This document provides information about rural and urban settlements, including their key characteristics and how they develop. Rural settlements typically have sparse populations and are dispersed or linear in pattern, with people involved in farming, mining or forestry. Urban settlements are densely populated and nucleated or grid-like in pattern, with people engaged in industry, commerce or services. Settlement patterns reveal information about a region's physical geography, economy and people's livelihoods.

1. Prepared by Ms Lena Teo Student’s copy
EDGEFIELD SECONDARY SCHOOL
SECONDARY TWO GEOGRAPHY
CHAPTER TWO: SETTLEMENT
Geographer’s name: ____________________________ ( ) Class: 2 _____ Date: ____________
#1 Characteristics of Rural & Urban Settlements
Physical environment Settlement’s main function
People’s way of life
(lifestyle)
Large river /
Sea
___________ __________
Farm land / Padi fields _____________ / _____________ __________
Gold mine __________ __________
Mountainous areas /
Forested areas
__________ __________________
A. Rural settlement
GENERAL FEATURES OF A RURAL SETTLEMENT:
• Buildings generally ________________________.
• Size and density: There is a _______ population size
and it is _________________________.
• Main functions: Majority of the people in rural
settlements are involved in __________, __________,
_____________, _________________ or
_______________________________.
• Few amenities: _____________________ to cater to
people’s daily needs (eg schools, highways, hospitals,
clinics, supermarkets and post offices).
o Electricity and piped water may also be _____
______________________.
• Way of life: People’s lives are _____________ to the
settlement’s physical environment and main function.
B. Urban settlement
GENERAL FEATURES OF AN URBAN SETTLEMENT:
• People live in buildings that are _________________
(eg high-rise flats, skyscrapers).
• Size and density: There is a _______ population size
and it is __________ populated.
• Main functions: Majority of the people in urban
settlements are involved in _________________,
_______________ or the production and distribution
of ______________________________.
• Many amenities: A wide range of _______________
are provided (eg merchandise, electronics,
banking/financial services).
o Water & electricity are ___________________.
o There are ______________________________.
o _________________________ also are present.
• Way of life: People are mainly involved
in _______________, and thus they earn
______________________________.

2. Prepared by Ms Lena Teo Teacher’s copy
#2 Settlement Patterns
• It provides useful information to help identify and
_______________________________ in an area.
• They can reveal the _______________________,
its ________________, the _________________
and the people’s ____________________.
I can look at ________ maps
to study settlement patterns
• It shows how buildings are arranged in a settlement.
o Rural settlements are usually ____________, _____________ or _______________.
o Urban settlements are generally ______________, or _____________.
What is a settlement pattern?
1) Linear settlement
What is it?
• Linear settlements are
located _________________
______________ (eg. roads,
railways, rivers & canals).
• It has a _________________
size and population density.
How & why linear settlements develop?
• Transport routes tend to be in a linear pattern,
so settlement also follows the same linear pattern.
• _________________________ and routes serve
as a __________________ for the people living
in such settlements (e.g. fishermen living along
a river may easily transport their catch for sale
via river).
2) Nucleated settlement
What is it?
• Nucleated settlements are
made up of ___________________
_____________ in a compact area,
which is usually the ____________
___________________ (a NODE).
• Nucleated settlements tend to
have ________________________.
o Therefore, they support a
_________________________ & have a _____________________.
• Usually found in _______________________________ (eg towns/cities).

3. Prepared by Ms Lena Teo Student’s copy
How & why nucleated settlements develop?
• The buildings are clustered together to allow
_________________________ (eg water,
electricity, healthcare facilities).
• Sometimes this could also be due to a _______
______________________ for the buildings to
spread out.
What is it?
• Dispersed settlements are made up
of individual buildings ____________
______________________________.
o Buildings may be ____________
large open spaces, farmlands,
forests or grasslands.
• It has a __________________ and the
______________________________.
How & why dispersed settlements develop?
• In places where natural resources or
fertile soil is limited, _________________
to ensure there is enough land to cultivate
crops or obtain resources from the ground.
• Function of settlement may require large
amounts of land (eg. _________________).
• A ________________________________
causes homes and farms to be dispersed.
• _________________________, so people have homes on large pieces of land.
3) Dispersed settlement
GLOSSARY
o Mining: digging the earth to extract coal or other minerals (eg gold)
o Amenities: useful facilities of a place (eg. schools, post offices, clinics, hospitals, gym)
o Way of life: lifestyle
o Goods: items that can be seen and touched (eg. clothes, electronic products, books)
o Services: Services are provided by other people, such as doctors, lawyers, financial
consultants, healthcare workers, dentists, barbers and waiters.
o Densely populated: high population density (many people living per unit area)
o Sparsely populated: low population density (few people living per unit area)
o Node: point at which transport lines or roads intersect; a central or connecting point.
o Nucleated: clustered together
o Dispersed: scattered / spread out