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The purpose of this paper is to stimulate discussions on the terms city, urban and medium sized city, with a view to proposing criteria which, considering the specificities of the urban network of Bahia, allow to identify their medium-sized cities. Certainly because it deals, at the same time, of a theoretical debate and a mapping exercise, here does not dissipate the subject at hand. With this paper we intend to establish a starting point for the posterior elaboration of deepening studies about this question and give account of the singularities of these cities. It is understood though its results may provide of subsidies to similar researches to be conducted in other states. This work finds itself divided into four parts, and a brief introduction. Initially, we presented some ideas and concepts, made by different authors, about city and its relationship with urbanization due to industrialization. The second topic was realized a reflection of the theme medium-sized city, which reviews questions related to population size as a principle for their identification, characteristics and roles. Based on these considerations and analysis of some of the peculiarities of the urban network of state, proposed a set of basic criterions to see which of their municipal seats would be so categorized. Finally, we had woven additional discussions on this subject, highlighting the importance of studying it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies on medium-sized cities in Brazil gain prominence in the academic and public policies development in the 1970s. With the new economic context of globalization and territorial reconfigurations, some authors have proposed the use of the term intermediate city or town intermediary, whose scope is built on qualitative criteria, including the idea of a structured space of relations and flows in us. In the Northeast, the urbanization process was slow, fragmented, dispersed geographic and economically, which resulted in a truncated urban network, which consists primarily of its nine regional capitals and about two dozen medium-sized cities, mostly interiorized. It is from this 'urban network northeastern interiorized' we seek to understand the fundamental functions of Pau dos Ferros (RN), Souza and Cajazeiras (PB) in regional development and the role they play in their respective regions of influence that permeate the ray partition RN-PB-CE. A priori these functions would offer enough jobs to accommodate the population surrounding rural and absorb the population of urban are as saturated and ease living conditions. In general terms, what can be seen is that trade and services has a very high relative share in the PIB composition of the three cities, reinforced by the participation of the state, especially the provision of education services, including higher and health, beyond of jobs, particularly in trade and public services, which allows us to treat them as a priori intermediate cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]