What is a settlement?
A settlement is a place where people live and carry out their activities, ranging from a single farm to a large city. Settlements begin where the site (the actual land) and situation (position relative to other places) are favourable, such as near water, fertile land, flat ground or route junctions.
Key idea
Settlements are classified as rural (villages, farming communities) or urban (towns and cities). As population and activities grow, small settlements can develop into larger urban centres.
Factors and patterns
Favourable factors include a reliable water supply, flat, fertile land, safety, good transport, and available resources or jobs. Settlement patterns describe how buildings are arranged:
- Nucleated (clustered) — buildings grouped closely, often around a crossroads or well.
- Linear — buildings stretched in a line along a road, river or coast.
- Dispersed (scattered) — buildings spread far apart, common in farming areas.
Functions and growth
Settlements have functions such as farming, mining, trade, administration, industry, tourism and education. Many towns have several functions. As a settlement grows, it offers more services and jobs, attracts migrants, and may expand through urbanisation.
Example
Kuala Lumpur began as a tin-mining settlement at the meeting of the Klang and Gombak rivers and grew into Malaysia's largest city, with administrative, commercial and industrial functions.
Remember
- Site = the land itself; situation = position relative to other places.
- Patterns: nucleated, linear, dispersed.
- Rural settlements can grow into urban centres through urbanisation.