RBSE Class 12 Geography Notes Chapter 6 World: Human Settlement

Rajasthan Board RBSE Class 12 Geography Notes Chapter 6 World: Human Settlement

Introduction :

Food, clothes and housing are three basic needs of a human being.
The organised group of houses constructed and developed by man on the earth’s surface is called settlement.
Human settlement is also known as a colony or locality. It may be isolated or crowded.
Human habitation settlements are used to fulfill social, economic, cultural and religious human activities. House, hut or a dwelling is a fundamental unit of settlement.
Settlements develop in a small form and take the form of villages, towns, cities, metropolitan cities, mega cities and global cities.

Origin of Human Settlement :

Human settlements basically develop for habitation. The origin of settlement can be divided into two parts – Temporary settlement and Permanent settlement.
Those settlements which are built for a short time are called temporary settlements. Most of the tribes of the world, such as the Nagas have temporary settlements.
The origin of permanent settlement is considered in Neolithic Era and human settlements are a symbol of culture and civilization.
The durability of human settlement depends on locally – accumulated resources related with external world. Possibilities of future progress depend on safety and religious, cultural and economic factors.
Human settlements can be divided into two parts on the basis of fundamental factors and natural conditions – Rural settlements and Urban settlements. The settlements with primary occupations are called rural settlements and those with secondary and tertiary occupations are called urban settlements.

Types of Rural Settlements :

Many factors like physical features, social and cultural factors and safety, etc. are responsible for defining the types of rural settlements.
Generally, there are four types of rural settlements. Dense or clustered, isolated or scattered, mixed and old or palli settlements.
Dense or clustered settlements are also known as concentrated, contracted, accumulated or collective settlements. These settlements develop in fertile plains regions having flat surface terrain and sufficient water availabilities.
Isolated settlements are scattered and spread out and these types of settlements are often found in grassland regions.
The state of mixed settlements lies between dense and scattered settlements which is the result of environmental reasons and increase in number of families.
The houses in old settlement (palli) are built apart from one another and located in the same colony. These settlements are seen in lower valleys of mountains regions and lower valley area.

Pattern of Rural Settlements :

On the basis of shape of habitation, rural settlements can be divided into linear, arrow, triangular, rectangular, radial, circular, star, fan, irregular, ladder-shaped, bee-hive, etc. pattern.
Linear orientations are developed along the road routes, the arrow pattern develops at the top of a headland along the bow of river. The triangular patterns are formed at the junctions of roads or canals, or rivers, rectangular orientations are formed at the meeting of two roads and thus the perpendicular lanes are built, circular patterns develop around lake, pond, well, religious places and chaupals, ladder shaped patterns are formed on the mountain-slopes and bee-hive patterns are developed by the tribes in forest areas.
There is a lack of modes of transportation, drinking water, health facilities, supply of power, employment, modes of communication and improved technology in rural settlements.

Urban Settlements :

The urban settlements contain high population density, quick mobility, tarred roads and pucca houses, availability of employment, personal and public modes of transport, high .education and intensive healthcare facilities, complex division of labour, lack of social ‘bounding and sharp social and economic differences.

Classification of Urban Settlements :

The general bases of classifying urban settlements are – size of population, human occupations, administrative structure and essential conditions.
Urban settlements are divided into city, metropolitan city, conurbation and megalopolis on the bases of their size and the facilities available.
The word conurbation was used for the first time in 1915 by Patrick Geddes and the word megalopolis was used in 1857 by Jean Gottman.
The settlements having population 1 lakh to 10 lakh are called cities, more than population 10 lakh are called metropolitan cities, and the cities having more than 50 lakh population are called megalopolis cities.

Problems of Urban Settlements :

The main problems in the urban settlements are very high population density and large size, dirty slums, pollution, price rise, adulteration in food products, crime, non-cooperation and lack of medical facilities.

Problems and Solutions of Slum Areas :

There is no proper arrangements like rails, roads drainages etc. in slum areas. The problems like lack of drinking water, sunlight and fresh air, risk of infection, lack of basic amenities like toilets, lack of schools, unsafe existence due to hazardous employment, threat of various diseases, and small, low-ceiling and unsafe houses.
Government should take special steps for resolving the problems of slum areas-supply of clean drinking water, provision of low-cost housing, employment at minimum wages, starting of new schools, community-health centres, avenues of employment in rural
areas, construction of wide roads, providing loans for housing and for self employment and maintaining proper law and order.
Special Study on Dharavi Slum Area in Mumbai
Dharavi slum is largest slum settlement in Asia.
This slum area was founded by potters from Gujarat in 18th century on an island.
The area of this slum is about 557 acres in which there are 12 colonies.
The population in this slum area was 6,00,000 in 2011.
Here, 10-15 members live in a single room.
In this colony, there are problems of poor transportation, decrepit housing, lack of basic facilities, lack of trade and employment, polluted environment, etc.
Maharashtra government as well as several NGOs are trying and planning to rehabilitate the people of this slum area.

