Chapter 2 – Human Settlements | CBSE Notes

GEOGRAPHY | CLASS XII | NCERT

Book: India — People and Economy | Unit-II | Chapter 2

Human Settlements

⭐ Topper Level 💬 Easy Language 📌 Point-Wise 🏘️ Second Chapter

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1. Learning Objectives

After reading these notes, you will be able to:

Understand the meaning of human settlement and the basic differences between rural and urban settlements.

Know the four types of rural settlement and the factors behind their patterns.

Understand the evolution of towns in India and trends of urbanisation.

Know the functional classification of Indian towns and cities.

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2. Meaning of Human Settlement

A Human Settlement is a cluster of dwellings of any type or size where human beings live. People erect houses and structures and command some area/territory as their economic support-base — settlement inherently involves grouping of people and apportioning of territory as a resource base.

Settlements range from a hamlet to metropolitan cities. With size, the economic character, social structure, ecology and technology of settlements change.
Villages — sparsely located, small settlements specialising in agriculture/primary activities.
Urban settlements — fewer but larger settlements specialising in secondary and tertiary activities.

⚖️ Rural vs Urban — Basic Differences

🌾 Rural Settlements

Derive life support from land-based primary activities. People are less mobile; social relations are intimate.

🏙️ Urban Settlements

Depend on processing of raw materials, manufacturing and services. Way of life is complex/fast; social relations are formal.

📌 Cities as Nodes of Growth

Cities provide goods and services to urban dwellers and to rural people in their hinterlands in return for food and raw materials — this functional relationship works through the transport and communication network.

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3. Types of Rural Settlement

Types of settlement are determined by the extent of built-up area and inter-house distance. Factors responsible: (i) Physical features — terrain, altitude, climate, water availability; (ii) Cultural & ethnic factors — social structure, caste, religion; (iii) Security factors — defence against theft/robbery.

🏘️ Clustered / Nucleated

Compact, closely built-up area of houses, distinct from surrounding farms. Shows patterns like rectangular, radial, linear. Found in fertile alluvial plains, NE states; also for security (Bundelkhand, Nagaland) or water scarcity (Rajasthan).

🧩 Semi-Clustered / Fragmented

Clustering in a restricted area, often from segregation of a large village — dominant community occupies centre, lower-strata/menial workers settle on outer flanks. Widespread in Gujarat plain, parts of Rajasthan.

🏚️ Hamleted

Settlement fragmented into several units physically separated, sharing a common name — locally called panna, para, palli, nagla, dhani. Common in middle & lower Ganga plain, Chhattisgarh, lower Himalayan valleys.

🏔️ Dispersed / Isolated

Isolated huts/hamlets in remote jungles or on hill slopes; caused by fragmented terrain and limited habitable land. Found in Meghalaya, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala.

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4. Urban Settlements

Unlike rural settlements, urban settlements are compact and larger in size, engaged in a variety of non-agricultural, economic and administrative functions. Cities connect directly and indirectly with villages and with each other through market towns.

📌 Census of India (1991) — Definition of Urban Area

All places with a municipality, corporation, cantonment board or notified town area committee, having a minimum population of 5,000, at least 75% of male workers in non-agricultural pursuits, and a density of at least 400 persons per sq km.

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5. Evolution of Towns in India

Towns flourished since prehistoric times — even during the Indus Valley Civilisation, towns like Harappa and Mohanjodaro existed. Evolution continued with ups and downs until the arrival of Europeans in the 18th century.

🕉️ Ancient Towns

History spanning 2,000+ years; mostly developed as religious/cultural centres. E.g., Varanasi, Prayag (Prayagraj), Pataliputra (Patna), Madurai.

🏰 Medieval Towns

About 100 towns rooted in the medieval period — fort towns built as headquarters of principalities/kingdoms on ruins of ancient towns. E.g., Delhi, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Lucknow, Agra, Nagpur.

🚢 Modern Towns (Colonial)

British/Europeans first built trading ports — Surat, Daman, Goa, Pondicherry — then consolidated around three nodes: Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, developed in British style with administrative & military areas.

🏭 Post-Independence Towns

Developed as administrative headquarters (Chandigarh, Bhubaneswar, Gandhinagar, Dispur), industrial centres (Durgapur, Bhilai, Sindri, Barauni) and satellite towns (Ghaziabad, Rohtak, Gurugram around Delhi).

📌 Do You Know?

