Key Points - India: Human Settlements

General: cluster of dwellings of any type or size where human beings live.
They vary in size from hamlet to metropolitan cities, they may be small and large closed or spaced, they may practice primary / secondary / tertiary activities

Difference between Rural and Urban settlements
Rural - Urban

1. Primary occupation

1. Other than primary

2. Provide raw material 2. Process the raw material

3. Produce food

3. Provide services

4. Low income

4. High income

5. Low density

5. High density

6. Spaced

6. Clustered

Types of rural settlement

Clustered settlements;

1. Compact and closely built houses

2. Living area is different form surrounding farms

3. Recognizable pattern

4. Different shapes such as geometric rectangular, radial, linear,

5. Sometimes defense may cause shape of the settlement

6. Availability of water also decides the shape.

Semi-clustered settlements

1. Formed due to result from tendency of clustered in restricted area of dispersed settlement

2. Segregation of large settlement may also cause

3. Some may be forced to live separately from the main village

4. Dominance group live in the center of the village

5. People of lower strata live in out skirt of the village

6. Most common in GUJ. RAJ

Hamleted settlements

1. Physically separated and located in different place having common name

2. They are locally called panna, para palli,nagla ,dhani

3. They are motivated by social and ethnic factors

4. Found mostly in middle and lower ganga valley

Dispersed settlements

1. They are isolated huts are hamlets

2. Located on hills or agricultural lands

3. It is due to nature of terrain, and land resource, water

4. Found in Meg, Uttaranchal, HP, Kerala

Urban settlements

1. Compact and large in size

2. Non Agriculture, eco, admin activities

3. Exchange of goods and services

4. Directly linked with rural settlements

Evolution of cities

Ancient towns:

1. Developed as religious and cultural towns.

2. Over 2000 years’ old

3. Patna, Varanasi, Madurai, are examples

Medieval towns:

1. They are the headquarters of kingdoms

2. There are more than 100 towns

3. They are fort towns developed over ruined forts

4. Delhi, HYD, Jaipur, Lucknow, Agra and Nagpur

Modern town:

1. They are developed by British and other Europeans

2. Generally located on the coast

3. They were forts constructed by Europeans

4. Ex. Surat, DD, Goa, Pondy, Mumbai. Madras, Calcutta

Administrative HQ Chandigarh, BBSR, Gandhinagar, Dispurplanned cities developed after independence.

Urbanization in India

1. Percentof urbanization in India is 28%

2. Urbanization developed 11 fold during 20th century

3. It is due to development of planned cities

Classification of towns open the basis of population size
CLASS I >100000 Population
CLASS II 50,000- 99,999
CLASS III 20,000- 49,999
CLASS IV 10,000-19,999
CLASS V 5000-9,999
CLASS VI < 5000

1.5 Million is called metropolitan city

5.million mega cities
Urban agglomeration: Town and its adjoining urban outgrowths, Two or more towns with or without their outgrowth, The city and one or more adjoining towns. Ex. Out growth: railway colony, university, port area, military cantonment.
According to 2001 census there were 423 first class towns and 35 metro cities in India six of them are mega cities grater Mumbai is the largest city in India

Functional Classification of Towns

1. Administrative towns: All capitals of states with national capital

2. Industrial towns: Mumbai. Salem, Coimbatore Modinagar, Jamshedpur

3. Transport towns: kandla cochin, vizak

4. Commercial towns: Satna Kolkata

5. Mining towns: Digboi, Ranigunj, Jharia

6. Garrison cantonment towns: Ambala, Mhow. Jalandhar

7. Educational towns: Pilani, Aligarh, Varanasi

8. Religious cultural towns: Amritsar, Varanasi, Tirupati

9. Toutist towns: Shimla, Mussori, Nainital