(a) Write notes on (I) dispersed settlement; (ii) linear settlement. (b) Explain any four factors that favour the location of settlements (c) Outline any th...

(a) Notes on settlement patterns

(i) Dispersed settlement

• This is a pattern in which houses or homesteads are scattered and stand far apart, each often on its own farmland.
• It is common in areas of individual land holding, fairly even distribution of water, and where security is not a serious problem.
• Each family lives on or near its farm, so the buildings are separated by fields.

(ii) Linear settlement

• This is a pattern in which buildings are strung out in a line, one behind the other.
• They develop along a line of communication such as a road, a railway, a river bank or the foot of a hill.
• The houses front the route and the settlement is long and narrow.

(b) Four factors that favour the location of settlements

• Availability of water - people settle where there is a reliable supply for drinking and farming.
• Fertile soil and good farmland that can support agriculture and feed the people.
• Favourable relief - flat or gently sloping, well-drained land that is easy to build on.
• Security and defence - safe sites such as hilltops in the past attracted settlers.
• Good means of communication and the presence of resources or trade opportunities.

(c) Three functions of urban settlement

• Administrative function - serving as seats of government and administration.
• Commercial function - acting as centres of trade, banking and markets.
• Industrial function - housing factories and manufacturing.
• Others include educational, medical, transport and cultural/religious functions.