The ‘shopping mall’ fits the American archetype: one-stop shopping for anything imaginable, huge ornate spaces designed for leisure/time-wasting, and food courts that will fatten your belly as your wallet thins — overall, a giant excuse to indulge in consumerism. They’re big and glitzy and they’re everywhere in the US.

But for all the American-ness of the shopping mall, it seems that many of the world’s biggest centers of consumerism are outside of our borders…

#8 – SM Megamall

Mandaluyong City, Philippines

Open since 1991, the SM Megamall in the Philippines boasts 3.6 million square feet in gross leasable area.  Besides shopping, visitors can enjoy activities like bowling, ice skating, movie-going at a 12-cinema theater, and several arcades.  The Manila clinic also sees patients here and several hair and nail salons operate within the mall.

#7 – West Edmonton Mall

Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Open to the public since 1981, the West Edmonton Mall is the second biggest mall in North America but only #7 in the world.  The 3.8 million square feet of leasable area are filled with over 800 stores.  It also contains a water park, skating rink, casino, and amusement park rides.

#6 – Mall of America

Bloomington, Minnesota, USA

Here we are, American commerce!  With a total gross area of 4.2 million sq ft (2.5 million of which is retail space), the mall offers over 500 stores on three levels in one huge rectangle.  The east side of the mall has a fourth level as well.  The Mall of America has over 12,000 parking spaces to support its huge customer volume.  Once plans for a new addition to the mall are completed, the Mall of America will probably appear higher up on this list!

#5 – Cevahir Istanbul

Istanbul, Turkey

Since 2005, this 3.8 million sq ft mall has reigned as Europe’s largest shopping mall.  It is home to five floors of retail stores, a roller coaster, wave pool, and several IMAX theaters.  Personally, I love the full-size palm trees.

#4 – SM Mall of Asia

Passay City, Philippines

Yes, this is the second SM mall in the Philippines to be featured on this short list.  At 4.2 million square feet, this one is even bigger than the first one we mentioned.  Opened in 2006, it houses an Olympic-size swimming pool as well as the first IMAX theater to open in the Philippines.  This mall includes four entire buildings and uses as 20-seat tram to bus around customers.

#3 – Golden Resources Shopping Mall

Beijing, China

Open since 2004, the Golden Resources Shopping Mall is appropriately titled.  It’s stacked five stories tall, with 6 million square feet of leasable area, and 1000 stores selling global brands.  Brand new apartments and offices were built around the mall – it’s like a whole new city in itself.

#2 – South China Mall

Dongguan, China

Like the Philippines, China has two malls on this list… but China’s malls are bigger!  The South China Mall isn’t quite as big as the entire south of China, but it’s trying to be.  This mall measures 7.1 million square feet and it opened one year after the Golden Resources as primary competition.  This mall has wind mills and multiple theme parks, as we as a replica of Paris’s Arc de Triomphe.  In China, apparently, you go big or go home.  View the video here.

#1 – The Dubai Mall

Dubai, UAE

As the largest mall on the planet Earth, Dubai Mall puts the other competitors to shame.  This $20 billion-dollar mall houses 1,200 shops, the Dubai Aquarium and Discovery Centre, and about 10-15 different “malls within a mall.”  Though it is not the largest in gross leasable space, the total volume of this mall is second to none.  Much of this space is used for a 250-room luxury hotel, 22-screen movie theater, and 120 restaurants and cafes. The Dubai Mall opened in late 2008.  View the video here