Settlement patterns can take various forms including dispersed, linear, and nucleated. Dispersed settlements involve scattered houses over a large rural area, often in hilly or flat lands. Linear settlements see grouped houses along roads, railways, coasts or rivers to benefit from transportation. Nucleated settlements center around a focal point like a road intersection, with houses clustered around this nucleus, potentially growing into market towns or urban centers over time.

1. Settlement patterns Settlement patterns are settlements cluster in various shapes and sizes.

2. Dispersed Settlements A dispersed settlement refers to the scattering of houses over a large area.

4. Occur in rural areas

5. Develop in hilly areas, extensive flatlands or rolling plains

6. Linear Settlements A linear settlement pattern refers to the grouping of houses along a line.

7. Tend to follow roads, railway tracks, along the coast or river

8. Provide good transport and communication network

9. Nucleated Settlements A nucleated settlement pattern refers to the grouping of many houses around a centre called a nucleus.

10. Developed at road intersections, focal points of an area or confluences of rivers

11. Grow in size to form a market town in the rural area.

12. Towns and cities may develop into urban centres and increase in number of functions