over one billion. The country's urbanization rate increased from 17.4% to 46.6% between 1978 and 2009. Between 150 and 200 million migrant workers work part-time in the major cities, returning home to the countryside periodically with their earnings.


title: Urban area

text: Today, China has more cities with one million or more long-term residents than any other country, including the three global cities of Beijing, Hong Kong, and Shanghai; by 2025, the country will be home to 221 cities with over a million inhabitants. The figures in the table below are from the 2008 census, and are only estimates of the urban populations within administrative city limits; a different ranking exists when considering the total municipal populations (which includes suburban and rural populations). The large "floating populations" of migrant workers make conducting censuses in urban areas difficult; the figures below include only long-term residents.


title: Urban area

text: In Japan, urbanized areas are defined as contiguous areas of densely inhabited districts (DIDs) using census enumeration districts as units with a density requirement of .


title: Urban area

text: For the Census of India 2011, the definition of urban area is a place having a minimum population of 5,000 of density or higher, and 75% plus of the male working population employed in non-agricultural activities. Places administered by a municipal corporation, cantonment board or notified town area committee are automatically considered urban areas.


title: Urban area

text: The Census of India 2011 also defined the term "urban agglomeration" as an integrated urban area consisting of a core town together with its "outgrowths" (contiguous suburbs).


title: Urban area

text: In Pakistan, an area is a major city and municipality if it has more than 100,000 inhabitants according to census results.


title: Urban area

text: Urbanisation in Pakistan has increased since the time of independence and has several different causes. The majority of southern Pakistan's population lives along the Indus River. Karachi is its most populous city. In the northern half of the country, most of the population lives in an arc formed by the cities of Lahore, Faisalabad, Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Gujranwala, Sialkot, Gujrat, Jhelum, Sargodha, Sheikhupura, Nowshera, Mardan and Peshawar. During 1990–2008, city dwellers made up 36% of Pakistan's population, making it the most urbanised nation in South Asia. Furthermore, 50% of Pakistanis live in towns of 5,000 people or more.


title: Urban area

text: Karachi is the most populated city in Pakistan closely followed by Lahore according to the 2017 Census.


title: Urban area

text: In Bangladesh, there are total 532 urban areas, which are divided into three categories. Those are City Corporation, Municipal Corporation (Pourasova) and Upazila town. Among those urban areas, Dhaka is the largest city by population and area, with a population of 19.10 million. In Bangladesh, there are total 11 City Corporations and 329 Municipal Corporations and 203 Small towns, which serves as the center for Upazilas. According to 2011 population census, Bangladesh has an urban population of 28%, with a growth rate of 2.8%. At this growth rate, it is estimated that the urban population of Bangladesh will reach 79 million or 42% of total population by 2035.


title: Urban area

text: With an estimated population of 16.3 million, Metro Manila is the most populous metropolitan area in the Philippines and the 11th in the world. However, the greater urban area is the 5th largest in the world with a population of 20,654,307 people (2010 estimate).


title: Urban area

text: As an island city-state, about 5.6 million people live and work within . With 64 islands and islets, Singapore Island makes up the largest urban area in the country. According to the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, the country has the highest urbanised population in Southeast Asia, with 100 percent of its population living in an urban area. The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) is responsible for the urban land-use planning, which designates land use and urban density of the country. The country is divided into 5 regions for planning purposes by the URA, even though as a city state Singapore is defined as a single continuous urban area. It is further subdivided into 55 urban planning areas, which acts as the boundaries of planned towns within the country.


title: Urban area

text: As in other Nordic countries, an urban area ("taajama" in Finnish) in Finland must have a building at least every and at least 200 people. To be considered a town or a city ("kaupunki") for statistical purposes, an urban area must have at least 15,000 people. This is not to be confused with the city / town designation used by municipalities.


title: Urban area

text: In France, an urban area ("Fr: aire d'attraction d'une ville") is a zone encompassing an area of built-up growth (called an "urban unit" ("unité urbaine") – close in definition to the North American urban area) and its commuter belt ("couronne"). Americans would find the INSEE definition of the urban area to be similar to their metropolitan area.


title: Urban area

text: The largest cities in France, in terms of urban area population (2017), are Paris (12,628,266), Lyon (2,323,221), Marseille (1,760,653), Toulouse (1,360,829), Bordeaux (1,247,977), Lille (1,191,117), Nice (1,006,201), Nantes (972,828), Strasbourg (790,087) and Rennes (733,320).


title: Urban area

text: Germany has a number of large cities. The largest conurbation is the Rhine-Ruhr region (11 million ), including Düsseldorf (the capital of North Rhine-Westphalia), Cologne, Bonn, Dortmund, Essen, Duisburg, and Bochum.


title: Urban area

text: The Netherlands is the 30th most densely populated country in the world, with —or if only the land area is counted. The Randstad is the country's largest conurbation located in the west of the country and contains the four largest cities: Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, and Utrecht. The Randstad has a population of 7 million inhabitants and is the 6th largest metropolitan area in Europe.


title: Urban area

text: Urban areas in Sweden ("tätorter") are statistically defined localities, totally independent of the administrative subdivision of the country. There are 1,956 such localities in Sweden, with a population ranging from 200 to 1,372,000 inhabitants.


title: Urban area

text: In 2013 the United Kingdom's Office for National Statistics (ONS) published "2011 Built-up Areas - Methodology and Guidance" which sets out its definition of a built-up area as an area of built-up land of at least , separated from other settlements by at least . For 2011 census data there are 5,493 built-up areas, of which 501 are divided into sub-divisions for which data is also available. Each built-up area is named algorithmically, using Ordnance Survey place-name data.


title: Urban area

text: The ONS has produced census results from urban areas since 1951, since 1981 based upon the extent of irreversible urban development indicated on Ordnance Survey maps. The definition is an extent of at least 20 ha and at least 1,500 census residents. Separate areas are linked if less than 200 m (220 yd) apart. Included are transportation features. The UK has five Urban Areas with a population over a million and a further sixty nine with a population over one hundred thousand.


title: Urban area

text: Statistics Norway defines urban areas ("tettsteder") similarly to the other Nordic countries. Unlike in Denmark and Sweden, the distance between each building has to be of less than 50 m, although exceptions are made due to parks, industrial areas, rivers, and similar. Groups of houses less than 400 m from the main body of an urban area are included in the urban area.


title: Urban area

text: In Poland, official "urban" population figures simply refer to those localities which have the status of towns ("miasta"). The "rural" population is that of all areas outside the boundaries of these towns. This distinction may give a misleading impression in some cases, since some localities with only village status may have acquired larger and denser populations than many many smaller towns with most excessive example of Poznań, most spread urban area of the country with population of the city app. 534 thousand and urban area above 1,100 thousand inhabitants. On the other hand, the Upper Silesian Industrial Region conurbation with numerous large and medium cities covers 3,200 km and has approximately 3 million people.


