Metropolitan cities are cities that have a large population and also consisting of a large central city. One or more large cities may serve as its hub. The metropolitan area is named normally either after the largest city or the most important central city within it. The metropolitan cities of India are Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai and Pune.

Ahmedabad is the largest city in the Gujarat State. It is located on the banks of River Sabarmati. Ahmedabad is reputed as the largest island industrial centre in western India. The city was once a major trade destination for Western India due to its closeness to the port of Surat. Ahmedabad has a number of textile industries and pharmaceuticals industry. The city serves as the headquarters of one of the leading multi national trading company(Advani Group). The leading detergent and chemical industrial unit, Nirma has its corporate headquarters in the city. Today many foreign companies as the Bosch(Germany) , Rexroth (Germany) , Stork( Netherlands), Rollepaal(Netherlands) and Johnsons(Netherlands) have set up their administrative units at Ahmedabad. The IT industry has developed significantly in Ahmedabad with emerging companies like Tata Consultancy Services Ltd, Satyam Computers ltd, Wipro Ltd etc.

The survey conducted by NASSCOM(in 2002) " ranked Ahmedabad fifth among the Super Nine Indian Destinations for IT enabled services. The educational and industrial institutions of Ahmedabad have attracted students from the rest of India. Ahmedabad is turning out to be the leading mall destinations of the world.

Banglore, the capital of Karnataka is the third largest city and the fifth largest metropolitan area. Banglore is the technical and the major IT center of the country. It is the largest and the fastest growing market. The city is reputed as the third largest hub for high net worth individuals after Mumbai and Delhi. Bangalore is the head quarters of heavy industries as Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, National Aerospace Laboratories, Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited, Bharat Electronics Limited, Bharat Earth Movers Limited (and Hindustan Machine Tools. It was in June 1972, the ISRO was established in the city. The place is blessed with a large number of Information Technology companies and as a result is known as the Silicon Valley of India.

Chennai is located in the State of Tamil Nadu. Chennai is one of the four metropolitan cities of India. About 40% of the automobile industries have their base in Chennai and hence the place is known as the Automobile Capital of India. Major software companies like Accenture, Cognizant Technology Solutions, CSC, EDS, HCL, HP, IBM, Infosys, Satyam, Sun Microsystems, Symantec, TCS, Verizon, Wipro have development centers in the city. The city is now the second largest exporter of IT and IT enabled Services in the country after Bangalore.

New Delhi, the capital of India, is an important commercial center of South Asia. Delhi has a per capita income of 53,976 INR which is around 2.5 times of the national average. Delhi`s service sector has expanded due to the presence of large skilled English-speaking workforce that has attracted many multinational companies. The key service industries of New Delhi are information technology, telecommunications, hotels, banking, media and tourism. Delhi` s large consumer market coupled with the easy availability of skilled labour, has attracted foreign investment in Delhi. Delhi`s retail industry is one of the fastest growing industries in India.

Hyderabad, the capital of Andhra Pradesh, is the largest contributor of the states` gross domestic product, state tax and excise revenues. Hyderabad is the major center of pharmaceuticals with companies as Dr. Reddy`s Laboratories, Matrix Laboratories, Hetero Drugs Limited, Divis Labs, Aurobindo Pharma Limited and Vimta Labs being housed in the city. Hyderabad is the largest contributor of the states gross domestic product. The major contributor is the service industry of the State. Hyderabad city is known today for its IT and IT Enabled Services, Pharmaceuticals and Entertainment industries. The HITEC City(Hyderabad Information Technology Engineering Consultancy City) had prompted several IT and ITES companies to setup operations in the city. Hyderabad has been selected as the location for India`s first Fab City.

Kolkata is the capital of West Bengal. It is the major business, commercial and financial hub of Eastern India and also of the northeastern states. India`s second largest bourse- the Calcutta Stock Exchange is located here. Some notable companies found in Kolkata are ITC Limited, Bata India, Birla Corporation, Coal India Limited, Damodar Valley Corporation, United Bank of India, UCO Bank, Allahabad Bank and Vijaya Bank.

Mumbai, the capital of Maharashtra is the financial center of India. It is one of the four metropolitan cities of India. The stock exchange of Mumbai is one of the important Stock Exchange amongst the 23 Stock Exchanges of the country. Mumbai is the abode of all famous personalities of Bollywood. A number of Indian financial institutions have headquarters in Mumbai. Mumbai has been ranked as the worlds biggest centers of commerce in terms of the financial flow volumes in a survey compiled by Mastercard Worldwide.

Pune, the eighth largest urban agglomeartion of India is located in western Indian state of Maharashtra. It is a major industrial center. It is the home of the worlds largest two-wheeler manufacturers as the Bajaj Auto and Tata Motors. The major engineering goods industries situated in Pune are Bharat Forge Ltd, the world`s second largest forging company, Cummins Engines Co Ltd etc. The major food companies like Frito Lay and Coca Cola have their food processing plants in Pune. Pune has the presence of software industries like Rajiv Gandhi IT Park, Magarpatta Cybercity, MIDC Software Technology Park, Marisoft IT Park etc. Many of the major software companies of India as Infosys, TCS,Tech Mahindra, Wipro, Sasken,Satyam, eometric Software Solutions Limited, Neilsoft etc have a major presence in Pune. Global majors like Accenture, BMC Software, HSBC Global Technology, IBM, Siemens also have a major presence in Pune.