Question

Give the main features of the rural and urban settlements.

Answer 1

Settlement is a place where people live and interact through activities such as agriculture, trading and entertainment. Settlement in geography help us to understand man’s relationship with his environment.

• A rural settlement is a community involved predominantly in primary activities such as farming, lumbering and mining.
  
• A urban settlement engages in predominantly in secondary and tertiary activities such as food processing and banking.
  

There is often correlation between functions, population sizes and population density. A rural settlement tends to have small population. Urban settlement often has a large population size and density. Physical environment determine the site of a settlement depend on:

• Water supply – Water is essential for human survival and agricultural activities.
  
• Relief – The availability of broad flat land such as floodplains promote agricultural activities.
  
• Soils – Fertility of soils is another consideration for agricultural activities.