This is when settlements are grouped together. It is also called clustered settlement.
This type of settlement occurs for a number of reasons. In rural areas, some villages have developed around crossroads. In other cases, they have developed from clachans (clusters of houses), where land owned
Figure 12.12 Nucleated settlement by a farmer was divided into several sites for the children.
Why do some people like living in nucleated settlements? ACT VITY
Dispersed
This is when settlements are spread out and randomly scattered.
Figure 12.13 Dispersed settlement
There is no pattern to the settlements and they are mainly farmhouses. The area surrounding the settlement is generally farmland. The settlement may also be in an upland area that is not densely populated.
Why do some people like living in dispersed settlements? ACT VITY
Go to page 48 of your Portfolio to look at ways of encouraging sustainable rural development. PORTFOLIO ACT VITY 12.1
(i) What percentage of the population live in rural areas in Ireland? (ii) Name one pattern of rural settlement and explain why it occurs.
(iii) Can you locate linear, nucleated, or dispersed patterns of settlement near your local area? If so name the pattern and the location. Why has this pattern of settlement taken place here?
/ I can explain the rural patterns of settlement in Ireland today. / I can identify rural patterns of settlement on Ordnance Survey maps.
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Settlement and Urbanisation: Where we live and why
