NCERT Solutions for Class 12 Geography (India - People and Economy) Chapter 2 Human Settlements

NCERT
SOLUTIONS
CLASS - 12th

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Class : 12th

Subject : Geography

Chapter : 4

Chapter Name : HUMAN SETTLEMENTS

Q1 Choose the right answers of the following from the given options.

(i) Which one of the following towns is NOT located on a river bank?

(a) Agra

(b) Bhopal

(c) Patna

(d) Kolkata

(ii) Which one of the following is NOT part of the definition of a town as per the census of India?

(a) Population density of 400 persons per sq km.

(b) Presence of municipality, corporation, etc.

(c) More than 75% of the population engaged in primary sector.

(d) Population size of more than 5,000 persons.

(iii) In which one of the following environments does one expect the presence of dispersed rural
settlements?

(a) Alluvial plains of Ganga

(b) Arid and semi-arid regions of Rajasthan

(c) Lower valleys of Himalayas

(d) Forests and hills in north-east

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(iv) Which one of the following group of cities have been arranged in the sequence of their ranks
i.e. 1, 2, 3 and 4 in size?

(a) Greater Mumbai, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Chennai

(b) Delhi, Greater Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata

(c) Kolkata, Greater Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata

(d) Greater Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi, Chennai

Answer.

(i) (b) Bhopal

(ii) (c) More than 75% of the population engaged in primary sector

(iii) (d) Forests and Hills in North East

(iv) (b) Delhi, Greater Mumbai ,Chennai , Kolkata

Page : 38 , Block Name : Multiple Choice Questions

Q2 Answer the following questions in about 30 words.

(i) What are garrison towns? What is their function?

(ii) How can one identify an urban agglomeration?

(iii) What are the main factors for the location of villages in desert regions?

(iv) What are metropolitan cities? How are they different from urban agglomerations?

Answer.

(i) Garrison towns are the towns developed on the strategic sites of military importance. They
served as a base for the armed forces. They function as barracks, cantonments, training
facilities for the armed forces, airfields, and harbours for warships such as such as Ambala,
Jalandhar, Mhow, Babina, Udhampur, etc.

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Book : India- People and Economy Ncert Solutions | Chapter - 4 Social Science Geography

(ii) ​Urban agglomeration is an extended city or town area of a central place and suburbs linked
to it.​ It occurs when the relationships among cities shift from mainly competition to cooperation.
Urban agglomerations have increased in recent decades.

An urban agglomeration may consist of any one of the following three combinations:

(i) a town and its adjoining urban outgrowths

(ii) two or more contiguous towns with or without their outgrowths

(iii) a city and one or more adjoining towns with their outgrowths together forming a contiguous
spread

Thus, by identifying the above factors, an urban agglomeration can be identified.

(iii) The main factors for the location of villages in desert regions are :-

➔​ Availability of water is a crucial factor which decides the type of human settlement, Since
water is difficult to find in desert areas villages are located in the form of clustered settlements
which allow for optimum utilisation of resources.

➔​ Desert areas have dry and warm climatic conditions, little vegetation, specific flora and
fauna , distinct culture and tradition which is best suited to be developed on the lines of a village
settlement.

(iv) Cities accommodating a population size between one to five million are called metropolitan
cities. Metropolitan areas include one or more urban areas, as well as satellite cities, towns and
intervening rural areas that are socio-economically tied to the urban core, typically measured by
committing patterns. A metropolitan area is a region consisting of a densely populated urban
core and its less-populated surrounding territories, sharing industry, infrastructure and housing.

An urban agglomeration is a continuous urban spread constituting a town and it's adjoining
outgrowths or two or more physically continuous towns together with or without outgrowths of
such towns. An urban Agglomeration must consider of at least a statutory town and it's
population should not be less than 20,000.

Page : 39 , Block Name : Short Answer Question

Q3 Answer the following questions in about 150 words.

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(i) Discuss the features of different types of rural settlements. What are the factors responsible
for the settlement patterns in different physical environments?

(ii) Can one imagine the presence of only one-function town? Why do the cities become
multi-functional?

Answer.

(i) There are various factors and conditions responsible for having different types of rural
settlements in India. These include :-

Physical features​ – nature of terrain, altitude, climate of the place and availability of water
where the settlement is situated

Cultural and Ethnic factors ​– social structure, caste and religion practices of the place of the
settlement

Security factors​ –facilities and defence against thefts and robberies.

Rural settlements in India can broadly be put into Clustered, Agglomerated or nucleated,
Semi-clustered or fragmented, Hamleted Dispersed or isolated.

Clustered Settlements

1. It is a compact area of houses wherein the living area is separated from the surrounding
farms and pastures. The closely built-up area and its intervening streets present some
recognisable pattern or geometric shape, such as rectangular, radial, linear, etc.
2. Such settlements are generally found in fertile alluvial plains and in the northeastern
states. Reasons such as security (eg. in Nagaland) and scaricity of water ( eg. In
Rajasthan) among others necessitate such settlements.

Semi-Clustered Settlements

1. Clustering in a restricted area of dispersed settlement give rise to semi clustered
settlements.
2. Such a pattern also result from fragmentation of a large compact village. One or more
sections of the village may choose to live a little away from the main cluster..
3. Such settlements are widespread in the Gujarat plain and some parts of Rajasthan.

Hamleted Settlements

1. Sometimes settlement is fragmented into several units physically separated from each
other bearing a common name. These units are locally called panna, para, nagla, dhani,
etc.
2. This segmentation may be motivated by social and ethnic factors.
3. Such villages are more frequently found in the middle and lower Ganga plain,
Chhattisgarh and lower valleys of the Himalayas.

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Dispersed Settlements

1. Dispersed or isolated settlement pattern appears in the form of isolated huts or hamlets
in remote jungles, or small hills.
2. Extreme dispersion is often caused by extremely fragmented nature of the terrain like in
Meghalaya, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Kerala.

(ii) It is difficult to imagine the presence of only one-function town. It is possible that one
particular function becomes dominating in a town or a town is known for only one function
initially. But other functions will be existent in some degree and will soon compete with the
dominant function and result in formation of multifunction town.

Example

➔​ Banaras is a cultural town but at the same time it is extremely popular for silk saree and
Banaras Hindu University. There are also administrative offices of local governments.

➔​ New Delhi is an administrative town but it has many industries, historical monuments and
educational importance. People from all over India come here for education, health, to solve
legal disputes in Supreme Court.

➔​ Mumbai is known for its film industry but tourism is also prevalent. People visit Mumbai for
religious purposes.

Cities becomes multi functional because one function acts as a promoter of other functions. If a
town is religious and cultural then certainly it will attract tourists and may become a tourist town.
The functions change of the cities changes due to their dynamic nature. Even specialised cities,
gradually grow into metropolitan cities when they become multifunctional wherein industry,
business, administration, transport etc. become an essential part.

Page : 39 , Block Name : Long Answer Question

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