title: Urban area

text: Moscow, the capital and largest city of Russia, has a population estimated at 12.4 million residents within the city limits, while over 17 million residents in the urban area, and over 20 million residents in the Moscow Metropolitan Area. It is among the world's largest cities, being the most populous city entirely within Europe, the most populous urban area in Europe, the most populous metropolitan area in Europe, and also the largest city by land area on the European continent. Saint Petersburg, the cultural capital, is the second-largest city, with a population of roughly 5.4 million inhabitants. Other major urban areas are Yekaterinburg, Novosibirsk, Kazan, Nizhny Novgorod, and Chelyabinsk.


title: Urban area

text: The Australian Bureau of Statistics refers to urban areas as Urban Centres, which it generally defines as population clusters of 1,000 or more people. Australia is one of the most urbanised countries in the world, with more than 50% of the population residing in Australia's three biggest urban centres.


title: Urban area

text: Statistics New Zealand defines urban areas in New Zealand, which are independent of any administrative subdivisions and have no legal basis. There are four classes of urban area: major urban areas (population 100,000+), large urban areas (population 30,000-99,999), medium urban areas (population 10,000-29,999) and small urban areas (population 1000-9,999). As of 2021, there are 7 major urban areas, 13 large urban areas, 22 medium urban areas and 136 small urban areas. Urban areas are reclassified after each New Zealand census, so population changes between censuses does not change an urban area's classification.


title: Urban area

text: According to Statistics Canada, an urban area in Canada is an area with a population of at least 1,000 people where the density is no fewer than . If two or more urban areas are within of each other by road, they are merged into a single urban area, provided they do not cross census metropolitan area or census agglomeration boundaries.


title: Urban area

text: In the Canada 2011 Census, Statistics Canada redesignated urban areas with the new term "population centre"; the new term was chosen in order to better reflect the fact that urban vs. rural is not a strict division, but rather a continuum within which several distinct settlement patterns may exist. For example, a community may fit a strictly statistical definition of an urban area, but may not be commonly thought of as "urban" because it has a smaller population, or functions socially and economically as a suburb of another urban area rather than as a self-contained urban entity, or is geographically remote from other urban communities. Accordingly, the new definition set out three distinct types of population centres: small (population 1,000 to 29,999), medium (population 30,000 to 99,999) and large (population 100,000 or greater). Despite the change in terminology, however, the demographic definition of a population centre remains unchanged from that of an urban area: a population of at least 1,000 people where the density is no fewer than 400 persons per km.


title: Urban area

text: Mexico is one of many countries where the urbanization rate is at least 80%. Mexico City, its capital, is the largest urban area in the country.


title: Urban area

text: In the United States, there are two categories of urban area. The term "urbanized area" denotes an urban area of 50,000 or more people. Urban areas under 50,000 people are called "urban clusters". Urbanized areas were first delineated in the United States in the 1950 census, while urban clusters were added in the 2000 census. There are 1,371 urban areas and urban clusters with more than 10,000 people.


title: Urban area

text: The U.S. Census Bureau defines an urban area as "core census block groups or blocks that have a population density of at least 1,000 people per square mile (386 per square kilometer) and surrounding census blocks that have an overall density of at least 500 people per square mile (193 per square kilometer)".


title: Urban area

text: The largest urban area in the United States is the New York metropolitan area. The population of New York City, the core of the metropolitan area, exceeds 8.8 million people, its metropolitan statistical area has a population that is over 20 million, and its combined statistical area population is over 23 million. The next seven largest urban areas in the U.S. are Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Houston, and Atlanta. About 82 percent of the population of the United States lives within the boundaries of an urbanized area as of December, 2010. Combined, these areas occupy about 2 percent of the land area of the United States. Many Americans live in agglomerations of cities, suburbs, and towns that are adjacent to a metropolitan area's largest city.


title: Urban area

text: The concept of Urbanized Areas as defined by the U.S. Census Bureau is often used as a more accurate gauge of the size of a city, since in different cities and states the lines between city borders and the urbanized area of that city are often not the same. For example, the city of Greenville, South Carolina has a city population just over 68,000 and an urbanized area population of around 400,000, while Greensboro, North Carolina has a city population just over 285,000 and an urbanized area population of around 300,000 — meaning that Greenville is actually "larger" for some intents and purposes, but not for others, such as taxation, local elections, etc.


title: Urban area

text: In the U.S. Department of Agriculture's natural resources inventory, urban areas are officially known as "developed areas" or urban and built-up areas. Such areas include cities, ethnic villages, other built-up areas of more than 10 ac (4 ha), industrial sites, railroad yards, cemeteries, airports, golf courses, shooting ranges, institutional and public administration sites, and similar areas. The 1997 national resources inventory placed over 98,000,000 ac (40,000,000 ha) in this category, an increase of 25,000,000 ac (10,000,000 ha) since 1982.


title: Urban area

text: Argentina is highly urbanized. The ten largest metropolitan areas account for half of the population, and fewer than one in ten live in rural areas. About 3 million people live in Buenos Aires City and the Greater Buenos Aires metropolitan area totals around 15 million, making it one of the largest urban areas in the world, with a population of 18 million all up.


title: Urban area

text: Córdoba has around 1.5 million people living in the urban area, while Rosario, Mendoza and Tucumán have around 1.2 million inhabitants each and La Plata, Mar del Plata, Salta and Santa Fe have at least 500,000 people each.


title: Urban area

text: Chile is highly urbanized, just like Argentina. The largest urban area in the country is its capital, Santiago.


title: Pokémon (TV series)

text: , abbreviated from the Japanese title of and currently branded in English as , is a Japanese anime television series, part of The Pokémon Company's "Pokémon" media franchise, which premiered on TV Tokyo in April 1997.


title: Pokémon (TV series)

text: The anime franchise consists of seven sequential series in Japan, each based on a main installment of the "Pokémon" video game series. In the international broadcasts, these series are split across 25 seasons, with the 25th season, "", streaming on Netflix in the United States (with additional episodes to be released quarterly). Each of the series follows Ash Ketchum, a young trainer of fictional creatures called Pokémon. Joined by his partner Pokémon Pikachu and a rotating cast of human characters, Ash goes on a journey to become a "Pokémon Master", travelling through the various regions of the Pokémon world and competing in various Pokémon-battling tournaments known as the Pokémon League.


