Site and Situation
The Site of a settlement describes the
physical nature of where it is located. Factors such as water supply, building materials,
quality of soil, climate, shelter and defence were all considered when settlements
were first established. For instance, the site of Sydney, in Australia, initially
took advantage of the excellent natural harbour and surrounding fertile farmland.
Aspect
and shelter are two of
the most important factors that were
considered when deciding where to locate a settlement. Aspect relates to the direction
in which the land faces. In the Northern Hemisphere the best slopes to locate on
are those that face south, as they will receive the most sunshine, and therefore
be the best for agriculture. This can be seen clearly in many of the valleys of
the Alps, where settlements have located on the south-facing slopes.
Shelter is also very important, particularly
from the cold northerly winds and prevailing south westerly winds in the UK. A good
example of settlements being sheltered by their natural surroundings are the many
spring-line settlements found along the base of the chalk escarpments of the North
and South Downs. These settlements would also have benefited from the good water
source and fertile farmland nearby.
Water supply is probably the single most
important factor in deciding where a settlement might be located. Not only do rivers
provide a source of clean drinking water, they also provide a food source through
fishing, and a transport route. Most of the world's largest cities are located on
rivers, especially the point at which they reach the sea, as this was often the
first point that explorers landed.
A dry point site is one that is slightly
raised from the surrounding area, meaning that it is less likely to flood. Ely in
Cambridgeshire, England, is a good example of dry point site.
Wet point site refers to any site that
has access to water, usually through being beside a river. Towns would either grow
up along the river or clustered near the point at which the river enters the sea.
Examples of wet point sites include the towns and villages of the Welsh valleys,
which tend to extend along the flat valley floor, rather than up the steep valley
sides. Spring line settlements in the North and South Downs, England are also good
examples of wet point sites.
In medieval times, defence was one of
the most important factors influencing the site of a settlement. The relief of the
land often proved to be the best form of defence. Edinburgh castle sits on the top
of a glacial crag, in an almost perfect position to defend itself, with very little
chance for the attackers. In Italy, there are many walled hill-top villages, whilst
the Maoris in New Zealand built their settlements (called Pa's) on the top of steep
hills to prevent being attacked. In India, Ichhapur Defence Estate is a census town
in Barrackpore, West Bengal.
The other common natural feature used
for defence is water, and in particular rivers. Both Shrewsbury and Durham are very
good examples of where a meander of the river has formed an area of land bounded
by water on three sides. This provided both cities with excellent defence, as they
only had a thin neck of land to defend.
The idea of resources covers a huge number
of different things. For early settlers the most important resources were fuel,
building materials and food. Settlements grew in areas where wood was plentiful,
stone easily accessible and good soil allowed agriculture to be developed.
Since in early days of settlement many different resources
have become the focal points for the growth of urban areas. Some of the settlements
based on the resources are listed below:
The coal mines of South Wales, Tin mines
of Cornwall and large mining projects at Carajas in Northern Brazil, have all encouraged
the rapid growth of settlements aimed at housing the workers and providing them
with all that they re0quire.
Settlements in South Africa have grown
after the discovery of large deposits of precious metals such as gold. The most
famous settlement grew due to finding gold is San Francisco, after the gold rush
to California in 1849.
Route centres are often called Nodal
Points. Nodal Points are formed by the meeting of two valleys, but settlement nowadays
will grow where two main roads meet. In the UK, York is a good example of a route
centre. Birmingham also enjoys a very good location, where many routes join up,
and this is one of the reasons for its growth to become one of the largest cities
in the UK.
Just as water is very important for drinking,
fishing, irrigation and navigation, so the ability to cross the rivers is also very
important.
Many towns and cities have built up at
points where it was the easiest to cross a large river. Exeter is one such example,
crossing the river Exe in England.
However one of the best examples is Paris
in France. The original town was based on the tiny Ile dela Cite, which is an island
in the middle of the River Seine. This island meant they could build two small bridges
across the river rather than one large one.
Nowadays the island has been engulfed
by the huge city that Paris has become, however it does still have many bridges
going to it and is the point where the huge Notre Dame Cathedral is built.
Just as two valleys, or roads, make a
nodal point for settlement growth, so do two rivers joining. One such example is
found in Khartoum in Sudan, where the Blue and the White Nile meet. In India, Allahabad
is located at the confluence of River Ganga and Yamuna and Bhavani (Tamil Nadu)
is at the confluence of River Cauvery and Bhavani.
The situation of a settlement is the
description of the settlement in relation to the other settlements and physical
features around it. The situation of a settlement is the most important in determining
whether it grows to become a large city or stays as a small town or village.
In the UK, Birmingham is an example of
a city with excellent situation. It is located central to the country, with excellent
links by road to the North and South to London.
As cities begin to fulfill different
functions their importance can increase or decrease. Their situation plays an important
part in deciding which of these functions will occur.
It refers to the location of the actual
settlement. The initial choice of a site for a settlement depends on its meeting
certain daily needs such as water supply, availability of potential farmland, building
materials and fuels etc.
Settlements can broadly be divided into
two types – rural and urban. Let us know some differences between rural and urban
areas in general.
i. The major
difference between rural and urban areas is the function. Rural areas have predominantly
primary activities such as agriculture, whereas urban areas have domination of secondary
and tertiary activities such as manufacturing industries and service sectors.
ii. Generally
the rural areas have low density of population than urban areas.
iii. Urban
settlements are defined by their advanced civic amenities, opportunities for education,
and facilities for transport, business and social interaction and overall better
standard of living whereas rural areas lack of such amenities.
iv. Rural areas do not have pollution
or traffic problems that beset regular urban areas.
v. An the rural society there was very
little scope for occupational mobility. In cities there are many occupations, so
occupational mobility is frequent
vi. Rural people are less mobile and
therefore the social relations among them are intimate. In urban areas, the way
of life is complex and fast, hence, the social relations are formal.
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