Glossary :

Settlement : Settlement refers to the structures built by man for his own residence and to keep his property or wealth safely.
Human Settlement : The place which is dwelt in permanently, is called human settlement.
Metropolis : The vast urban region or a big city of a country which is a center of trade or a business center is known as metropolis.
Population : The number of people living in a specific region is called the population of that region.
Population Growth : An increase in the number of people that reside in a state or country in a certain time is the population growth. It may be negative, zero or positive.
Season : A period of the year characterised by particular conditions of weather, temperature, rain, etc. is called season.
Grazing : Grazing is a method of feeding in which a herbivore feeds on plants such as grasses or grazing is the one method used whereby domesitc livestock are used to convert grass and other forage into meat, milk and other products.
Tribe : A tribe is a group of distinct people dependent on their land for their livelihood, who are largely self dependent, not integrated into the national society and backward by socio – economic standards.
Shifting Cultivation : Shifting cultivation is an agricultural system in which plots of land are cultivated temporarily, then abandoned and allowed to revert to their natural vegetation while farmers move on to another plot.
Desert : A desert is a large area of land, usually in a hot region, where there is almost no water, rain, trees, plants or agriculture.
Migration : The seasonal movement of complete population of animals or birds from one area to another. Migration is usually a response to changes in temperature, food supply or the amount of Insolation.
Environment : The sum total of all surroundings of a living organism including natural forces and other living things, which provide conditions for development and growth as well as of danger and damage.
Rural Settlement Rural settlements include populated areas whose inhabitants are engaged primarily in agriculture, forestry or hunting.
Urban Settlement : An urban area is a human settlement with high population density and infrastructure of built environment. Urban areas are created through urbanisation and are categorised by urban morphology as cities, towns, conurbations or suburbs.
Agriculture : The science, art or occupation of cultivating land, raising crops and feeding, breeding and raising livestock is called agriculture.
Mining : Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth usually from an ore body, lode, vein seam, reef or fossil deposits.
Clustered Settlements : A clustered settlement is one of the main types of settlement patterns. It is known for its close together development around a central point or public place.
Dispersed Settlement : A dispersed settement is an area in which people setde but their homes are far away from each other. It is now said to be a scattered settement.
Mixed settlement : Mixed settement is a type of urban development that blends residential, commercial, cultural, institutional, or industrial uses, where these functions are physically and functionally integrated.
Hamlet Settlement : A hamlet is a small human sett ement. It is smaller than even a small village.
Flood : An overflow of a large amount of water beyond its normal limits especially over what is normally dry land.
Resources : A supply of everything found on the earth or planet or satellite and which is useful for human being is called resource.
Plateau : A land area having a relatively level surface considerably raised above adjoining land on at least one side is called plateau.
Valley : A low area of land between hills or mountains typically with a river or stream flowing through it is called valley.
Khadar Zone : Khadir or Khadar are the low lying plains next to a river.
Bhabar Zone : Bhabar (Bhabhar) zone is the region south of the lower Himalaya and Shivalik Hills. It is an alluvial apron of sediments washed down from the Shivalik along the northern edge of Indo-Gangetic plain.
Pampas : The Pampas is the large area of flat, grassy land in South America which extended to Andes mountains in west and to Atlantic Ocean in east. It is found in Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil.
Downs : The grassy vegetation of the Downs, South – eastern, Queensland, Australia. In this region only the grasses of large or medium size are found.
Veldts (Veld) : The grassy lands which are found in the African continent.
Prairie : The Prairie grasslands begin with the great plains at the eastern edge of the Rocky Mountains and extend all the way to Lake Michigan.
Steppe : The grasslands which are found in the Asian and European continents.
Environment : The surroundings or conditions in which a person, animal or plant lives or survives in an often hostile situation.
Linear Pattern : A linear settlement pattern is a group of buildings that is formed in a long line and follows a transport route, such as a road, river or canal.
River Meander : A meander is a curve in a river. It forms a snake-like pattern as the river flows across a fairly flat valley floor.
Lake : An expanse of water entirely surrounded by land and unconnected to the sea except by rivers or streams. There are many types of lakes on the basis of shape, size, depth, situation, origin, nature of water, etc.
Confluence : The joining point (place) of two or more rivers is called confluence.
Transportation : A device used to move an item or people from one location to another is transportation.
Unemployment : A situation where someone of working age and capable to do work is not able to get a job but would like to be in full-time employment.
Complete Unemployment : The form of unemployment is which capable and keen persons search for a job.
Seasonal Unemployment : In certain regions, unemployment may be seasonal, e.g. in mountains, unemployment rises in winter when there are no tourists.
Industry : A work which is established for economic-production..
Trade : An economic process in which goods and services are exchanged or handed over.
Communication : The imparting or exchanging of information by speaking, writing or using some other medium.
Density of Population : Measure of intensity of land use expressed as number of people per square kilometer or square mile.
Occupational Structure : Refers to the distribution of its labour force in different occupations in a country.
Port : A port is a location on a coast or shore containing one or more harbours where ships can dock and transfer people or cargo from land.
Conurbation : An extended urban area typically consisting of several towns merging with the suburbs of a central city.
Megacity : A megacity is metropolitan area with a total population in excess of ten million people.
Slum : A squalid and overcrowded urban street or district inhabited by very poor people.
Environmental Pollution : Environmental pollution refers to the introduction of harmful pollutants into the environment.
Urbanisation : Urbanisation is a process whereby population moves from rural to urban area, enabling cities and towns to grow.
Atmosphere : The atmosphere of earth is the layer of gases, commonly known as air that surrounds the planet earth and is retained by earth’s gravity.
Air-Pollution : Air-Pollution is a mixture of natural and man made substances in the air we breathe. It is typically separated into two categories-outdoor, and indoor air pollution.
Life Expectancy : Life expectancy is a statistical measure of average time an organism is expected to live, based on the year of their birth, their current – age and other demographic factors including gender.
Suburb : An outlying district of a city, especially a residential one.
Poverty : Poverty is the scarcity or the lack of a certain amount of material possessions or money. Poverty is a multifaceted concept, which may include social, economic and political elements.