title: Pokémon (TV series)

text: The anime series is accompanied by spin-off programming; including "Pokémon Chronicles", a series of side stories; and the live-action variety and Pokémon-related news shows; such as "Pocket Monsters Encore", "Weekly Pokémon Broadcasting Station", "Pokémon☆Sunday", "Pokémon Smash!", "Pokémon Get☆TV" and "Meet Up at the Pokémon House?"


title: Pokémon (TV series)

text: The "Pokémon" anime series was largely credited for allowing anime to become more popular and familiar around the world, especially in the United States, where many "Pokémon" films are among the highest-grossing anime films. It is also considered to be one of the first anime series on television to reach this level of mainstream success with Western audiences, as well as being credited with allowing the game series to reach such a degree of popularity and vice versa. "Pokémon" is regarded as the most successful video game adaptation of all time, with over 1,200 episodes broadcast and adapted for international television markets, concurrently airing in 192 countries worldwide and one of the most widely watched shows on Netflix, as of 2016.


title: Pokémon (TV series)

text: Ash Ketchum, a young boy from Pallet Town, comes of age and gains the right to train Pokémon; trainers receive their first Pokémon from Professor Oak, the town's foremost authority on researching Pokémon. Ash dreams of becoming the Pokémon Master. Though Ash oversleeps and arrives late to Professor Oak's lab, he receives a Pikachu, who is initially uncooperative. On their way to Viridian City, Ash earns Pikachu's friendship by selflessly shielding him from a group of angry Spearow. While Pikachu's injuries are treated in Viridian City's Pokémon Center, Ash is confronted by Misty, a girl whose bike he desperately stole and wrecked in his attempt to escape the Spearow; she declares that she will not leave Ash's side until she is properly compensated. Suddenly, a trio of criminals from the organization Team Rocket — Jessie, James, and Meowth — appear to steal Pokémon from the Center. Pikachu overpowers them, which convinces the trio of his value and inspires numerous subsequent attempts to steal him. To compete in the Pokémon League tournament, Ash must defeat Gym Leaders and earn badges as evidence of his victories. Ash earns his first badge in Pewter City by defeating the Gym Leader Brock, who decides to venture with him. Together with Brock and Misty, Ash travels across the Kanto region, defeating Gym Leaders, collecting their badges, and capturing new Pokémon. After collecting all eight badges, Ash participates in the Indigo League; he reaches the top 16 before losing to his friend Richie.


title: Pokémon (TV series)

text: Upon Ash's return to Pallet Town, Professor Oak asks him to go to Professor Ivy in the Orange Islands to collect a GS Ball, a mysterious Poké Ball that cannot be opened. Brock stays with Professor Ivy as an assistant, and Ash decides to defeat the Gym Leaders of the Orange Islands and qualify for the local tournament. Ash and Misty are joined by artist Tracey Sketchit, who dreams of meeting Professor Oak. Ash faces and defeats the tournament champion Drake before returning to Pallet Town. Tracey stays with Professor Oak as an assistant and Brock reunites with his friends.


title: Pokémon (TV series)

text: Ash goes to the Johto region after learning that Gary has gone there as well. Ash defeats the Gym Leaders of Johto and competes in the Johto League. Ash defeats Gary and causes him to reconsider his purpose in life. After advancing to the quarter-finals, Ash loses to a trainer named Harrison, who informs Ash of the Hoenn region. As Ash goes back to Pallet Town, Misty receives word from her sisters that they are leaving on a world tour and have entrusted the Cerulean City Gym to her. Brock's family has also asked him to return. Ash leaves all his Pokémon (excluding Pikachu) in Professor Oak's lab, and he travels to Hoenn alone.


title: Pokémon (TV series)

text: Brock follows Ash to Hoenn and Ash gains two new companions, a Pokémon Coordinator May and her younger brother Max. Together, they go on another adventure. May collects five ribbons to participate in the Hoenn Grand Festival, but she loses to Drew in the Hoenn Grand Festival, placing her in the Top 8, and Robert takes the Hoenn Grand Festival Ribbon Cup. Ash defeats all eight Hoenn gym leaders and participates in the Hoenn League, but he loses to Tyson, in the quarterfinals, placing him in the Top 8. Tyson becomes the Winner in the Ever Grande Conference.


title: Pokémon (TV series)

text: Ash continues his journey with Brock, May and Max in Kanto. Ash gets seven frontier symbols and wins the Battle Frontier. However, Ash declines the offer to be a Frontier Brain, and decides to continue his Pokémon journey. May collects five ribbons to participate in Kanto Grand Festival but she loses to Solidad in the Kanto Grand Festival, placing her in the Top 4, and Solidad takes the Kanto Grand Festival Ribbon Cup. Afterwards, Ash battles with his rival, Gary. After seeing Electivire, a Pokémon from the Sinnoh region he has never seen before, Ash decides to travel to Sinnoh.


title: Pokémon (TV series)

text: Upon arrival in Sinnoh, Ash and Brock meet Dawn, another Pokémon Coordinator, who travels with them as they go through the Sinnoh region in another adventure. Dawn earns five ribbons to participate in the Sinnoh Grand Festival. There, Dawn loses to Zoey, placing her second, and Zoey takes the Sinnoh Grand Festival Ribbon Cup. Ash defeats all eight Sinnoh gym leaders to participate in the Sinnoh League, Paul loses to Ash in quaterfinal, then Ash loses to Tobias, in the semifinals, placing him in the Top 4 and Tobias became winner of Lily of the Valley Conference.


title: Pokémon (TV series)

text: Afterwards, Ash, his mother Delia and Professor Oak take a holiday to the far-off Unova Region, where he meets and travels with would-be Dragon Master Iris and Striaton City Gym Leader, Pokémon Connoisseur, and sometimes detective Cilan. After winning all eight Unova badges and thwarting the sinister Team Plasma, Ash, Iris, and Cilan travel throughout the eastern side of Unova to prepare for the Unova League, but Ash loses to Cameron, in the quarterfinals, placing him in the Top 8. But also, Cameron loses to Virgil in the semifinals, placing him in the Top 4. Afterwards, Ash, Iris, and Cilan travel through the Decolore Islands before Ash makes his way back to Pallet Town and meets the investigative reporter Alexa, who is from the distant Kalos Region. Having arrived back in Kanto, Iris and Cilan travel to Johto whilst Ash and Alexa head to Kalos.


