(a) Outline four characteristics of nucleated settlements (b) Identify four functions of cities in the world (c) State four factors that favour the growth o...

Answer Details

(a) Four characteristics of nucleated settlements

1. The houses and buildings are closely packed and grouped together around a central point such as a market, well, church or road junction.
2. There is a compact, clustered form with little open space between the dwellings.
3. Buildings and services (shops, school, place of worship) are concentrated in one place, so people live near one another and near their facilities.
4. The farmland lies outside and around the built-up cluster, so farmers travel out to their fields from the settlement.

(b) Four functions of cities in the world

• Administrative: serving as centres of government and headquarters of institutions.
• Commercial: acting as markets and centres of trade, banking and business.
• Industrial: hosting factories and manufacturing.
• Service and cultural: providing education, health, transport, entertainment and religious services for the surrounding region.

(c) Four factors that favour the growth of settlements

1. Reliable water supply from rivers, springs or lakes.
2. Fertile soil and good farmland that provide food.
3. Favourable relief and climate (well-drained, gently sloping land with a healthy climate).
4. Good transport links, trade and security, together with employment opportunities and available building land, which attract people to settle and stay.