(a) Outline two characteristic features of each of the following: (i) cornubation (ii) megapolis (b) With specific examples, explain any six functions which...

Answer Details

(a) Characteristic features

(i) Conurbation

• It is formed when several once-separate towns and cities grow and merge into one continuous built-up urban area.
• It has a very large total population and covers a large area with continuous built-up land, e.g. Greater London or the West Midlands.

(ii) Megalopolis

• It is a very large urban region formed by the coalescing of several conurbations and cities into a continuous belt of urban development.
• It has an extremely large population spread over a vast area, with heavy interlinking of transport, e.g. the Boston-to-Washington belt (Boswash) in the USA.

(b) Six functions which settlements perform (with examples)

• Administrative function: centres of government, e.g. Abuja (Nigeria) and Washington (USA) as capitals.
• Commercial/trade function: centres of buying and selling, e.g. Lagos, Kano, Onitsha as trading and market towns.
• Industrial/manufacturing function: centres of factories and processing, e.g. Ikeja/Lagos and Pittsburgh.
• Educational function: centres of learning, e.g. Ibadan and Nsukka as university towns.
• Religious function: centres of worship and pilgrimage, e.g. Mecca, Jerusalem and Ile-Ife.
• Port/route (transport) function: ports and route-focus towns, e.g. Port Harcourt, Apapa and Warri.
• Mining function: towns based on mineral extraction, e.g. Enugu (coal) and Jos (tin).
• Resort/tourist and residential functions, e.g. resort towns and dormitory suburbs.