In this section, you will learn: zz what settlement is zz how site affects settlement zz how situation affects settlement zz how to identify site and situation on an Ordnance Survey map.
Settlement
Population density
Population distribution
Site Situation
Altitude Aspect
Drainage
Bridging point Slope Shelter
Nodal point
Settlement refers to where people live. The places where settlements are built and the services (or functions) that settlements provide change over time.
When the first settlers arrived in Ireland about nine thousand years ago settlement was influenced by basic needs (e.g. food, water supply and shelter) and communications (e.g. transport). Today, settlement is influenced by peoples need for services (e.g. schools and shops) and employment.
Population density:
how many people live in an area; it is often measured by the number of people living in 1 km2
If you look at Ireland’s population distribution you will see that most people now live in towns and cities. There is a low population density in rural areas and a high population density in urban areas. The growth of towns and cities (settlements) is called urbanisation.
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Population distribution: the spread of where people live.
We will learn more about urbanisation on pages 210–221 of this chapter.
When examining the location of any settlement, we look at the factors that influence the site and the situation of the settlement.
: Figure 12.2 Aerial photograph of Galway City 197
Settlement and Urbanisation: Where we live and why
