SETTLEMENT
SETTLEMENT
Settlement:
is the place where people live together and engage in various social, economic,
and political activities. Example: industrial activities, Agricultural
activities, educational activities.
The basic unit of rural settlements is a number of
people and functions. In rural areas the main function or activity is
agriculture. The cultivators most often live in scattered family settlement. Nature
of settlement are isolated, hamlet, village and small market town.
Characteristics of rural settlements:
1 It is sparsely populated pattern of settlement.
2. Agriculture is the major activity undertaken in
rural areas.
2. URBAN SETTLEMENT
The basic
unit of urban settlement is the number of people and economic activities or
functions. This type of settlement is mostly found in large towns and cities
and is characterized with continuous buildings and different economic
activities. (Trade, commerce, social and industrial). Generally urban
settlement has high population density where rural settlement have low
population densities
Characteristics of urban settlements:
1. The number of urban settlement and their
boundaries will change overtime, depending on construction activities and
change of present population.
2. The delimitation of the urban settlements are
independent of the administrative boundaries.
3. Urban centre are characterised by denser engaged
industrial activities.
4. Trading is a major activities under taken in
urban areas.
CATEGORIES OF SETTLEMENT/SETTLEMENT PATTERNS
Settlement Pattern; is the layout of dwelling in a
particular place. Settlement patterns assume a distinct form as it grows,
settlement patterns may be influenced by different factors such as topography
of an area and availability of suitable land for farming. Transport routes and
communication lines also may influence the pattern that emerges. Human factors
such as an increase in population may lead to the spread of settlements because
may be searching for new land to settle on.
Nucleated
Settlement Pattern
This settlement pattern consists of cluster of
dwellings, shops and other buildings in one place. The settlement is close to
one another forming a cluster. Nucleated settlement may develop as a result of
the availability of social services, the presence of industrial plants and
limitation of building land leading to the clustering of building in one
place.Settlement such as Mwadui in Tanzania and Kimberley in South Africa are
nucleated mining settlements.
Linear
Settlement Pattern
Linear settlement pattern may develop along
communication lines or along specific physical feature such as river, the house
and other structures appear to be arranged in a line along a road, a river, or
canal or a coastal line such settlement may form a curve depending on the shape
of the features. Linear settlements are common along the coast of East Africa,
along the shores of lake Tanganyika and a long some parts of lake Victoria.
They are also common along many roads and foot paths.
Dispersed
Settlement Pattern
Is also referred to as scattered settlement pattern
because it consists of houses and other structures which are scattered. The
houses may be separate from one another by physical features such as valleys,
rivers, and ridges. Dispersed settlement is common in areas where people own
individual traits of land.
All
settlement have certain activities/useful function to justify their existence,
such function are;
i) Agriculture collective center: Where farmers
produce different agricultural crops and animals are marked as agriculture
collective centers.
ii) Communication center: Some of settlement
functions as communication centers and they perform various communication
activities.
iii) Residential function: They are place where
people live and share different values and culture activities.
iv) Administrative center: These are center from
which the surrounding areas are administered some of these center can be
district or regional center and local administration.
v) Commercial and market center: These are place
where business takes place. These centers are composed of shops, markets and
means of transport and communication like roads and telephones facilities.
vi) Mining center: They are settlements which have
ground infertile mainly as a result of mining activities. These settlements are
characterized by having mineral resources Example: Geita, Mwadui, Magadi and
etc. vii) Industrial settlement/Manufacturing centre: These kind of settlement
are mainly formed in town areas which grow rapidly with the establishment of
industries and they normally have a certain advantage to the people living
around as they provide employment and goods.
viii) Fishing centers: The river sites like ports
and ocean ports are important for fishing activities.
ix) Social function settlement: They provide the
health and educational facilities such as hospital, and clinic likewise the
area can be places of entertainment and recreational center.
x) Royal center: These are traditional residence of
monarchies, kings, queens, sultans, and their consorts.
xi) Tourist centers: These centers are mainly
characterized by resort and around them many hotels which enter mainly of
holiday.
FACTORS
FOR SETTLEMENT GROWTH
1. A nucleated settlement is where the buildings are
closed around a central point such as market square.
2. Linear settlement is where the buildings are
arranged in a line usually along the river or road.
3. A dispersed settlement is where the buildings are
spread out or scattered. Dispersed settlement are often found in remote,
sparsely populated areas.
4. The number of urban settlement and their
boundaries will change overtime, depending on construction activities and
change of present population.
5. The delimitation of the urban settlements are
independent of the administrative boundaries.
6. Urban centre are characterised by denser engaged
industrial activities.
7. Trading is a major activities under taken in
urban areas.
8. It is sparsely populated pattern of settlement.
9. Agriculture is the major activity undertaken in
rural areas.
