Rural Settlements
ICSE · Class 12 · Geography
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Meaning and Types of Settlements
- A settlement is a grouping of houses or huts with a certain layout plan, along with buildings used for residential or other purposes and the roads or streets that connect them.
- Human settlements are broadly of two types: rural and urban.
- Rural settlements are small in size and population, and people are mainly engaged in agriculture and other primary activities.
Classification of Rural Settlements in India
- Rural settlements in India are classified into clustered or agglomerated or nucleated, semi-clustered, and dispersed or isolated types.
- Clustered or nucleated settlements have houses closely grouped together in a compact block.
- Semi-clustered settlements have a compact nucleus with hamlets dispersed around it in a ring pattern.
Factors Determining Rural Settlements
- Three groups of factors determine rural settlement types: physical factors, ethnic and cultural factors, and historical factors.
- Physical factors include relief, altitude, climate, drainage, depth of underground water level, and soil.
- Water is the most important single factor determining settlement clustering in dry areas.
Distribution, Size, and Number of Villages in India
- India had 6,40,867 villages according to the 2011 census.
- Uttar Pradesh has 97,814 villages, which is over 15 per cent of all villages in India.
- Bihar has 1,129 villages with population of 10,000 or more, the largest number in India.
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