Settlement Flashcards
Def. Settlement
A place where people live.
A settlement may be as small as a single house in a remote area or as a large as a mega city (a city with over 10 million residents).
Def. Site
The ground on which the settlement stands, in terms of its physical characteristics.
Def. Situation
The location of the settlement relative to its surroundings, described in relation to other settlements, rivers, transport lines etc.
Def. Service
Any activity that fulfils a human want or need and returns money to those who provide it.
(In sorting out where services are distributed in space, geographers see a close link between services and settlements, because services are located in settlements).
Def. Function
The function of a settlement of a settlement relates to its social and economic development and refers to its main activities.
Def. Hierarchy
Placing things in order of importance.
In settlement hierarchy this involves placing settlements in order from the largest population centre to the smallest population centre.
What factors make a site good for settlement?
- High or surrounded by water for Defence
- Slope orientation towards the South for warmth
- Natural protection from wind
- Abailable building materials e.g. wood or rock
- Nodal point, Confluence of 2 natural routes for trade
- Near fresh water supply e.g. River or Lake
- Dry point site where flooding is unlikely
- Bridging point over a river
- Flat land which is easy to build on/no restrictions
What are the 3 different settlement shapes, and why do they typically occur?
- Dispersed - Where individual buildings are spread out in an area, with no clear centre, usually farms
- Linear - Buildings arranged in a linear pattern due to following a river, a coast or a valley
- Nucleated - Where buildings are grouped together, normally around a crossroads or church
Describe dispersed settlements and their characteristics
Where isolated buildings are spread out across an area, usually separated by a few hundred metres with no central focus.
It is typically an area
- containing buildings rather than a single settlement
- that is remote or mountainous regions
- where the land is predominantly used for agriculture
- areas with limited job opportunities
- locations with few, if any, job opportunities
The population is sparsely distributed in a dispersed settlement. There are usually no services in a dispersed settlement.
Describe linear settlements and their characteristics
A linear settlement pattern occurs in a line or arc shape. They typically follow a road, valley or water body. This allows the settlement to utilise transport routes. They can also occur along valley floors where the sides are very steep.
Desribe nucleated settlements and their characteristics
A nucleated settlement occurs in a circular shape with buildings mainly concentrated around a common centre such as a road junction, park or service area. Most large cities are nucleated, indicating they are well planned. Nucleation occurs due to:
- flat relief which is easy to build on
- the site has a bridging point
- the site is a good defensive position
- a good water supply
- no restrictions to development in any direction
- good job opportunities
- effective public services
- good transport links
What are the possible functions of settlements?
- Mining town
- Tourist resort
- Residential
- Market Town
- Administration
- Commercial
- Cultural/Religious
- Port
- Manufacturing
- Route centre
Large settlements usually are multiple of these
What s the order of hierarchy for settlement sizes?
- Isolated dwelling
- Hamlet
- Village
- Small town
- Large town
- City
- Conurbation
Smallest to largest settlements
What is the Threshhold Population?
The number of shops and services in a settlement depends upon the threshold population, which is the minimum number of people required by a shop/service to make a profit. Shops and services are classified according to their threshold population.
Def. Low order goods/services
Convenience goods or services such as milk or bread.
