10. Human Settlements

NCERT Questions:

1. Choose the right answer from the four alternatives given below:

(i) Which one of the following forms of settlement develops along either side of roads, rivers, or canals?

a) Circular

b) Linear

c) Cross shaped

d) Square

Ans. b) Linear

(ii) Which one of the following types of economic activities dominates in all rural settlements?

a) Primary

b) Tertiary

c) Secondary

d) Quaternary

Ans. a) Primary

(iii) In which of the following regions has the oldest well documented urban settlement found?

a) Huang He Valley

b) Indus Valley

c) Nile Valley

d) Mesopotamia

Ans. b) Indus Valley

(iv) How many of the following cities in India have attained the million statuses at the beginning of 2006?

a) 40

b) 42

c) 41

d) 43

Ans. a) 40

(v) Sufficiency of which type of resources can help to create adequate social infrastructure catering to the needs of the large population in the developing countries.

a) Financial

b) Human

c) Natural

d) Social

Ans. c) Natural

2. Answer the following questions in about 30 words:

(i) How do you define a settlement?

Ans. Human settlement is defined as a place inhabited more or less permanently. It may include temporary camps of hunters or herders, and also the permanent settlements called villages, towns, cities or large agglomeration.

(ii) Distinguish between site and situation.

Ans. Site of a place is its exact location, whereas situation is the relative position of a place in relative relation to the surrounding areas and available facilities.

(iii) What is the basis of classifying settlements?

Ans. Settlements can be classified on the basis of residence and main occupation into rural and urban. Settlements may also be classified on the basis of their shape pattern types into compact or nucleated settlements and dispersed settlements.

(iv) How would you justify the study of human settlements in human geography?

Ans. The study of human settlement is basic to human geography because the form of settlement in any particular region reflects human relationship with the environment. Human settlement in any particular area reflects human land association and is affected by physical, economic and social factors; availability of water, type of soil, topography, availability of minerals etc. play an important role in development of any settlement. As it reflects and is deeply affected by the interrelation between human and physical world. It becomes an important part of human geography.

3. Answer the following questions in not more than 150 words:

(i) What are the rural and urban settlements? Mention their characteristics.

Ans. Rural settlements: These settlements are those which have population of less than 5000 people and density of less than 400 persons and more than 75% people are engaged in primary activities.

Characteristics:

a) Most of the people are engaged in primary activities. They directly depend on land resources for their livelihood.

b) The population of villages is less and they have less density of people.

c) They depend on urban areas for obtaining manufactured consumer goods, whereas they are providers for all primary products.

d) They lack in both economic and social infrastructure.

Urban settlements: The Census of India defines urban settlement as all places which have municipality, corporation and cantonment board or notified town area committee and have a minimum population of 5000 persons. At least 75% of male workers are engaged in non- agricultural pursuit and density of population at least 400 person/ square kilometre are defined as urban.

Characteristics

a) The population as well as population density of urban areas is very high.

b) Most of the people are engaged in secondary and tertiary activities.

c) They depend on rural areas for raw material and primary products. They are supplier of manufactured and consumer goods.

d) They have advanced social and economic infrastructure.

(ii) Discuss the problems associated with urban settlements in developing countries.

Ans. People flock to cities to avail of employment opportunities and civic amenities. Since most cities in developing countries are unplanned, it creates severe congestion. Shortage of housing, vertical expansion and growth of slums are characteristic features of modern cities of developing countries. In many cities, an increasing proportion of the population lives in substandard housing. Eg – Slums and squatter settlements

Economic problems:

a) The decreasing employment opportunities in the rural as well as smaller urban areas of the developing countries consistently push the population to the urban areas.

b) The enormous migrant population generates a pool of unskilled and semi-skilled labour force which is already saturated in urban areas.

c) This increases the pressure on existing infrastructure of cities.

Social cultural problems:

a) Cities in the developing countries suffer from several social ills.

b) Insufficient financial resources failed to create adequate social infrastructure catering to the basic needs of the huge population.

c) The available educational and health facilities remain beyond the research of the urban poor.

d) Lack of employment and education tends to aggravate the crime rates.

e) Male selective migration to the urban areas distorts the sex ratio in these cities.

f) Also, many people flocking to these areas are unable to adjust changed conditions hence face social isolation which leads them to depression and also to crimes like alcoholism and drug abuse.

Environmental problems:

a) The large urban population in developing countries not only use is but also disposes of a huge quantity of water and all types of waste materials.

b) Many cities to the developing countries even find it extremely difficult to provide the minimum required quantity of portable water and water for domestic and industrial uses.

c) Massive use of traditional fuel in the domestic as well as the industrial sector severely pollutes the air.

d) Huge concrete structures erected to accommodate the population and economy play a very conducive role to create heat islands.