10. Provision of social services, People migrate
from their original places and live near areas where social services are easily
available to them. Example of social services are health centres, schools,
electricity and water supply.
11. Climate conditions, people settle in good
climatic areas. Rainfall and temperature have a great influence from human
settlement. Areas that receive abundant rainfall and favourable temperature
attract more people. This is because people are able to engage in both
subsistence and commercial farming such areas are Kilimanjaro, Mbeya, Ruvuma
and Iringa region where there is abundant rainfall.
12. Relief, it is a strong factor influencing
settlement. Gentle slopes are ideal areas for building houses as they are well
drained. Steep stops are usually uninhabited because they have thin soils which
inhibit growth of crops and pasture.
13. Vegetation cover, vegetation is the total plants
cover over an area. Thick vegetation discourages establishment of settlement.
Dense forest such as Congo of central Africa and Amazon, in South America are
not accessible. They may also be habitants for dangerous wild animals and
disease carrying vectors.
14. Political factor has great influence on
settlement establishment. A settlement may be located in a certain area because
of political reasons for example in 1967 the government of Tanzania introduced
ujamaa village where by people were settled in villages.
15. Economic factor, people establish settlement in
places which offer economic opportunities. Migration from rural to urban
centres is mainly due to prospects for employment and trading opportunities.
Mining activities also leads to the establishments of settlements for example
development of Mwadui towns was the results of Mwadui Diamond mines.
16. Cultural factors, some areas may be productive
but due to some cultural beliefs people may be prohibited to establish
settlements on such areas. Example mumbanitu forest in Njombe.
17. Historical factor, prior to the division of
Africa some communities moved in various directions and settled in their
present homelands. Those movements were caused by various factors mainly wars
for example Mfecane war in South Africa.
PROBLEMS
FACING HUMAN SETTLEMENT
1. Shortage of land/lack of space.
2. Inadequate social services e.g. water,
electricity etc.
3. Risk and disaster occurrence e.g. floods, earth
equate.
4. Employment crisis due to the increase of number
of people.
5. Poor housing especially in rural areas.
6. Presence of social disorder e.g. crimes, robbery
etc.
7. Environment problem e.g. Pollution, erosion.
8. Poor transport and communication.
9. Rural urban migration due to shortage of
employment.
10. Spreads of disease e.g. Cholera, Aid etc. This
is due to shortage of water.
URBANIZATION
Urbanization
involves making an area more urban or town where by increasing portion of the
total population in a country settlers in town.
CAUSES OF URBANIZATION
i) Availability of employment e.g. Trade and in
distort.
ii)
Availability of social service.
iii) Shortage
of employment opportunities in rural areas.
iv) Over population in rural areas.
v) Low level of modern contraceptive user limited
education.
vi) Natural increase in birth and death rate in
Urban centres.
PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH URBAN GROWTH (URBANIZATION)
i) Rise of transport problem e.g. Traffic
congestion.
ii) Presence of unplanned houses.
iii) Lack of enough water supply leading to serious
disease.
iv) Shortage of social services e.g. School, health
centers etc.
v) Overcrowding/over population leading to the
crimes such as prostitution, robber and theft.
vi) Unemployment.
vii) Rural urban migration leading to scarcity of
labour in rural area.
viii) Environmental deterioration.
WAYS OF OVERCOMING PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH URBAN
GROWTH
i) Emphasizing seriously in family planning program.
ii)
Improvement of rural areas e.g. Employment opportunities, improve social
services.
iii) To educated people the danger caused by rapid
population growth.
iv) Provision of adequate social service on rural
and urban area.
v) Improvement of the living standard of the people.
vi) Maintenance of the cleanness of the environment.
vii) Population retribution.
viii) Enforce laws to restore unpleasant settlement.
MERITS/ADVANTAGES OF URBANIZATION
i) They are center for changes e.g. Modernization
and fashion.
ii) They are
centers for commerce.
iii) They attract greatly tourist from different
parts of the world.
iv) They are importing and exporting centers.
v) They are center of manufacturing industries.
vi) Most of urban center are administrative areas.
vii) There is good provision of social services.
viii) They
are center for cultural change.
SELF CHECK
Question1:
"The living environment in Tanzania is suffering at the expense of man's
activities." With the Support of eight points, prove this statement.
(NECTA-CSEE, 2008)
Question2: What are the possible human factors which
may influence the development of nucleated settlement pattern? (NECTA-CSEE (p),
2010)
Question 3: Examine eight factors which led to the
growth of settlements in different parts of a country (NECTA-CSEE, 2014)
Question4:
With the aid of examples, describe six factors affecting growth of settlements
in Africa. (NECTA-CSEE, 2015)
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