With over 20 million people in its extended metropolitan area, Shanghai is China's most populated city. With an area of nearly 5,300 km² (2,046 sq mi), it is also one of the world's largest urban areas - and it's growing fast.

On the third floor of the Shanghai Urban Planning Museum, there is what probably is the world's largest scale model of a city. The room-sized model of central Shanghai in 2020, as envisioned by the urban planners, fills an area larger than 100 square meters (1,000 square feet) - via media pigs, Thanks Mark Dearman!

Photo: brandon [Flickr]

Photo: +tajc [Flickr]

Photo: pete&brook [Flickr]

Photo: pete&brook [Flickr]

Photo: larryncelia [Flickr]