<P> Not all countries have primate cities, but in those that do, the rest of the country depends on it for cultural, economic, political, and major transportation needs . On the other hand, the primate city depends on the rest of the country as paying consumers of the cultural, economic, political and other services produced in the area . </P> <P> The presence of a primate city in a country may indicate an imbalance in development--usually a progressive core, and a lagging periphery, on which the city depends for labor and other resources . However, the urban structure is not directly dependent on a country's level of economic development . </P> <P> Many of the primate cities are increasing their percentage of their country's population . This can be because the number of traditional workers have been reduced because of mechanization in the manufacturing industry, agriculture, and other blue - collar industries, which are generally located throughout all of the country . At the same time, the number of educated employees in service business such as politics, economy, culture, media, and higher education has been rising, and those sectors are often located in the capital where the power and money is concentrated . </P> <P> Many alpha world cities are considered national and / or regional primate cities . They include the two alpha++ world cities of London in the United Kingdom (national) and New York City in the United States (regional), though the U.S. has never had any primate city on a national scale . In addition, Paris, Budapest, Dublin, Kuala Lumpur, Lima, Mexico City, Seoul, and Vienna have also been described as primate cities within their respective countries . </P>

Concept of primate city and rank size rule