GEOGRAPHY NOTES
UNIT 3 SETTLEMENTS AND LAND USE
settlement means any place where
people live, from an isolated dwelling
to a huge urban area
dwelling might be a permanent plact to live or temporary home eg
tents etc
settlement hierarchy can -used - classifying settlements - over the
world
larger settlement influences more ppl- over - larger area than
smaller one- means that it has business and trade connections
over a larger area than a small one - more people visit large
settlements and more people trade there. Eg hyedarabad
megalopolis - where - urban areas are close but not completely
joined up .
Karachi metropolitan area -population of 16.094 million -large
enough to be called a megalopolis but settlements have joined up
to make one large urban area, and they are not conurbations.
Gauteng City Region in South Africa,has a population of 15.2
million.
Manila, the capital city of the Philippines, (almost 14 million
people) MEGA MANILA
Conurbation - nearby settlements - developed cause their
populations - grown & settlements have expanded to cover more
land. They have joined up to form a continuous urban &
industrially developed area.
In Pak, an example of a conurbation is the ‘twin
cities’ of Islamabad and Rawalpindi, with a population
of almost 3.5 million. The centres of these two cities only 14km
apart -islamabad built in 1960
frankfurt Rhine-Main in Germany, with a population of almost 5.8m
metropolis or a metropolitan area is a large important city. It is
economically and socially closely connected with its surrounding
area
through commuting.
EG = faisalabad in Pakistan, was built at the end of the
19thcentury as planned city for about 20,000 people. Its population
is now around 3.462 m
Siddique Roonjho - hamlet on a piece of land - almost surrounded
by water on the bank of -River Indus in Sindh- population of 140-It
has no services. The land is not suitable for farming because of
salt water in that part of the river.
Ppl-Siddique Roonjho migrated from Sokhi Bander near - Indus
Delta many yrs ago as no more freshwater
World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Pakistan -helped by building a
reservoir to store rainwater -fresh river water from the monsoon
season.
The reservoir has bio-sand filters that help -purify the water.
To reach Gharo, the nearest town with shops, takes more than an
hour, by boat and then on foot.
main factors that influenced where an early settlement developed
were:
Wet point:a supply of water in a dry region.
Dry point: little risk of flooding on low or marshy land.
Defence: high ground, island, or difficult land around them (e.g.
mountains or marshes).
Aspect on the sides of valleys: that face the Sun (south in the
northern hemisphere and north in the
southern hemisphere)
Shelter: shelter from rain and prevailing wind
trading point: where natural trading routes meet, such as along
rivers or natural pathways
Access to resources: close to where natural resources could be
found
regular paths -tracks became trade routes, and settlements
developed along them, where they joined other routes -where
bridges were built across rivers. These settlements became resting
places for travellers, trading posts, and market towns.
settlements needed other features:
Raw materials for industry ([Link], metal ores, precious metals and
minerals, or oil)
nearby port for transporting materials or manufactured goods.
fast and convenient land transport, e.g. Railways, roads
(and later, motorways), and air
transport.
An attractive setting or landscape - makes people want to live
there.
function of a settlement means its main economic activity and
purpose
Amboise, in the Loire Valley, France, is a market town with a population
of 13,119-had busy agricultural market by medieval times (mainly cattle,
grapes, and cheese). Agriculture - still - main industry there, but the
warm summers, beautiful scenery, and historic castles also make it an
important centre for tourism.
Karachi-was a fishing village-imp port+industrial centre
Keamari Port been functioning since the last 19th century.
Port Qasim was built as a port in the 1970s in an old channel of the
River Indus-close to major shipping routes
Industrial towns develop where useful raw materials, such as minerals,
metals, or coal are available - Salt was discovered at Khewra, in
Punjab, in ancient times but it was not mined until the 16th century CE
Khewra Salt Mine is also a major tourist attraction -town has population
of more than 34,000.
Resorts are settlements whose main industry -tourism. Some resorts
develop near historical sites, or around another industry such as
forestry eg malam jabba ski resort
Nucleated or cluster
The homes and other buildings are close together around a centre. The
centre could be a marketplace, place of worship, where two routes
meet, a river crossing, or harbour.
Linear or ribbon
As homes and other buildings are built, the settlement spreads along a
valley, road, railway, coast, or the banks of river.
Dispersed
Homes are quite far apart in their own useful situations—perhaps
surrounded by farmland or forest.
Isolated
Single dwellings that are very far apart, sometimes because the land is
not suitable for building on.
Planned settlements
The shape of this type of settlement is planned. It does not develop
naturally like other settlements, but it has to fit into the shape of the
situation. Many planned settlements have a grid pattern for their roads,
so that all the land is used well.
Eg paks oldest planned cities harrapa etc
site for the new capital was selected nearer the centre of the country,
near the army headquarters in Rawalpindi- close to the Margalla Pass,
which -long been a gateway between Punjab -Khyber Pakhtunkhwa-
Islamabad, on the Potwar Plateau, has a cooler climate than Karachi
and is sheltered by the Margalla Hills- away from coast so it cannot be
attacked-simly dam -built -provide water
isl -planned with 8 main zones
population of Islamabad - 1.129 million, mainly aged under 64, and the
total migrant population - around 35,000.
Forming settlements can impact the Earth systems in a variety of ways:
can cause loss of habitats and biodiversity due to deforestation.
It can alter or disturbe evolution of life cycles and traits that help species
survive and reproduce in ecosystems.
accelerates transmission of diseases -epidemics in densely populated
areas.
increases land erosion and decreases soil quality
changes water cycles through the biosphere + atmosphere
According to the World bank, today one billion people live in
urban slums.
• In the past decade, the number of people affected by natural
disasters tripled to two billion.
Low-income countries have accounted for only 9% of the disaster
events but 48% of fatalities since 1980.
• Studies show that political conflicts, crime, violence against
communities, and even natural disasters affect the poor most
around the world.
• In 2014, 54 % of the world’s population was classified as urban.
Building Skills
Gvt help plan build sustainable settlements:
Plan cheap and environmentally sustainable settlements in terms of
cleanliness and efficiency.
Promote organic urban farming that can help reduce food insecurity and
reduce food imports.
Planting trees along transport tracks.
Promoting carpooling, planning a cheaper public transport system
accessible for all, and helping pedestrians by making walk and bike
lanes on main roads.
Switch to clean energy by making it accessible and cheaper
Using smart technology as heating and cooling systems that do not use
as much electricity
Promoting green infrastructure etc