Question Bank

Very short answer type questions:

1. How the settlements are classified based on shapes?

Ans. The major types of settlements classified by shapes are:

a. Compact or nucleated settlements

b. Dispersed settlements

2. What are the predominant activities in the rural settlements of the world?

Ans. Rural settlements are dominated by primary activities such as agriculture, animal husbandry fishing etc.

3. What does the pattern of rural settlements reflect?

Ans. Patterns of rural settlements reflect the way the houses are cited in relation to each other.

4. What factors influence the shape and size of a village?

Ans. The factors that influence the shape and size of a village are the site of the village, the surrounding topography and the terrain of the area.

5. Which urban center is the first to reach 1 million marks?

Ans. London is the first million city of the world and it reached one billion marks by 1810.

6. How sight of a place is different from its situation?

Ans. Sight of a place is its exact location whereas situation is the relative position of a place in relation to the surrounding areas and available facilities.

7. Which is the first mega city of the world?

Ans. New York is the first city to become mega city in 1950 with 12.5 million people.

8. Which continent has the largest number of million cities in the world?

Ans. Asia has the largest number of million cities in the world.

9. How many mega cities are there in the world?

Ans. The number of Mega Cities in the World varies depending on the sources and criteria used, but in 2024 different sources list between 32 and 45 megacities with a significant number located in China and India.

10. Which architect planned the capital of Australia?

Ans. Canberra, the capital of Australia was planned by American architect Walter Burley Griffin in 1912.

11. What does the name of Ethiopian capital Indicate?

Ans. The name of the Ethiopian Capital Addis Ababa indicates new city (Addis – new, Ababa- flower) and was established in 1878.

12. What is the main cause of urbanization?

Ans. The most important cause of urbanization is rural urban migration. During the late 1990s some 20 to 30 million people were living in countryside every year and moving into towns and cities.

13. What are administrative towns?

Ans. E.g. New Delhi, Canberra, Beijing, Addis Ababa, Washington DC, London etc.

14. What are trading and commercial towns?

Ans. It includes important agricultural market towns (Winnipeg and Kansas City); Banking and financial centers (Frankfurt and Amsterdam); large inland centers (Manchester and St louis) and transport nodes (Lahore Bagdad and Agra).

15. What is the main cause of congestion in urban areas?

Ans. Most cities in India are unplanned which is the main cause of congestion and migration from rural areas to main cities is another reason.

16. What do you understand by human settlement?

Ans. Human settlement means cluster of dwellings of any type or size where human beings live.

17. What is the meaning of planned rural settlements?

Ans. Planned rural settlements are constructed by governments by providing shelter, water and other infrastructures on acquired lands.

18. Give any two examples of conurbation from the world.

Ans. Greater London and Manchester, Tokyo

19. Explain the meaning of rural settlements.

Or

What are rural settlements?

Ans. Rural settlements are most closely and directly related to land. They are dominated by primary activities such as agriculture animal husbandry fishing etc. They are relatively small in size.

20. Name the rural settlement pattern that develops around lakes or ponds in the world.

Ans. Circular pattern

21. Name the rural settlement pattern that develops along road rivers and canals in the world.

Ans. Linear pattern

22. Mention any two characteristics of sub urbanization.

Ans. People move away from congested urban areas to cleaner areas outside the city.

Everyday thousands of people commute from their homes in the suburbs to their workplaces in the city.

23. Which are the two major types of settlements according to their shape found in the world?

Ans. Two major types of settlements are

a. Compact settlement

b. Dispersed settlement

24. What are cultural towns? Do they perform some other functions also? Mention.

Ans. E.g. Jerusalem, Makkah, Jagannath Puri, Varanasi etc. These urban centers are of great religious importance. Additional functions which the city perform are health and recreation.

25. Towns and cities of developed and developing countries reflect marked differences in planning and development. How?

Ans. Towns and cities of developed and developing countries reflect marked differences in planning and development. Most cities in developed countries are planned. Most urban settlements of developing countries have evolved historically with irregular shapes e.g. Chandigarh and Canberra are planned cities while smaller towns in India have evolved historically from walled cities to large urban sprawls.

Short answer type questions:

1. Give the census definition of urban settlements in India.

Ans. The census of India 1991 defines urban settlements as:

a. All places which have municipality corporation and cantonment board or notified town area committee.

b. Have a minimum population of 5000.

c. At least 75% of male workers are engaged in non-agriculture pursuits.

d. Density of population of at least 400 people per square kilometer.