title: Pokémon (TV series)

text: Ash and Alexa arrive in the Kalos region and Ash is itching to get started in earning his Gym badges. But after Alexa informs Ash that her sister, a Gym Leader, is currently absent, Ash travels to Lumiose City where he meets boy-genius Clemont and his younger sister Bonnie, unaware that Clemont is, in fact, Lumiose City's Gym Leader; a fact he tries his best to hide. Ash also reunites with Serena, a girl from Vaniville Town whom Ash had met in his childhood. Serena earns three keys to participate in the Pokémon Showcase. Serena loses to Aria, placing her runner-up. After traveling with Serena, Clemont, and Bonnie to prepare for the Kalos League by defeating all eight Kalos gym leaders, Ash competes and advances all the way to the finals, where he loses to Alain, placing him runner-up. Alain was a temporary member of the evil Team Flare due to them misleading him. Once he discovers their true intentions, Alain reforms and joins Ash and his friends to stop Team Flare's plans. Bidding farewell to his friends in Kalos, Ash once again returns to Pallet Town.


title: Pokémon (TV series)

text: Ash, Delia and her Mr. Mime are on vacation in the Alola region when Ash has an encounter with Tapu Koko, the guardian Pokémon of Melemele Island, who presents him with the Z-Ring, a device that, when paired with a special crystal, allows a Pokémon to unleash a powerful move when synchronized with its trainer. This leads him to stay in Alola and enroll at the local Pokémon school. When he decides to undertake the trials necessary to master the power of the Z-Ring, Ash's new classmates Lana, Mallow, Lillie, Sophocles and Kiawe decide to accompany him. Ash takes part in the island challenges, and finally gains his first official league victory at the Alola League.


title: Pokémon (TV series)

text: Pikachu's backstory as a Pichu, Ash's story of when he was 6 years old missing Professor Oak's camp, Goh's backstory when he was 6 years old and attended Professor Oak's camp and saw a Mew, are all told. Ash and Pikachu travel to each of the regions, accompanied by Goh as Research fellow. Ash wants to defeat Leon and Goh wants to catch each and every Pokémon including Mew. Supporting cast includes a girl named Chloe Cerise, who is close to her father's Yamper. Chloe sometimes joins Ash and Goh on their adventure with her newly caught Eevee, who is incapable of evolving. One theory of her inability, is that she is hesitant on what path to take. Goh took part in trail missions of a research project "Project Mew" to be a Chaser and find Mew. Ash defeated Leon in the final round of Pokémon World Coronation Series: Masters Eight Tournament and became Pokémon World Champion. Goh and other members of Project Mew travel to Faraway Island to find Mew, they encountered Mew but couldn't catch it.


title: Pokémon (TV series)

text: In Japan, "Pocket Monsters" is currently broadcast as seven sequential series, each based on an installment of the main video game series. The anime is aired year-round continuously, with regular off-days for sporting events and television specials. In its international broadcast, "Pokémon"s episodes have currently been split up into 25 seasons, as of 2022, running a fixed number of episodes, using a specific opening sequence and sporting a different subtitle for each new season.


title: Pokémon (TV series)

text: The seventh and current installment of the anime series is titled in Japan and "Pokémon Journeys: The Series" internationally; "Pokémon Journeys: The Series", its first season, first ran from November 17, 2019 to December 4, 2020 in Japan, the next season "Pokémon Master Journeys: The Series", first ran from December 11, 2020 to December 10, 2021 in Japan. The third and final season, "Pokémon Ultimate Journeys: The Series" premiered its first episode in Japan on December 17, 2021.


title: Pokémon (TV series)

text: In addition to the main series and the movies, the anime series has also shown various full-length specials and TV shorts. Many of these specials centered around legendary Pokémon or one or more of the main characters that are separate from the main cast during its corresponding series, while the sporadically-made later side story episodes typically air as special episodes.


title: Pokémon (TV series)

text: "Pokémon Chronicles" is a label created by 4Kids which is used for a collection of several as yet undubbed specials, which were first broadcast in English between May and October 2005 in the UK, and in the US between June and November 2006. The vast majority of the episodes making up "Chronicles" were taken from what was known in Japan as , which aired as part of "Weekly Pokémon Broadcasting Station". The remaining portions of "Chronicles" consisted of a TV special called "The Legend of Thunder", and installments from "Pikachu's Winter Vacation", originally released on video.


title: Pokémon (TV series)

text: was broadcast on TV Tokyo from October 19, 1999 to September 17, 2002. It ran during the second part of the original series. "Pocket Monsters Encore" is a variety show featuring reruns of old episodes, including Japanese and English audio tracks, except for EP035 and EP018, which were broadcast in stereo. EP022 and EP023 broadcast together. EP018 was taken out of sequence and inserted between Holiday Hi-Jynx and Snow Way Out!, which were broadcast in the place of EP038 and EP039. EP052 aired between EP047 and EP048 and EP053 between EP057 and EP058. The ending song is the English version of Type: Wild performed by Robbie Danzie, and it was produced for Pocket Monsters Encore and aired.


title: Pokémon (TV series)

text: "Pokémon de English" uses a mixture of unedited Japanese and painted-over English video. New English lines were also recorded for this release by the original voice actors from both Japan and the United States. "Pokémon de English" was later released as rental only VHS and DVDs in 2002 and 2007, respectively, including English audio, as well as closed captioning in both English and Japanese.


title: Pokémon (TV series)

text: is a closely related spin-off series that aired during the final part of the original series, and continues during the beginning part of "Pokémon: Advanced Generation". The show was presented as an animated variety show, and showed clip shows, reruns of "Pokémon" episodes, television airings of the "Pokémon" movies, cast interviews, and live action footage, in addition to the previously mentioned "Pokémon" side story episodes. The hosts were Mayumi Iizuka as Kasumi (Misty) and Yūji Ueda as Takeshi (Brock). They were regularly joined by Kaba-chan, Manami Aihara, Bernard Ackah and Rex Jones as the comedy team "Shio Koshō", Megumi Hayashibara as Musashi (Jessie), Shin-ichiro Miki as Kojirō (James), and Inuko Inuyama as Nyāsu (Meowth). The show ran from October 15, 2002, to September 28, 2004, when it was replaced by "Pokémon☆Sunday".


title: Pokémon (TV series)

text: was broadcast on TV Tokyo from October 3, 2004, to September 26, 2010. The show is the successor to the "Pocket Monsters Encore" and the "Weekly Pokémon Broadcasting Station". It ran from the second part of Pokémon: Advanced Generation to Pokémon: Diamond & Pearl. Like the shows before it, "Pokémon☆Sunday" is variety show featuring reruns of old episodes as well as a number of 'Research' episodes involving live-action elements. Regular guests include Golgo Matsumoto and Red Yoshida of TIM; Hiroshi Yamamoto, Ryūji Akiyama, and Hiroyuki Baba of Robert; Becky (through September 2006), and Shoko Nakagawa (starting October 2006).


