Chapter 10 - Human Settlements
Q.1. Answer in short.
(1) Explain the various types of human settlements.
Ans: The Various types of human settlements are :
(a) Scattered Settlements
(b) Nucleated Settlements and
(c) Linear Settlements.
(a) Scattered Settlements:
(i) Houses are found in areas of high –relief, dese forests, grasslands, hot deserts, etc.
(ii) Houses are far apart with limited populations.
(iii) Since these settlements are closer to nature, they are free from pollution.
(iv) Facilities and services are not available here.
(b) Nucleated Settlements:
(i) Close to water resources.
(ii) Fertile plains, transport hubs, mining and commercial centres help in the development of these settlements.
(iii) Social services are available here.
(iv) People of different castes, religions, races and ideologies live together , so they have better social life.
(C) Linear Settlements:
(i) Developed along rivers, seacoast etc.
(ii) Houses in a single line growing into multiple lines.
(iii) Roads are parallel to each other.
(2) Differentiate between nucleated and scattered settlements.
Ans:
| Nucleated settlements | Scattered Settlements |
|---|---|
Houses are close to each other. | Few houses are far from each other. |
They are closed to water bodies like brooks, rivulets, lakes, etc. | They are found in areas of high relief and dense forest, grasslands, hot desserts, etc. |
Social services are available here. | Facilities and services are not adequate. |
There is some pollution here due to transport hubs, mining centers, etc. | They are closer to nature, so they are free from pollution. |
(3) Explain the natural factors affecting the location of human settlements.
Ans:
In order to flourish, human settlements need favourable geographical conditions such as availability of water, a conducive climate, fertile land, etc. People along the seacoast are engaged in fishing. Their settlements become fishing hamlets. Forest dwellers or tribal people use forest products for their livelihood; they live in “tribal hamlets.” Agriculture is practised in fertile areas. Farmer families build their houses in or near their fields. These settlements gradually grow bigger.
(4) Explain how human settlements have evolved.
Ans:
a) Using resources from the surroundings, man started his settlements. Human settlements flourished in places with favourable conditions such as availability of water, fertile land, etc.
b) In the early settlements, the occupations of the people were dependent on the locally available natural resources. This gives rise to separate settlements of people engaged in a particular occupation. E.g., People living near the sea became fishermen.
c) Agriculture is practised in fertile areas. Here, settlements sprang up near the fields and slowly grew. Agriculture, fishing, etc. are some of the occupations of people in rural settlements.
d) With the passage of time, other associated occupations developed gradually. As a result, people from surrounding areas migrated and settled in these areas, leading to an increase in the rural population.
e) The importance of secondary and tertiary occupations led to the transformation of rural settlements into urban settlements.
(5) Differentiate between a hamlet and a village.
Ans:
| Hamlet | Village |
|---|---|
People who are engaged in a particular occupation live in hamlets. | Villages are much bigger than hamlets. People with different occupations live in the villages. |
Hamlets are small and have people following the same occupation. | People of other associated occupations settle down, and the size of the village grows. |
Q.2. Identify the types of human settlements from the following statements.
(1) Their money and time is saved by living on the farm.
Ans: Farmers in scattered settlements.
(2) There is a lot of social life in this settlement.
Ans: Nucleated settlements.
(3) Shops are located on both the sides of the road.
Ans: Linear settlements.
(4) This settlement is found at the foothills of mountains or along the coast.
Ans: Scattered settlement.
(5) Each house is located away from the other.
Ans: Linear settlements.
(6) This settlement is good from a security point of view.
Ans: Nucleated settlements.
(7) Having houses away from each other is good for health.
Ans: Scattered settlement.
(8) The houses are too close to each other.
Ans: Nucleated settlements.
Q.3. Study the diagram and identify the types of settlements.
(A) Settlement ‘A’ has 5-6 houses and the place does not have other facilities.
Ans: Scattered settlement.
(B) ‘B’ has a high school, a big market and a small theatre.
Ans: Nucleated settlements.
(C) ‘C’ has houses, farms, many shops and small industries.
Ans: Linear settlements.
(D) ‘D’ is a natural harbour. Many industries have been established there.
Ans: Linear settlements.
‘C’ is a settlement that has developed along the roadside. Give two reasons of its location here.
Ans: This is an example of ‘Linear Settlement’ Such settlements are near road, rivers, sea coasts, railways.
One reason is transport facilities will be available quickly. Another reason is such settlements can quickly grow into villages with shops and road or railway or river facilities
