CHAPTER 3

SETTLEMENTS
Learning Outcomes
You Will Learn:
to compare the characteristics of rural and
urban settlements
to describe settlement patterns on a
topographical map
What is a Settlement?
A settlement is a place where people gather to live
and carry out activities such as farming, trading
and manufacturing.
The size of a settlement grows with the increase of
people and may evolve into a village, town or city
depending on the population size and nature of
activities carried out.
The people in an Eskimo village in the
Arctic carry out simple activities like
fishing.
A busy city filled with people leading
fast-paced hectic lives and activities.
Types of Settlements
A settlement can be classified into rural or urban
settlement.
This classification depends on four factors:
Population size and density
- the number of people living in the settlement
Main function
- main activities carried out by the people within the settlement
Amenities
- types of facilities available
Way of life
- how people live
Rural Settlement
Farming is a common activity
in rural settlements.
A settlement where majority of the people are involved
in activities such as farming, mining and fishing.
Population size and density
The population is often small and the population
density is unusually low.
Main function
The main function is usually
fishing, mining, hunting,
growing of crops or rearing of
livestock.
Rural Settlement
A house in a rural
settlement with minimum
basic necessities.
Amenities
There are usually few amenities such as schools,
roads, clinics and post offices to cater to the daily
needs of the people. Power supply and piped water
are also not readily available.

Way of life
The lives of people are
closely related to the
settlements main function
and physical environment.
These people usually meet
and communicate only with
people from their settlement
and seldom travel out of it.

Urban Settlement
A settlement where majority of the people are involved
in activities such as manufacturing and business.
A shopping mall in an urban settlement
providing a variety of goods and services.
Population size and density
The population is often large.
The population density is higher than that of a rural
settlement and people live in buildings that are built
close together.

Main function
The main function is usually manufacturing or business.
People gather to produce,
distribute and sell goods
and services in such places.

Urban Settlement
A good transport network is essential
for the transportation of goods and
people from place to place.
Amenities
A lot of facilities are available because a good system of
transport, communications, power supply and water
supply is needed for industries and businesses to run
smoothly.
A wide range of goods and services are also provided.

Way of life
People are mainly involved in providing goods and
services, and earn relatively higher
incomes compared to people living
in rural settlements.
Their livelihoods do not depend
as much on the physical
environment as compared
to a rural settlement.


Settlement Patterns
A settlement pattern shows how buildings are
arranged in a settlement.
There are three types of settlement patterns
dispersed, linear and nucleated.
Legend
House ------
Road ------ ___
Settlement Patterns
Dispersed settlement patterns
Dispersed settlements are made up of individual
buildings scattered over a wide area.
Buildings may be separated by large open spaces,
farmlands, forests or grasslands.
In places where natural resources or fertile soil is limited,
people spread out to ensure there is enough land to
cultivate crops or to obtain resources from the ground.
In hilly areas, people disperse
to settle in the best places
available.
Settlement Patterns
Linear settlement patterns
Linear settlements are located along main transport
routes such as roads, railways, rivers and canals.
They are made up of individual buildings arranged in a
linear pattern taking after the pattern of transport
routes.
Transport routes make
travelling easy and also
serve as a livelihood for
the people living in such
settlements.
Buildings arranged in a linear
fashion along the river.
Settlement Patterns
Nucleated settlement patterns
Nucleated settlements are made of buildings clustered
together in a compact area, which is usually the
meeting point of transport routes.
The buildings are clustered together so that resources
such as water and electricity can be shared.
Sometimes this could also
be due to a shortage
of flat land for the buildings
to spread out.
Buildings clustered near a port.
Settlement Patterns on a
Topographical Map
Describing settlement patterns on a topographical map
Topographical maps provide useful information to help
identify and describe certain settlement patterns in an
area.
They can reveal the history of a settlement, its dominant
functions, the population density and the peoples way
of life.
As a countrys population grows and its human
activities become more complex, the number and
variety of settlements also increase. Thus a combination
of the three types of settlement patterns can often be
observed from the topographical maps.