Populous China

This item appears on page 51 of the May 2010 issue.

CLARIFICATION — A reader questioned the statement in the letter “China with Viking River Cruises (March ’10, pg. 29) that Chongqing is almost double the size of Shanghai and Beijing.

While the populations of the metro areas of Shanghai (17 million) and Beijing (13.2 million) are much greater than that of Chong­qing (7.5 million), the opposite is true when the populations of the surrounding “city sprawl” areas are considered: Shanghai (18.8 million), Beijing (17.4 million) and Chongqing (32 million).

And if “size” refers to acreage, Chongqing is greatest with 31,800 square miles against Shanghai (2,448) and Beijing (17,000). — Editor