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.