title: Pokémon (TV series)

text: is the successor to the "Pokémon☆Sunday" series. It aired from October 3, 2010, to September 28, 2013. Like its predecessors, "Pokémon Smash!" is a variety show that features live-action segments and reruns of old anime episodes. It ran during "Pokémon: Best Wishes" Season 1 and Season 2. The theme song is "Endless Fighters" by AAA. Regular guests include Golgo Matsumoto and Red Yoshida of TIM; Shoko Nakagawa; and Hiroshi Yamamoto, Ryūji Akiyama, and Hiroyuki Baba of Robert.


title: Pokémon (TV series)

text: is the successor to "Pokémon Smash!" It aired from October 6, 2013 to September 27, 2015. Shoko Nakagawa remains as a host, and is joined by Yukito Nishii and comedy team Taka and Toshi. Just like its predecessors, it is a variety show featuring reruns of previous anime episodes and special live-action segments. It ran during "Pokémon: XY".


title: Pokémon (TV series)

text: "Meet Up at the Pokémon House?" (ポケモンの家あつまる？ Pokémon no Uchi Atsumaru?), more commonly known as "Pokénchi" (Japanese: ポケんち) or "Pokémon House" (Japanese: ポケモンの家), is the successor to "Pokémon GET☆TV", it aired from October 4, 2015 to March 29, 2022. It is hosted by Shōko Nakagawa, Rinka Ōtani, Hyadain, and Abareru-kun, making it the first variety show not to have reruns of previous anime episodes, unlike its predecessors. It ran during "Pokémon: XY", "Pokémon: Sun & Moon" and "Pokémon: The New Series".


title: Pokémon (TV series)

text: "Where are we going with Pokémon!?" (ポケモンとどこいく！？, Pokémon to doko iku!?), more commonly known as "Poké Doko" (ポケどこ, Poké Doko), is the successor to "Meet Up at the Pokémon House?", which premiered on April 3, 2022 during "Pokémon: The New Series". It is hosted by Shōko Nakagawa, Ryōgo Matsumaru, Abareru-kun, and Hikaru Takahashi, and it will focus on their travels.


title: Pokémon (TV series)

text: "Pokémon" premiered in Japan on TV Tokyo on April 1, 1997. The series is broadcast on the TX Network family of stations first on Thursday evenings; it is then syndicated throughout the rest of Japan's major broadcasters (All-Nippon News Network, Fuji Network System, Nippon Television Network System) on their local affiliates as well as on private satellite and cable networks on various delays. Production in Japan is handled by TV Tokyo, MediaNet (formerly TV Tokyo MediaNet and Softx), and ShoPro (formerly Shogakukan Productions). Kunihiko Yuyama has served as the series' chief director since the original series. The previous series, "", began broadcast in Japan on November 17, 2016, with Tetsuo Yajima serving as director and Atsuhiro Tomioka as head screenwriter. The anime had made millions of dollars in Japan when it first aired. An average "Pokémon" episode costs about $100,000.


title: Pokémon (TV series)

text: Internationally, The Pokémon Company International handles production and distribution of the anime with Iyuno Media Group and Goldcrest Post and published by VIZ Media, who was VIZ LLC, but merged with Shopro. The anime currently airs in 192 countries. In the United States, the anime aired on Kids' WB as a Saturday morning cartoon in 1999. In its first week under the Kids' WB umbrella, Pokémon would manage to hit a 3.9 rating (a percentage of how much a specific demographic of people is watching), reaching viewers by September, and Nielsen stating that "half the boys (ages 6-11) watching TV (at 10 a.m.) are seeing Pokémon" by that November.


title: Pokémon (TV series)

text: Beginning in 2020, Netflix gained the exclusive rights to stream new episodes in the United States; the twenty-third season, titled "" debuted on June 12, 2020 and ended on March 5, 2021 with its fourth twelve episode batch., and continues with the twenty-fourth season, titled "", debuted on the service on September 10, 2021. The series has previously aired in syndication, with new episodes premiering on Kids' WB, Cartoon Network, and Disney XD. In the US, library episodes also aired on Cartoon Network in the Kids' WB years starting in 2002 and Boomerang in the Cartoon Network years starting in 2010 and have aired in Spanish on TeleXitos and Discovery Familia.


title: Pokémon (TV series)

text: "Pokémon" was originally licensed in the United States by 4Kids Entertainment, who produced a localized English adaptation that was syndicated by The Summit Media Group. The localized version premiered on September 8, 1998, twenty days before the North American release of "Pokémon Red and Blue". "Pokémon" was distributed on VHS and DVD by Pioneer Entertainment and Viz Video, which sold 25million units of the series in 2000. Following the in 2005, the series' dub production was taken over by The Pokémon Company. Beginning with twelfth film, "Arceus and the Jewel of Life", DuArt Film and Video became the production studio, which lasted until the .


title: Pokémon (TV series)

text: OLM, Inc. served as producer. Until episode 259 (episode 262 in Japan), during the , the series was animated using cel animation. Beginning with episode 260 (episode 263 in Japan), titled "Here's Lookin' at You Elekid!", all subsequent seasons are digitally animated.


title: Pokémon (TV series)

text: In a 2018 interview, the creators of "Detective Pikachu", which features a talking Pikachu, revealed that the original intention for the anime was to have the Pokémon talk, but OLM, Inc. was unable to come up with a concept that Game Freak were accepting of.


title: Pokémon (TV series)

text: The following table lists the annual content revenue from "Pokémon" anime media in Japan, as reported by market research firm Hakuhodo.


title: Pokémon (TV series)

text: "Pokémon" is currently available for streaming on Netflix in 216 regions and countries with different dubs and subtitles; all countries have at least English audio. "Pokémon" was globally one of the most widely watched shows on Netflix, as of 2016. It is also available on Hulu (in the United States and Japan), and Amazon Prime Video (in the United States, United Kingdom, Japan, Germany, and Austria). From when the series made its home on Disney XD, as much as every in-circulation episode was available on Watch Disney XD and later DisneyNOW in the United States until February 2022. Netflix removed the "Sun & Moon" series, "", and "" at the end of March 2022, leaving only the first season and the seasons and movies they exclusively released. Content is also available on the Pokémon TV app and website.


