IGCSE Geography settlements and service provision 1.5

When farms or houses are set among their fields or spread along roads.

• Site

• Linear pattern

• Nucleated settlement

• Dispersed settlement

Houses and buildinga are tightly clustered around a central feature

• Nucleated settlement

• Situation

• Linear pattern

• Dispersed settlement

Settlements are found along a geographical feature such as a river valley or a major transport route

• Range of a good

• Dispersed settlement

• Linear pattern

• Nucleated settlement

The actual land on which a settlement is built

• Situation

• Site

• Dispersed settlement

• Nucleated settlement

The relationship between a settlement and its surrounding area

• High-order functions

• Site

• Low-order functions

• Situation

Basic functions found in smaller settlements (e.g. hamlets)

• Low-order functions

• High-order functions

• Threshold population

• Sphere of influence

More specialised functions and services found in larger settlements (villages and market towns)

• Sphere of influence

• Threshold population

• High-order functions

• Low-order functions

The maximum distance a person is prepared to travel to buy a good.

• Low-order functions

• Range of a good

• Sphere of influence

• High-order functions

The minimum number of people needed to support a good or service

• Population structure

• Dependency ratio

• Densely populated

• Threshold population

The area that a settlement serves

• Situation

• Site

• Sphere of influence

• Range of a good