2. What are the criteria of classifying rural settlement of the world?

Ans. Rural settlements may be classified on a number of criteria on the basis of setting the main types are:

a. Village in plains

b. Village in plateaus

c. Village in coastal regions

d. Village in forests

e. Village in deserts

On the basis of function:

a. Farming village

b. Fisherman village

c. Lumberjack village

d. Pastoral village

On the basis of forms or shapes of settlements. These may be a number of geometric forms and shapes such as:

a. Linear

b. Rectangular

c. Circular

d. Starlike

e. T and Y shaped village

f. Double village (either side of a river) etc.

3. Compare the settlements pattern of the world on the basis of shape.

Ans. Settlements may be classified by their shape, pattern, types. The major types classified by shape are:

Compact or nuclear settlements: These attendants are those in which large numbers of houses are built very close to each other. Communities are closely knit and share common occupations. Such settlements develop along river valleys and fertile plains.

Dispersed settlements: In this type of settlement, houses are spaced apart from each other and often interspersed with fields. A cultural feature such as place of worship or market binds the settlement together.

4. Show the significance of location for urban center. Give example.

Ans. Location of urban centers is examined with reference to their functions. Example: the requirements of a holiday resort are quite different from that of a military center, seaport or a mining town. Strategic towns require sites offering natural defense mining terms require the presence of economically valuable minerals where ports require a harbor etc. Earlier urban settlements were based on the availability of water, fertile land and building materials. Today modern technology plays a significant role in locating urban settlements far away from the source of these materials. For example, piped water can be supplied to a distant settlement away from the source. Today apart from size situation plays an important role in the expansion of the town.

For example: Centers located closer to transport links have experienced rapid development.

5. What is a healthy city?

Ans. As per the suggestions of World Health Organization a healthy city must have:

a. A clean and safe environment

b. Meets the basic needs of all its inhabitants

c. Involves the community in local government

d. Provides easily accessible health service

6. What is meant by urban strategy?

Ans. The United Nations Development program has outlined the following priorities as part of its urban strategy:

a. Increasing shelter for the poor

b. Provision of basic services such as education, primary health care, clean water and sanitation

c. Improving women’s access to basic services and governmental facilities

d. Upgrading energy use and alternative transport system.

e. Reducing air pollution

7. “There is no consensus on what exactly defines a village or a town”. Justify the statement with examples.

Ans. Settlement is classified into urban and rural but there is no consensus:

a. Population size is a small in rural settlements than urban settlements. But it is not universally applied because many villages of India and China have population exceeding that of some towns of Western Europe and the United States.

b. People living in villages pursue agriculture or other primary activities, but presently in developed countries large section of urban populations prefer to live in villages even though they work in the city.

c. Petrol pumps are considered as a rural function in the United States while it is an urban function in India.

d. Facilities available in the villages of developed countries may be considered rare in villages of developing and less developed countries.

8. How are urban settlements classified around the world?

Or

What are the three common basis of classifying a settlement as urban around the world?

Or

What are the criteria for classification of urban settlement of the world?

Ans. Urban settlements are classified on the basis of size of the population occupational structure and administration:

a. Population size: In India a settlement having population of more than 5000 persons is called urban. In Japan it is 30,000 persons whereas in Sweden it is 250 persons. The cutoff figure depends on the density of population in the country.

b. Occupational structure: Besides population size occupation is also taken as a criterion. In India if more than 75% of workforce is engaged in non-agricultural activities then the settlement is called as urban. Other countries have their own criteria for example in Italy it is 50% of workforce.

c. Administrative structure: In India a settlement is classified as urban effect if it has municipality, cantonment board or a notified area. In Brazil any administrative center is termed as urban irrespective of its population.

9. Explain the role of site and situation in determining the location and expansion of towns.

Ans. Location of urban centers is influenced by their functions. Site refers to the actual piece of ground on which the settlement is built. Situation refers to the location of the settlement in relation to the surrounding areas:

a. Strategic towns require sites offering natural defense

b. Mining towns require the presence of economically valuable minerals

c. Industrial towns generally need local energy supplies or raw materials

d. Tourist centers require attractive scenery or a marine beach or spring with medicinal water or historical relics.

