Settlement Patterns

Settlements tend to Follow Four Patterns

linear- this pattern has buildings that follow a natural or human-made-line, such as a river, a railway, or a shoreline

clustered- this pattern occurs when many people reside in an area that is rich in resources; thus, there is a very high density or large number of people per square kilometer; high-rise dwellings, such as condominiums, are common

scattered- in this pattern, residents are spread out; this is common in farming communities; the number or resources are limited or unreliable, so the area cannot easily sustain a large population

peripheral- the population surrounds a feature, like a mountain stadium, or circles the edge of a territory

population- refers to how many people live in the area

population distribution- refers to where people live

population density- refers to how many people live in a given area

population density = # of people / km2

Singapore= 5 469 724 people / 718.3 km2= 7 614.8 people per km2

(It is, of course, impossible to have 8/10 or 4/5 of a person, but this is not to be taken literally.) *