GEOGRA

Settlement: is 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.

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Site

Situation

•the features and
characteristics of the
actual point at which the
settlement is located

•the location of the settlement in
relation to its surroundings –
things like communications,
other settlements, rivers, relief

Match up the correct term (key word) to the definition (meaning)

Situation: is defined as the
location of a place in relation
to its surroundings and
other places.

•Rural:
•Basically the countryside.
Rural areas do contain small
settlements of less than 10,000
people e.g. hamlets and
villages.

Settlement Patterns

Dispersed

Linear

Nucleated

Nucleated

Linear

Dispersed

When all the houses in a
settlement are built
very close together,
often around a central
village or church.
Also called clustered
settlement pattern.

This is a settlement that
has grown in a line. The
line doesn't have to be
straight, but will
normally follow a road,
a river, the coast or the
valley floor.

When individual buildings
are separated by several
hundred meters. They are
individual isolated
buildings and do not form
a single settlement.
Dispersed settlement
traditionally occurred in an
area of adverse physical
conditions where natural
resources are insufficient to
support more than a few
people. Also called
scattered settlement
pattern.

Features of the settlement patterns:

Nucleated, Linear or Dispersed?

Why?

Nucleated, Linear or Dispersed?

Why?

Nucleated, Linear or Dispearsed?

Why?

Nucleated, Linear or Dispersed?

Why?

Nucleated, Linear or Dispearsed?

Why?

•Hierarchy:
• Placing things in an order of
importance.

•Settlement hierarchy:
•Is a way of arranging settlements into
a hierarchy based upon their
population or some other criteria.

•Threshold population:
•Is the minimum number of people
necessary before a particular good or
service can be provided in an area.

•Services:
•Facilities that are offered to people
e.g. supermarket, cinema, school or
train station. Services have a
threshold population, which helps
explain why bigger settlements have
more services.

•High Order Goods (Comparison):
•Goods that people buy less frequently.
They tend to be more expensive and people
will normally compare quality and price
before purchasing e.g. a TV, car or holiday.
•Low Order Goods (Convenience):
•Goods that people buy every day. They
don't usually cost much money and people
would not normally travel far to buy them
e.g. bread and milk.

Settlement Hierarchy Pyramid

Larger settlements and conurbations
have a much larger sphere of
influence than smaller ones. This means
they attract people from a wider area
because of the facilities they offer. Cities
such as London have a global sphere of
influence, whereas a small hamlet or
village may only have a sphere of
influence of a couple of kilometres.

Amount of people living in a
settlement is not always a good
way of determining the hierarchy
of a settlement. Sometimes, the
types of services that are found in
a settlement can determine its
hierarchy.

What is the function of a settlement?

The function of a settlement refers to what a settlement
does/ this relates to its economic and social development
and its main activities.

• Every settlement has a function.

• However, most settlements are multi-functional (have

more than one function) e.g. London, so different
parts of the same settlement often have different
functions.

• In addition, most settlements have had a change in

function over time. For example, Rhondda in South
Wales was a coal mining village but now has a tourist
function (mining museum).

Residential – The main function of most settlements is to provide a place for
people to live – this does not mean that they also work there. Designed to
accommodate a commuting or resettled population

Administrative – Local authority offices run the local services. Can also include
national government offices and the monarchy.

Industrial – Goods are manufactures in factories. These are often located around
the outskirts of the settlement

Commercial – Shopping centres and recreation facilities such as sport centres
and cinemas which provide services for people

Services – Settlements contain public services such as schools, hospitals and
libraries. These also provide jobs for the residents.

Tourism – Some settlements have many facilities that attract other people to
visit the area. Many coastal settlements change from being fishing villages to
holiday resorts.

Ports: gateway for import/export trade and fishing, e.g. Plymouth, Portsmouth

Mining Towns: based around mineral sites/a coal mine, e.g. Shincliffe (Durham)

Route Centres: central in communications networks, e.g. Swindon

Cultural & Religious: historical attraction e.g. York, Stratford-upon-Avon

Academic services: usually oldest university centres, e.g. Cambridge, Oxford

Market Town: based around trade, e.g. Guildford

Administrative: tax or registration centres, e.g. Swindon

Function

Place example(s)

Retail/Commercial

Residential

Port

Market

Manufacturing/industrial

Tourism

Entertainment

Administrative/Government

Transport

Finance

Sport