Where people settle is determined by the main factors such as physical environment,demographic, natural, transportation, economic and social concerns.

Temperature, oxygen, pH, water activity, pressure, radiation, lack of nutrients…these are the primary ones. We will cover more about metabolism (i.e. what type of food can they eat?) later, so let us focus now on the physical characteristics of the environment and the adaptations of microbes.

Flooding and landslides: The most widespread direct risk to human settlements from climate change is flooding and landslides. Projected increases in rainfall intensity and, in coastal areas, sea-level rise will be the culprits. Cities on rivers and coasts are particularly at risk.

Human Settlement Factors:

• Body of water (transportation routes, water for drinking and farming)
• Flat land (easy to build)
• Fertile soil (for crops)
• Forests (timber and housing)

Water affects where people settle in that people tend to settle near bodies of water. People settle near water, because they use it as transportation, agriculture, and to sustain themselves and their communitites.

1. Water supply – settlements need water, they often locate on wet point sites for this. Settlements built away from rivers and water supplies to avoid flooding are located at dry point sites.

How could access to water affect where humans decide to make a settlement? -Access to water typically does not affect human settlement. -Too much water causes humans to be afraid to settle an area. -If water is hard to find, it makes it harder for humans to settle in an area.

Early settlements Early settlers often looked for certain features in an area to make life easier: flat land, to make building easier and safer. local raw materials, eg wood and stone, to build homes. a local water supply for drinking, washing, cooking and transport.

Situations are typically defined by the physical elements of a location that helped determine it as good for settlement, which can include factors such as availability of building materials and water supply, the quality of soil, the climate of the region, and opportunities for shelters and defense — for this reason.

Tigris and Euphrates

The site of a settlement is the land upon which it was built. There is a range of human and physical factors that determine the site of a settlement. The factors that affect the site of a settlement include: relief – the shape of the land affects where buildings are constructed and flat land is preferable for building.

Three general factors that affect rural settlement patterns are resources. found in the area, the transportation methods obtainable at the time of settlement and the role played by the government policy.

Answer: The growth and development of a settlement depends upon: Suitable land. Availability of water. Favourable climate.

There are a huge number of factors that have to be considered when trying to locate a new settlement. These can be grouped into four broad headings: climatic, economic, physical and traditional. The diagram below should give you an idea of how each one plays a part in the location of a settlement.

For this purpose, people may erect houses and other structures and command some area or territory as their economic support-base. Thus, the process of settlement inherently involves grouping of people and apportioning of territory as their resource base. Settlements vary in size and type.

Settlements are of two types, temporary settlements in which a group of houses are built for a short period of time, and permanent settlements in which homes are built for a long period of time.

5 types

R.L. Singh discerns four main types: (i) compact settlements, (ii) semi-compact or hemleted cluster, (iii) semi-sprinkled or fragmented or hamleted settlements and (iv) sprinkled or dispersed type. On the basis of number of villages, hamlets and number of occupance units, R.B. Singh identified four settlements.

The Urban settlement includes cities and towns. On the other hand, the rural settlement includes villages and hamlets. Population wise, urban areas are densely populated, which is based on the urbanisation, i.e. the higher the urbanisation, the higher is the population.

Rural settlements may be classified on the basis of a number of criteria: (i) On the basis of setting: The main types are plain villages, plateau villages, coastal villages, forest villages and desert villages.

Rural Community: Top 10 Characteristics of the Rural Community– Explained!

• a. Size of the Community:
• b. Density of Population:
• c. Agriculture is the Main Occupation:
• d. Close Contact with Nature:
• e. Homogeneity of Population:
• f. Social Stratification:
• g. Social Interaction:
• h. Social Mobility:

A rural area is an open swath of land that has few homes or other buildings, and not very many people. A rural areas population density is very low. Many people live in a city, or urban area. Their homes and businesses are located very close to one another.

FUNCTIONS OF RURAL SETTLEMENTS: The people living in the rural areas all over the world are engaged and dependent on various primary occupations, viz, agriculture, fisheries, forestry, and mining. Out of these, agriculture is the most important occupation.

They have many general characteristics, such as:

• A small population size.
• A generally low population density.
• A smaller choice when it comes to shopping, medical services, and so on.
• A lower cost of living.
• Lower wages and more poverty.
• Lots of nature and natural resources, farming, and ranch land; and.
• An aging population.

The Census Bureau defines rural as any population, housing, or territory NOT in an urban area. The green area on the map to the right represents all the area in the United States that is classified as rural based on this definition. The Census Bureau’s rural definition is closely tied to the urban definition.

Rural living offers the opportunity to reconnect with nature. More trees and less traffic means cleaner air. Fields, forests, and streams make for great outdoor living and a healthier lifestyle.