title: Pokémon (TV series)

text: In a February 2008 review for IGN, Jeffrey Harris gave the series a score of 2 out of 10, saying: "Ultimately, the show's story is boring, repetitive, and formulaic. The show constantly preaches about friendship and helping others. ... Nearly every episode features Ash, Misty, and Brock on a trip. Team Rocket tries the latest scheme to catch Pikachu or whatever else, and fails miserably." He concluded: "at the end of the day, this franchise feels more like crass marketing trying to preach the importance of friend and companionship." In an April 2008 review, Common Sense Media gave the series 3 out of 5 stars, saying: "Over the years, the energetic, imagination-filled, Japanese-inspired fantasy series has cut across cultural, gender, and age barriers to captivate a global audience of girls, boys, and even adults", but added: "Folks may also find the franchise's massive commercial appeal disturbing, especially since the show is mainly geared towards kids."


title: Pokémon (TV series)

text: Carl Kimlinger, in an August 2008 review of the "" series for Anime News Network, gave the dubbed series an overall grade of C. He wrote: "The formula has been set in stone … Ash and buddies wander around, meet a new or trainer, fight, make friends, and then use their newfound Power of Friendship to stave off an attack by the nefarious Team Rocket", and added: "even the tournaments are a relief, a blessed pause in the cerebrum-liquefying formula as Ash and company square off against destined rivals for an episode or two." However, he stated that it would be enjoyed by its target audience, saying: "It's colorful, silly and lively (if insanely simplistic and cheap)" and added: "Parents will appreciate the absolute lack of objectionable content (aside from the promotion of animism) and the series' impeccably PC message of friendship, cooperation and acceptance". He criticized the series' soundtrack as "tin-eared" and "bad video game music".


title: Pokémon (TV series)

text: Kevin McFarland, in a 2016 binge-watching guide of the "Indigo League" series for "Wired", described the series as "a kids program that emphasizes the value of hard work, the importance of family and close friendship, and the ideals of love, trust, and honor. But it's also a largely silly show with slapstick comedy and colorful battle sequences, making Ash's Sisyphean task to become the world’s best Pokémon trainer continually entertaining."


title: Pokémon (TV series)

text: "Paste" ranked the series at 44th place in its October 2018 list of "The 50 Best Anime Series of All Time", with Sarra Sedghi writing: "To the joy of ’90s kids everywhere, "Pokémon" helped solidify anime (and, hopefully, good punnery) in the West". She added: ""Pokémon" may not be high artistry (because, you know, it’s for children), but the show’s pervasiveness is a testament to the power of nostalgia." IGN ranked the series at 70th place in its list of "Top 100 Animated Series", saying that the series "had clever writing and a golden marketing formula designed to spread Nintendo's Pokémon videogames into new, lucrative territory."


title: Pokémon (TV series)

text: "Pokémon" has had several anime episodes removed from the rotation in Japan or the rest of the world. The most infamous of these episodes was . The episode made headlines worldwide when it caused 685 children to experience seizures and seizure-like symptoms caused by a repetitive flash of light. Although the offending sequence was caused by Pikachu's actions, the episode's featured Pokémon, Porygon, has rarely been seen in future episodes, with appearances limited to one brief cameo appearance in the movie "Pokémon Heroes" and in one scene-bumper later in season 1. Its evolutions Porygon2 and Porygon-Z have only appeared in a brief part of the opening sequence of "". Several other episodes have been removed from broadcast in Japan due to contemporary disasters that resemble events in the program; the 2004 Chūetsu earthquake, the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, and the 2014 Sinking of MV "Sewol" all have caused cancellations or indefinite or temporary postponements of episode broadcasts. In the United States, the September 11 attacks in 2001 as well as 2005's Hurricane Katrina led to the temporary removal of two episodes from syndication.


title: Pokémon (TV series)

text: On September 1, 2006, China banned the series from prime time broadcasting (from 17:00 to 20:00), as it did Western animated series such as "The Simpsons", to protect its struggling animation studios. The ban was later extended by one hour.


title: Pokémon (TV series)

text: On August 18, 2016, the "" episode ("Down to the Fiery Finish!" in the English dub) faced criticism from fans when Ash lost the Kalos League against Alain. The fans specifically criticized the episode due to the misleading name and trailers that suggested that Ash would win the battle and because Ash had lost all of the Pokémon Leagues in past seasons. Fans also disliked the outcome because they believed Ash's Greninja had many advantages over Alain's Charizard, including the fact that Water-type Pokémon resist Fire-type Pokémon attacks, and that the rare Bond Phenomenon Ash's Greninja was subject to was said to be far more powerful than a conventional Mega Evolution. Several animators of the series also expressed disappointment that Ash had lost. TV Tokyo's YouTube upload of the teaser of the next episode received an overwhelming number of dislikes as a result of the outcome.


title: Pokémon (TV series)

text: The series is considered to be one of the first anime series on television to reach this level of mainstream success with Western audiences. It has also been credited with allowing the game series to reach a high degree of popularity, and vice versa.


title: Tom Ford

text: Thomas Carlyle Ford (born August 27, 1961) is an American fashion designer and filmmaker. He launched his eponymous luxury brand in 2005, having previously served as the creative director at Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent. Ford wrote and directed the films "A Single Man" (2009) and "Nocturnal Animals" (2016). He currently serves as the chairman of the Board of the Council of Fashion Designers of America.


title: Tom Ford

text: Thomas Carlyle Ford was born on August 27, 1961, in Austin, Texas, the son of realtors Shirley Burton (née Shirley Ann Thrasher) and Thomas David Ford (1932-2020). He spent his early life in the suburbs of Houston, Texas, and in San Marcos, outside Austin. He rearranged furniture in the house at 6, and gave his mother feedback on her hair and shoes. His family moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico, when he was 11. In Santa Fe, he entered St. Michael's High School and later moved to Santa Fe Preparatory School, from which he graduated in 1979.


title: Tom Ford

text: At age 16, he enrolled at Bard College at Simon's Rock, but quickly dropped out. He moved to New York City to study art history at New York University (NYU). There he met Ian Falconer, who took him to Studio 54 for the first time. Ford dropped out after a year, focusing on acting in television commercials.


title: Tom Ford

text: Ford began studying interior architecture at The New School's art and design college, Parsons The New School for Design, in New York City. He kept visiting Studio 54, where he realized he was up The club's disco-era glamor would be a major influence on his later designs. Before his last year at New School, Ford spent a year and a half in Paris, where he worked as an intern in Chloé's press office, inspiring his interest in fashion. He spent his final year at The New School studying fashion, but graduated with a degree in architecture.


title: Tom Ford

text: When interviewing for jobs after graduation, Ford said that he had attended The New School's Parsons division, but concealed that he graduated in architecture, and that his work at Chloé was a low-level public relations position. Despite his lack of experience in fashion, Ford called American designer Cathy Hardwick every day for a month in hopes of securing a job at her sportswear company. Hardwick eventually agreed to interview him. She later recalled the incident: "I had every intention of giving him no hope. I asked him who his favorite European designers were. He said, 'Armani and Chanel.' Months later I asked him why he said that, and he said, 'Because you were wearing something Armani.' Is it any wonder he got the job?" Ford worked as a design assistant for Hardwick for two years.