Towns based on modern industries also evolved after 1850 — Jamshedpur is a notable example.

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6. Urbanisation in India

The level of urbanisation is the % of urban population to total population. India’s level of urbanisation in 2011 was 31.16% — quite low compared to developed countries. Total urban population has increased eleven-fold during the 20th century, though the urbanisation growth rate has slowed in the last two decades.

🗓️ Table 2.1 — Trends of Urbanisation (1901–2011)

Year	Towns/UAs	Urban Pop. (‘000)	% of Total	Decennial Growth (%)
1901	1,827	25,851.9	10.84	—
1911	1,815	25,941.6	10.29	0.35
1921	1,949	28,086.2	11.18	8.27
1931	2,072	33,456.0	11.99	19.12
1941	2,250	44,153.3	13.86	31.97
1951	2,843	62,443.7	17.29	41.42
1961	2,365	78,936.6	17.97	26.41
1971	2,590	1,09,114	19.91	38.23
1981	3,378	1,59,463	23.34	46.14
1991	4,689	2,17,611	25.71	36.47
2001	5,161	2,85,355	27.78	31.13
2011*	6,171	3,77,000	31.16	31.08

31.16%

Urbanisation Level (2011)

11×

Rise in Urban Pop. (20th Century)

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7. Functional Classification of Towns

Apart from being central/nodal places, many towns perform specialised functions. However, each town performs multiple functions — on the basis of the dominant function, Indian towns are broadly classified as follows.

Type	Examples
Administrative Towns	Chandigarh, New Delhi, Bhopal, Shillong, Guwahati, Imphal, Srinagar, Gandhinagar, Jaipur, Chennai
Industrial Towns	Mumbai, Salem, Coimbatore, Modinagar, Jamshedpur, Hugli, Bhilai
Transport Cities	Ports: Kandla, Cochin, Kozhikode, Vishakhapatnam; Inland hubs: Agra, Dhulia, Itarsi, Katni
Commercial Towns	Kolkata, Saharanpur, Satna
Mining Towns	Raniganj, Jharia, Digboi, Ankaleshwar, Singrauli
Garrison/Cantonment Towns	Ambala, Jalandhar, Mhow, Babina, Udhampur
Educational Towns	Roorki, Varanasi, Aligarh, Pilani, Prayagraj
Religious & Cultural Towns	Varanasi, Mathura, Amritsar, Madurai, Puri, Ajmer, Pushkar, Tirupati, Kurukshetra, Haridwar, Ujjain
Tourist Towns	Nainital, Mussoorie, Shimla, Pachmarhi, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Ooty, Mount Abu

📌 Cities Are Not Static

Functions change over time due to a city’s dynamic nature. Even specialised cities become multifunctional metropolises as industry, business, administration and transport all intertwine — making them hard to place in a single functional class.

📌 Smart Cities Mission

Aims to promote cities with core infrastructure, a clean/sustainable environment and decent quality of life — applying smart solutions to reduce disaster vulnerability, use fewer resources and provide cheaper services, focusing on compact, replicable models.

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Summary — Quick Revision

Settlement: Cluster of dwellings acting as economic support-base; rural (primary) vs urban (secondary/tertiary).

Rural Types: Clustered, Semi-clustered, Hamleted, Dispersed — shaped by physical, cultural and security factors.

Urban Definition (1991 Census): Municipality/corporation + pop. ≥5,000 + ≥75% male non-agri workers + density ≥400/km².

Town Evolution: Ancient (religious) → Medieval (fort towns) → Modern (colonial ports/nodes) → Post-Independence (admin/industrial/satellite).

Urbanisation (2011): 31.16% level; urban population rose 11-fold in the 20th century.

Functional Types: Administrative, Industrial, Transport, Commercial, Mining, Garrison, Educational, Religious, Tourist.

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Important Terms to Remember

Human Settlement: Cluster of dwellings of any type/size where people live.
Hinterland: The rural area served by a city/town.
Clustered Settlement: Compact, closely built-up village.
Hamlet: A small fragmented settlement unit locally called panna, para, palli, nagla or dhani.
Dispersed Settlement: Isolated huts scattered over difficult terrain.
Urban Agglomeration: A continuous urban spread comprising a town and its adjoining urban growth.
Level of Urbanisation: Percentage of urban population to total population.
Satellite Town: A smaller town developed around a large metropolitan city.
Smart Cities Mission: Government initiative to build cities with core infrastructure and sustainable, smart solutions.