10. Human Settlements

• a) Urban settlement
• ✓ b) Rural settlement
• c) Commercial settlement
• d) Industrial settlement

Answer: Rural settlement — low population, more space between houses and agriculture as the main occupation are the characteristics of a rural settlement.

False

In urban settlements, industries, trade, schools, colleges, hospitals and various services are developed more than farming. Most people work in these secondary and tertiary activities. It is in rural settlements that people depend mainly on agriculture.

True

Water bodies, climate, soil and topography are the physical (natural) factors affecting settlements. Settlements grow where water is abundant, as on the banks of the Krishna and the Ganga, where the climate is favourable, as at Pune, and on flat land where farming, transport and building are easy. They are sparse in the hot Thar desert, cold Ladakh and mountainous regions.

False

In rural settlements the spacing between individual houses is more, so they are spread out. In urban settlements the spacing between houses is less and buildings are crowded together, so they are compact.

True

Places with well-developed transport and communication are easy to reach, so trade and industries grow there, jobs increase and people settle in large numbers. Examples are Kolkata and Bengaluru.

False

Population is one difference, but not the only one. Rural and urban settlements also differ in the spacing of houses, economic activities (primary in villages; industries, trade and services in cities), infrastructure (limited in villages, abundant in cities) and surroundings (calm and natural in villages; crowded, noisy and polluted in cities).

1. Basic infrastructure: Good roads connecting the village to nearby towns, safe drinking water supply, regular electricity, drainage and internet connectivity.
2. Education and health facilities: Good schools, digital classrooms, a primary health centre and training centres, so that people need not go to cities for these services.
3. Modern agriculture and local employment: Drip irrigation, improved seeds, farm ponds and market information for farmers, along with small industries such as food processing, dairy and handicrafts to create jobs in the village itself.

These measures would improve life in villages and reduce the migration of people to cities.

• What villages give cities: Food grains, vegetables, fruits and milk; raw materials such as sugarcane, cotton and timber for industries; and workers who migrate to cities for jobs.
• What cities give villages: Manufactured goods such as clothes, machinery, fertilisers and medicines; markets where farmers sell their produce; and services such as large hospitals, colleges, banks, transport and new technology.

Neither can develop without the other. Hence rural and urban settlements are interdependent.

1. Houses: In rural settlements the spacing between houses is more. In urban settlements it is less, and houses and buildings are crowded together.
2. Population: Rural settlements have a low population. Urban settlements have a high population.
3. Infrastructure: Infrastructure is limited in rural settlements. It is abundant in urban settlements — roads, hospitals, banks, markets, transport and communication.
4. Economic activities: Rural settlements depend on primary activities such as agriculture, animal husbandry and fishing. Urban settlements depend on secondary and tertiary activities such as industries, trade and services.
5. Surroundings: Rural surroundings are calm, open and less polluted. Urban surroundings are crowded, noisy and polluted.
6. Examples: Villages such as Ralegan Siddhi and Ajnale are rural settlements. Cities such as Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur are urban settlements.

In rural settlements, agriculture is the main occupation. Farming needs fertile soil, a supply of water and flat land, and farmers need to live near their fields to look after their crops and animals. Related occupations also grow along with farming. So villages develop wherever such land and water are available. Hence rural settlements are mainly found in agricultural regions.

Factories and industries provide employment. People from nearby areas migrate continuously to such places for jobs, and the population grows. To meet the needs of this population, roads, hospitals, banks, markets, shops, transport and communication services develop, and the importance of primary occupations decreases. Examples are Bhiwandi (textile industry) and Jalna (steel industry). Hence urban settlements develop in industrial regions.

In hilly regions the land is uneven and steep, and flat land suitable for farming is available only in small patches. It is difficult to build houses and transport routes there. People therefore build their houses near whichever small piece of land they can cultivate, far from one another. Hence settlements in hilly and mountainous regions are scattered (dispersed).