title: Tom Ford

text: In 1988, Ford moved to Perry Ellis, where he knew both Robert McDonald, the company's president, and Marc Jacobs, its designer, socially. He worked at the company for two years, but grew tired of working in American fashion. In a later interview with "The New York Times", he commented, "If I was ever going to become a good designer, I had to leave America. My own culture was inhibiting me. Too much style in America is tacky. It's looked down upon to be too stylish. Europeans, however, appreciate style."


title: Tom Ford

text: At the time, Italian fashion house Gucci was struggling financially and was seeking to strengthen its women's ready-to-wear presence as a part of a brand overhaul. The company's creative director, Dawn Mello said, "no one would dream of wearing Gucci". In 1990, Mello hired Ford as the brand's chief women's ready-to-wear designer and Ford moved to Milan. "I was talking to a lot of people, and most didn't want the job," Mello said. "For an American designer to move to Italy to join a company that was far from being a brand would have been pretty risky." Ford and his longtime partner, fashion journalist Richard Buckley, relocated to Milan that September.


title: Tom Ford

text: Ford's role at Gucci rapidly expanded; he was designing menswear within six months, and shoes soon after that. When Richard Lambertson left as design director in 1992, Ford took over his position, heading the brand's ready-to-wear, fragrances, image, advertising, and store design. In 1993, when he was in charge of designing eleven product lines, Ford worked eighteen-hour days. During these years, there were creative tensions between Ford and Maurizio Gucci, the company's chairman and 50% owner. According to Mello, "Maurizio always wanted everything to be round and brown, and Tom wanted to make it square and black." Though Maurizio Gucci wanted to fire Ford, Domenico De Sole insisted that he remain. Nonetheless, Ford's work during the early 1990s was primarily behind the scenes; his contributions to Gucci were overshadowed by those of Mello, who was the company's public face.


title: Tom Ford

text: In 1994, Ford was promoted to Creative Director of Gucci. In his first year at the helm, he introduced Halston-style velvet hipsters, skinny satin shirts and car-finish metallic patent boots. In 1995, he brought in French stylist Carine Roitfeld and photographer Mario Testino to create a series of new ad campaigns for the company. Between 1995 and 1996, sales at Gucci increased by 90%. At one point, Ford was the largest individual shareholder of Gucci stock and options. By 1999, the house, which had been almost insolvent when Ford joined, was valued at more than $4 billion.


title: Tom Ford

text: When Gucci acquired the house of Yves Saint Laurent (YSL) in 1999, Ford was named Creative Director of that label as well. Saint Laurent did not hide his displeasure with Ford's designs, stating "The poor man does what he can." During his time as creative director for YSL, Ford nonetheless won numerous Council of Fashion Designers of America Awards. Ford was able to pull the classic fashion house back into the mainstream. His advertising campaigns for the YSL fragrances Opium (with a red-haired Sophie Dahl naked wearing only a necklace and stiletto heels in a sexually suggestive pose) and YSL M7 (with martial arts champion Samuel de Cubber in complete full-frontal nudity) were controversial and provocative.


title: Tom Ford

text: In April 2004, Ford parted ways with the Gucci group after he and CEO Domenico de Sole, who is credited as Ford's partner in Gucci's success, failed to agree with Pinault Printemps Redoute's boss over control of the Group. He has since referred to this experience as "devastating" and as a "midlife crisis" because he had "put everything into that for fifteen years". When Ford left in 2004, Gucci Group was valued at $10 billion. Four people were hired to split the work Ford had done.


title: Tom Ford

text: After leaving Gucci, Ford launched a line of menswear, beauty, eyewear, and accessories in 2006, named after himself. De Sole became chairman of the label. Ford has described "the Tom Ford customer" as international, cultured, well-traveled, and possessing disposable income. For women, he added "strong women, … intelligent women who know their own style".


title: Tom Ford

text: First Lady Michelle Obama wore an ivory floor-length evening gown designed by Ford to Buckingham Palace in 2011. He has also dressed Beyoncé, Jennifer Lopez, Gwyneth Paltrow, Anne Hathaway, Daniel Craig, Tom Hanks, Johnny Depp, Ryan Gosling, Will Smith, Julianne Moore, Hugh Jackman, Jon Hamm, and Henry Cavill. Ford designed Daniel Craig's suits for his final four James Bond films: "Quantum of Solace" (2008), "Skyfall" (2012), "Spectre" (2015), and "No Time to Die" (2021).


title: Tom Ford

text: In 2013, Ford was mentioned in Justin Timberlake's song "Suit & Tie", which was a collaboration with Jay-Z. Ford created the suits, shirts, and accessories for the Grammy winning "Suit & Tie" music video. He went on to dress Timberlake's 20/20 Experience World Tour, designing over 600 pieces for the tour. The same year, Jay-Z released a song titled "Tom Ford" with "Tom Ford" rapped numerous times within the song. Ford responded that he was flattered and "it means that one has really penetrated and made an impact on popular culture." Following the song's release, Ford received a huge spike in online search engine queries. The song would go on to sell over a million copies and become certified platinum.


title: Tom Ford

text: In August 2022, "The Wall Street Journal" reported that Estée Lauder was in talks to purchase the Tom Ford brand for $3 billion or more, but that it was not the only company interested in buying it. This follows a report by "Bloomberg" in July that the company was for sale and suggested that this may act as a catalyst for additional involvement in film making.


title: Tom Ford

text: Ford has been criticized for using naked women in various ad campaigns. Various journalists asserted that the ads were vulgar, sexist, or objectified women. One ad featured a nude woman holding a bottle of the perfume between her legs. Another featured a naked woman ironing a man's pants while he read a newspaper. A separate ad was banned in Italy.


title: Tom Ford

text: Responding to criticism that he objectified women, Ford stated he is an "equal opportunity objectifier" and is "just as happy to objectify men". He argued "you can't show male nudity in our culture in the way you can show female nudity" and pointed out that he did a male nude ad while at Yves Saint Laurent which got pulled.


title: Tom Ford

text: In 2014, Ford released a new product, called the "Penis Pendant Necklace". The product caused some controversy, with Christians calling it offensive due to the pendant being shaped similar to a Christian cross or crucifix. Ford replied that "it was not meant to be a cross, it was a phallus" and "people read into things what they want to".