10. State any four important functions of urban centers.

Ans. The important centers are:

a. The earlier functions of towns were related to administration trade industry

b. Defense and religion

c. Today towns perform multiple functions such as recreational, residential, transport, mining, manufacturing and activities related to information technology.

d. Some towns are known for their functions for example Sheffield as an industrial city, London as a port city, Chandigarh as an administrative city.

e. Large cities have a rather greater diversity of functions

11. Explain the town planning of Addis Ababa.

Ans. The name of Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa means ‘The New flower’. It is a ‘new’ city:

a. Established in 1878

b. The road pattern bears the influence of the local topography. The roads radiate from the government headquarters Piazza Arat and Kilo roundabouts.

c. Mercado as markets which grew with time and is supposed to be the largest market between Cairo and Johannesburg.

d. A multi faculty university a medical college a number of good schools makes Addis Ababa an educational center. It is also the terminal station for the Djibouti Addis Ababa rail route. Bole airport is a relatively new airport.

e. The city has witnessed rapid growth because of its multi-functional nature. It is a large nodal center located in the center of Ethiopia

12. What is sub-urbanization? Mention the causes of sub-urbanization.

Ans. It is a new trend of people moving away from congested urban areas to cleaner areas outside the city in search of a better quality of living. Causes of sub urbanization:

a. Congestion in urban areas

b. Deterioration in civic amenities

c. Unhealthy environmental conditions

d. High rate of land

13. Town and cities of developed and developing countries reflect marked differences in planning and development. How?

Ans. Towns and cities of developed and developing countries reflect marked differences in planning and development. While most cities in developed countries are planned most urban settlements of developing countries have evolved historically with irregular shapes. For example: Chandigarh and Canberra are planned cities while smaller towns in India have evolved historically from walled cities to large urban sprawls.

14. What is the basic difference between towns and villages?

Ans.

15. Distinguish between rural and urban settlements.

Ans.

16. Differentiate between compact and dispersed settlements.

Ans.

17. Classify settlements of the world on the basis of their shape in two categories mention any three characteristics of each

Or

Classify human settlements of the world into two types by their shape explain any two features of each.

Ans. Following are the two major types of settlements:

a. Compact or nucleated settlement

b. Dispersed settlements

a. Features of compact settlement:

• Such settlements develop along river valleys and in fertile plains.
• In such type of settlements, a large number of houses are built very close to each other.
• Communities are closely knit and share common occupations.

b. Dispersed settlements:

• A cultural feature such as a place of worship or a market finds the settlement together.
• In these settlements houses are spaced far apart.
• They are often interspersed with fields.

18. Explain with examples the population size criteria used by most countries to define urban areas.

Ans. The lower limit of the population size for the settlement to be designated as urban is:

• 10,500 in Colombia 2000 in Argentina and Portugal 2500 in USA and Thai and 30,000 in Japan at 5000 in India.
• Besides the size of population density of 400 persons/km² and share of non-agricultural workers is taken into consideration in India
• Countries with low density of population may choose a lower number as the cut off figure compared to densely populated countries.
• In Denmark Sweden and Finland all faces with the population size of 250 percent are called urban.
• The minimum population for a city is 300 in Iceland whereas in Canada and Venezuela it is 1000 persons.

19. Study the table given below and answer the questions that follow:

Continent wise distribution of million cities:

a. Name the two continents which has shown the highest growth rate of million cities from 1950 to 2000.

            Ans. Asia and Africa

b. What could have been the reason for such a growth of million cities?

            Ans. Since most of the cities are unplanned so they face several problems people             flock to the cities from the rural areas to avail employment opportunities and civic           amenities

c. Write the meaning of a million cities.

            Ans. City with a population of one million is called a million cities.

Long answer type questions:

1. List the factors that affect the location of rural settlement of the world.

Ans. The rural settlements for the world are influenced by the following factors:

a. Water supply: usually rural settlements are located near water bodies like rivers or lakes or easy access to water. Since water is essential for survival so the need for water forces people to settle on swamps or floodplains. Water bodies provide water for drinking, cooking, washing as well as to irrigate farmland, fishing activity and for transportation.

b. Land: People settle near fertile lands like the rolling meadows in Europe and low-lying areas or river valleys and coastal plains of Southeast Asia for rice cultivation.

c. Upland: Higher grounds which are not prone to flooding are another factor which influences location of rural settlements.

d. People generally avoid the low-lying river basins and choose to settle on dry points that is terrace and levees. In tropical countries people build their houses on stilts to protect themselves from flood, insects and animal pests.

e. Building material: The availability of building materials that is wood, stone near settlement is another advantage. Early villages were built in forest clearings where wood was easily available. In African savanna the building material is mud bricks and Eskimos in polar areas use ice blocks to construct igloos.

f. Defense: In order to avoid political instability, hostility of neighboring groups village was built on defensive hills and islands. Example in Nigeria Inselberg act as good defensive site. In India folds are built on high grounds.

g. Planned settlements: These are built by governments where they provide shelter, water and other infrastructures. Example the scheme of village in Ethiopia and colonies in Rajasthan Canal Command area.

