Gr 12 Geography
SETTLEMENT GEOGRAPHY
1. The concept of settlement
A grouping of people, activities and buildings is called a settlement.
A place where a group of people live
A settlement is a place where:
ü A group of people live
ü An infrastructure exists
ü Buildings occur
ü Social and economic activities happen
2. Site and situation
Site = the actual place where a settlement is found.
Situation = The settlement in relation to its surrounding environment.
SITE:
Many factors influence the choice of a site:
ü Physical factors: availability of resources such as water, fertile soil and grazing.
ü Economic factors: availability of valuable minerals that can be mined.
ü Trade and transport factors: availability of natural harbour or the crossing point of a
large river.
ü Cultural or social factors: new towns develop away from existing urban settlements due
to congestion, pollution and overpopulation. They are designed to:
Ø Improve living conditions and lifestyles of people
Ø Attract light industries to provide employment
Ø Have road networks that allow for easy traffic flow
Ø Provide easy access to schools, clinics, shops etc.
ü Political factors:
Government policies can influences site of settlement. SA government created new
settlements due to need for housing:
Ø Ivory Park Village in Midrand
Ø Kutlwanong near Kimberley
ü Historical factors:
Some settlements needed defensive sites to protect them from invaders.
1
,SITUATION:
Features surrounding the site are referred to, e.g:
ü Soil
ü Climate
ü Other settlements
ü Rivers
ü Geology
ü Vegetation.
Features that define a settlement’s situation usually influence the type of activity that will be
carried out in the settlement.
3. Rural and urban settlements
Rural settlement = a small settlement with a small population involved in primary activities, the
settlement is unifunctional
Urban settlement = a large settlement with a large settlement with a large population involved in
secondary, tertiary and quaternary activities. The settlement is multifunctional.
SIZE AND POPULATION:
Population size and
RURAL URBAN
settlement size
SMALL LARGE LARGEST
Isolated Town Metropolis
farmstead
City Conurbation
Hamlet
megalopolis
Village
ECONOMIC ACTIVITY AND FUNCTION
Rural settlements = UNIFUNCTION: one function – mainly primary activities (farming, fishing,
forestry or mining)
Urban settlements = MULTIFUNCTIONAL: wide variety of functions – secondary
(manufacturing), tertiary (trade, transport, education, service, administration) and quaternary
(law, finance, media, research, IT) activities.
SERVICES
In rural settlements – services such as high schools, universities, hospitals, shopping malls and
public transport = not available or limited.
2
, LAND USE
Urban areas = settlements are dense and buildings closely grouped, great variety and mixture of
land use – residential, industrial, commercial and recreational.
Rural areas = settlements are widely spaced – land use = one or two activities.
4. Settlement classification according to size, complexity, pattern
and function
SIZE AND COMPLEXITY
SMALL LARGE
Isolated farmstead hamlet village town city metropolis conurbation megalopolis
RURAL URBAN
PATTERN
Ø Nucleated: settlements form a dense grouping of buildings
Ø Dispersed: settlements are isolated and spaced far apart from each other.
3
SETTLEMENT GEOGRAPHY
1. The concept of settlement
A grouping of people, activities and buildings is called a settlement.
A place where a group of people live
A settlement is a place where:
ü A group of people live
ü An infrastructure exists
ü Buildings occur
ü Social and economic activities happen
2. Site and situation
Site = the actual place where a settlement is found.
Situation = The settlement in relation to its surrounding environment.
SITE:
Many factors influence the choice of a site:
ü Physical factors: availability of resources such as water, fertile soil and grazing.
ü Economic factors: availability of valuable minerals that can be mined.
ü Trade and transport factors: availability of natural harbour or the crossing point of a
large river.
ü Cultural or social factors: new towns develop away from existing urban settlements due
to congestion, pollution and overpopulation. They are designed to:
Ø Improve living conditions and lifestyles of people
Ø Attract light industries to provide employment
Ø Have road networks that allow for easy traffic flow
Ø Provide easy access to schools, clinics, shops etc.
ü Political factors:
Government policies can influences site of settlement. SA government created new
settlements due to need for housing:
Ø Ivory Park Village in Midrand
Ø Kutlwanong near Kimberley
ü Historical factors:
Some settlements needed defensive sites to protect them from invaders.
1
,SITUATION:
Features surrounding the site are referred to, e.g:
ü Soil
ü Climate
ü Other settlements
ü Rivers
ü Geology
ü Vegetation.
Features that define a settlement’s situation usually influence the type of activity that will be
carried out in the settlement.
3. Rural and urban settlements
Rural settlement = a small settlement with a small population involved in primary activities, the
settlement is unifunctional
Urban settlement = a large settlement with a large settlement with a large population involved in
secondary, tertiary and quaternary activities. The settlement is multifunctional.
SIZE AND POPULATION:
Population size and
RURAL URBAN
settlement size
SMALL LARGE LARGEST
Isolated Town Metropolis
farmstead
City Conurbation
Hamlet
megalopolis
Village
ECONOMIC ACTIVITY AND FUNCTION
Rural settlements = UNIFUNCTION: one function – mainly primary activities (farming, fishing,
forestry or mining)
Urban settlements = MULTIFUNCTIONAL: wide variety of functions – secondary
(manufacturing), tertiary (trade, transport, education, service, administration) and quaternary
(law, finance, media, research, IT) activities.
SERVICES
In rural settlements – services such as high schools, universities, hospitals, shopping malls and
public transport = not available or limited.
2
, LAND USE
Urban areas = settlements are dense and buildings closely grouped, great variety and mixture of
land use – residential, industrial, commercial and recreational.
Rural areas = settlements are widely spaced – land use = one or two activities.
4. Settlement classification according to size, complexity, pattern
and function
SIZE AND COMPLEXITY
SMALL LARGE
Isolated farmstead hamlet village town city metropolis conurbation megalopolis
RURAL URBAN
PATTERN
Ø Nucleated: settlements form a dense grouping of buildings
Ø Dispersed: settlements are isolated and spaced far apart from each other.
3
