At the height of the Victorian era, the United Kingdom sat at the center of a global network that governed roughly a quarter of the world's land. 

London was the undisputed titan, acting as the global hub for finance and politics with a population nearly five times larger than any other city in the empire. Manchester and Birmingham followed as the next most populous hubs, serving as industrial powerhouses for the global textile and manufacturing trades.

The immense importance of British India is reflected in the high rankings of Calcutta and Bombay, which served as vital commercial and administrative nerve centers. While Glasgow led the world in shipbuilding, strategic locations like Cairo were occupied primarily to secure the Suez Canal. 

Additionally, the "New World" was already rising rapidly, with Melbourne and Sydney becoming highly urbanized following the wealth of 19th-century gold rushes.