[Ar.satish lohar]

FACTORS INFLUENCING THE TYPE OF RURAL SETTLEMENTS

There are three factors that influence the type of settlements in India. These factors
are
(i) Physical
(ii) Ethnic or cultural and
(iii) Historical or defence


Physical factor : 
One of the most basic factors affecting settlement patterns is the physical geography of the land. Climate is key, because if a place is too dry, too cold or too hot, it’s more difficult for large numbers of people to settle there, especially if they make their living from farming. The land itself is important too because some types of soil are much better for agriculture than others, or they support different types of crops. Though modern transportation allows people to settle farther from where their food is farmed, places with wet, mild climates are still more densely populated than places that are very dry or very cold

[Ar.Priyanka Mathur]

FACTORS INFLUENCING THE TYPE OF RURAL SETTLEMENTS

(i) Physical Factors: These include relief, altitude, soil capability, climate, drainage, ground water level, etc. These factors influence the type and spacing of dwelling or instance, in dry regions of Rajasthan, water is a crucial factor and, therefore, houses are situated along a pond or well which guides the
compactness of the settlement.

(ii) Ethnic and Cultural Factors: These include aspects like caste, community, ethnicity and religion. In India it is commonly found that the main land owning
caste resides at the centre of the village and the other service providing castes on the periphery. This leads to social segregation and fragmentation of a settlement into several units

(iii) Historical or Defence Factors: In the past, mostly border areas of northwestern plains were conquered or attacked frequently by outsiders. For a long time, apart from attack from outsiders, there had been continuous fight between princely states and kingdom within the country therefore, security
concerns favoured the evolution of nucleated settlements.