2. Classify the rural settlements of the world on the basis of forms or shapes of the settlements.

Or

Explain different types of rural settlements patterns on the basis of the shapes of the settlements.

Ans. Rural settlements of the world can be classified on the basis of forms or shapes of settlements as:

a. Linear: In such settlement’s houses are located along a road railway line river canal edge or a valley all along in levee.

b. Rectangular pattern: Such patterns of rural settlements are found in plain areas or in wide intermountain valleys. The roads are rectangular and cut each other at right angles.

c. Circular pattern: These develop around lakes or tanks and sometimes a village is planned in such a way that the central part remains open and is used for keeping the animals to protect them from wild animals.

d. Start like pattern: Where several roads converge star shaped settlements developed by the houses build along the roads.

e. T-shaped, Y-shaped, Cross shaped or cruciform settlement: T shaped settlements develop at trijunctions of road, Y-shaped settlements emerge at the place where two roads converge on the third one and houses are built along these roads. Cruciform settlements develop on the crossroads and houses extend in all four directions.

f. Double village: These villages extend on both sides of river where there is a bridge or a ferry facility.

3. List the problems of rural settlement of the world in the developing country.

Ans. The rural settlements in developing countries are large in number and lack basic infrastructural facilities. Some of them are as under:

a. Inadequate supply of water especially in the mountainous and arid areas. Women have to walk long distances to fetch drinking water.

b. Countries of South Asia face drought and flood very often which leads to waterborne diseases like jaundice, cholera and aridity leads to crop failure due to lack of irrigation.

c. Absence of toilet and garbage disposal facilities cause health related problems.

d. The houses made up of mud, wood, thatch get damaged easily during heavy rains and floods and lack ventilation. They include animal shed and storing area as well.

e. Un-metaled roads during rainy season cut off the settlement and pose serious difficulties.

f. The villages generally lack adequate health and educational infrastructure for their population, especially in areas of dispersed settlements.

4. Classify urban settlements of the world on basis of size and the services available and functions rendered.

Ans. Depending on the basis of the size and the services available functions rendered urban centers of the world are classified as town, city, million city, conurbation and megalopolis.

a. Town: The concept of town is understood with reference to village. Population size is not the only criteria. In the towns specific functions like manufacturing retail and wholesale trade and professional services exist.

b. City: City is regarded as a leading town and is much larger than the other regional towns and have a greater number of economic functions. Cities generally have transport terminals, financial institutions and regional administrative offices.

c. Million cities: When the population of a city crosses the one million marks, it is designated as a million city. The number of million cities in the world has been increasing. London first reached the million-mark followed by Paris and New York.

d. Conurbation: The term was coined by Patrick Gaddis in 1915 and applied to a large area of urban development that resulted from the merging of originally separated towns and cities. Example Greater London, Manchester, Tokyo, Chicago etc.

e. Megalopolis: It is a Greek word meaning great city was popularized by Jean Gottman (1957) and signifies super metropolitan region extending as union of conurbations. The urban landscape stretching from Boston in the north to Washington in the South USA is an example of megalopolis. Maga city or megalopolis is a general term for cities together with their suburbs with a population of more than 10 million. New York was the first to attend the mark.

5. Give the broad functional classification of towns of the world.

Ans. In spite of towns performing multiple functions, we refer and classify them according to their dominant function. For example: London as a port city, Chandigarh as an administrative town. Large cities are multifunctional and gradually develop new functions over time. Towns and cities are classified into following categories:

a. Administrative Towns: National Capitals which house the administrative offices of central governments such as New Delhi, Canberra, Beijing etc. are called administrative towns.

b. Provincial towns can also have administrative functions example Victoria Albania.

c. Trading and Commercial Towns: Agricultural market towns such as Winnipeg and Kansas City; banking and financial centers like Frankfurt and Amsterdam; large inland centers like Manchester and St louis and transport nodes such as Lahore, Bagdad and Agra have been important trading centers.

d.Cultural towns: Places of pilgrimage such as Jerusalem, Mecca, Varanasi etc. are considered cultural towns. These urban centers are of great religious importance. Additional functions which the cities perform are health and recreation (Miami and Panaji), industrial (Pittsburgh and Jamshedpur), mining and quarrying (Broken Hill and Dhanbad), and transport (Singapore and Mughalsarai).

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