title: Tom Ford

text: In March 2005, Ford announced the launch of his film production company, Fade to Black. In 2009 he made his directorial debut with "A Single Man", based on the novel of the same name by Christopher Isherwood. The drama stars Colin Firth as an LA-based college professor who is gay, alongside Julianne Moore, Nicholas Hoult and Matthew Goode. The novel was adapted by David Scearce and Ford; Ford was also one of the producers.


title: Tom Ford

text: "A Single Man" premiered on September 11, 2009, at the 66th Venice International Film Festival, where it was nominated for top award the Golden Lion. Colin Firth was awarded the Volpi Cup as Best Actor for his performance. He won a BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role, and was nominated for an Academy Award, Golden Globe, Independent Spirit Award and Screen Actors Guild Award and won AFI Film of the Year and the GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Film – Wide Release.


title: Tom Ford

text: Other nominations for the film included two further Golden Globe categories: Julianne Moore for Best Supporting Actress, and Abel Korzeniowski for Best Original Score. At the Independent Spirit Awards, the film was nominated for Best First Feature and Best First Screenplay. Ford and Scearce also received a nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay at the Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards.


title: Tom Ford

text: In 2015, Ford became attached to direct "Nocturnal Animals", an adaptation of the Austin Wright novel "Tony and Susan". The film was released in 2016. Jake Gyllenhaal and Amy Adams played the lead roles of Tony and Susan, and Michael Shannon, Armie Hammer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Isla Fisher co-starred.


title: Tom Ford

text: The film received praise from critics, as well as winning the Grand Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival. The film has an approval rating of 72% on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 143 reviews, with an average rating of 7.1/10, and the site's critical consensus reading: "Well-acted and lovely to look at, "Nocturnal Animals" further underscores writer-director Tom Ford's distinctive visual and narrative skill."


title: Tom Ford

text: Ford married Richard Buckley in 2014, a journalist and former editor in chief of "Vogue Hommes International"; they had been in a relationship since meeting in 1986. The couple have a son who was born in September 2012 via gestational surrogate. The family lived in Italy, where Ford moved from New York in 1990, and in London for 17 years. They lived in his residences in New York, Los Angeles, Santa Fe, and London. Ford and Buckley have owned smooth fox terriers, which have appeared on the runway and in his film "A Single Man". Ford also has two nephews and a niece, the children of his sister Jennifer.


title: Tom Ford

text: Ford constructed a 24,000-acre private tract designed by Japanese architect Tadao Ando, in Santa Fe. It is called Cerro Pelon Ranch and has additional structures that were designed by Marmol Radziner. The property also has a fictional town known as Silverado that is used as a filming location for Western movies.


title: Tom Ford

text: He told "Vogue" he had adopted a vegan diet after viewing a Netflix documentary called "What the Health". As of 2019, he has been a teetotaler and has been open about using fillers and Botox.


title: Tom Ford

text: He has said in multiple interviews that his first lover was the artist Ian Falconer, who went on to write and illustrate the very popular Olivia the Pig children's book series. Ford maintains that he and Falconer are still good friends; decades after their breakup, Ford lent Falconer's last name to the title character of his first movie, "A Single Man" (in the source novel the character originally only had a first name).


title: Tom Ford

text: Ford is a Democrat. He opposed America's invasion of Iraq in 2003, stating that it made him feel "ashamed to be an American". His comment drew public criticism within America. He hosted a fundraiser for Barack Obama. He voted for Hillary Clinton in the 2016 US general election.


title: Tom Ford

text: Ford has advocated for federal recognition of same-sex marriage in the United States. In a 2009 interview, he said he preferred the term "civil partnership" for both opposite-sex and same-sex partnerships, and to leave "marriage" to religion to decide.


title: Tom Ford

text: I think that whoever is the President, or the First Lady, should be wearing clothes at a price point that are accessible to most Americans, and wearing clothes made in America. My clothes are made in Italy, they're very, very expensive. I don't think most women or men in our country can relate to that, and I think the First Lady or the President should represent all people.


title: Tom Ford

text: Ford has been included in several best-dressed lists, such as International Best Dressed List, "The Guardian"s "The 50 best-dressed over-50s", and "British GQ"s "50 Best Dressed Men in Britain 2015". He was featured on the cover of the 2011 spring/summer issue of "Another Man", giving his opinion on what makes the modern day gentleman. He has been called a "fashion icon" and a "style icon", and he was included in "All-"TIME" 100 Fashion Icons" list. He won many awards including several VH1/Vogue Fashion Awards and Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) Awards. In 2014, the CFDA awarded him the Geoffery Beene Lifetime Achievement Award.


title: Tom Ford

text: While Ford was in a monogamous relationship for many years, he "continue[d] to promote himself with a youthful and sexually charged image". He is known for sexy clothes, making provocative statements, and creating racy advertisements. Ford's designs convey a "sophisticated sex appeal" and he has been credited for "bringing sexy back". His advertisement campaigns have drawn controversy for use of nudity and "provocative sexual imagery". Ford is also known to pose with celebrities and models in his ad campaigns. He has been called the "King of Sex" and "the straightest gay man in the world".


title: Tom Ford

text: Ford saved Gucci from near bankruptcy and transformed it into a fashion powerhouse. His decade as the creative director was hailed as a "golden era" for Gucci. He turned the brand around, replacing the "grunge look" with "sexy, yet sophisticated, clothes". He is known for his bold designs. The "New York Magazine" wrote "Every season, Ford created an 'It' piece, a must-have, a season-defining trend, photographed to death, knocked off ad nauseam." Ford says it is important for designers to be contemporary and current with the changing standard of beauty.


title: Tom Ford

text: In 2004, Ford published an eponymous monograph, detailing his early career and his design work for Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent from 1990 to 2004. In 2021, seventeen years later, Ford published a follow-up volume entitled "Tom Ford 002", which described his career from 2005 including the creation of his own fashion label and the production of his two films. Both books are published by Rizzoli International Publications and co-authored by fashion journalist Bridget Foley, with forewords by Anna Wintour.


title: Tom Ford

text: In September 2013, hip-hop artist Jay-Z released the song “Tom Ford” as a single from his album "Magna Carta Holy Grail". Ford responded favorably to the song saying, "Who would not be flattered to have an entire Jay-Z track named after them? I mean, [...] it's pretty rare that something like that happens. It's a kind of validation of one's work, as it means that one has really penetrated and made an impact on popular culture." The song was nominated for 56th Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance in 2014.


title: Tom Ford

text: In the 2021 film "House of Gucci" directed by Ridley Scott, Ford was portrayed by actor Reeve Carney.


title: Tom Ford

text: Ford has been recognized by important design and cultural councils worldwide, including the Cooper Hewitt Design Museum and "Time".