Paper No III – Human Geography (Englsih Version)-munotes

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RURAL SETTLEMENT
After going through this chapter, you will be able to understand the
following features
Unit Structure
1.0 Objectives
1.1 Introduction
1.2 Subject ­ Discussion
1.3 Evolution of Human Settlement
1.4 Factors of rural settlement
a. Water supply
b. Arable land
c. Dry land
d. Shelter
e. Defence
1.5 Site of rural settlements
i. On the river bank
ii. Dry point settlement
iii. Wet point settlement
iv. Confluence point settlement
v. Ford point settlement
vi. Ferry point settlement
vii. Bridge point settlement
viii. Raised beach location
ix. Bay point location
x. Gap point location
xi. Hill top settlements
xii. Settlements on terraces
xiii. Spur end settlement munotes.in

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2 1.6 Pattern of rural settlement
a. Isolated
b. Hamlet
c. Village
1.7 Nucleated rural settlements
1.8 Dispersed rural set tlements
1.9 Factors affecting house types
1.10 Summary
1.11 Check your Progress/ Exercise
1.12 Answers to the self learning questions.
1.13 Technical words and their meaning
1.14 Task
1.0 OBJECTIVES
By the end of this unit you will be able to:
 Learn the E volution of Human Settlement
 Understand different factors that are responsible for rural settlements
 Learn various sites of rural settlements
 Study patterns of rural settlements
 Study the factors affecting house types in rural settlements
1.1 INTRODUCTION
In the previous chapters you have learnt about the Definition, Scope and
Nature of Human Geography. Also we have studied Population, its growth
and distribution as well as the reasons behind each of them. Furthermore
we have studied about migration along with world distribution of tribes
and their habitat. In this chapter we are going to study Rural Settlement.
1.2 SUBJECT DISCUSSION
Evolution of human settlement shows that there was a transition of man
from hunter and food gatherer to agriculture and sett lement. This is known
as Neolithic Revolution. We know any form of human habitation is a
settlement. It varies from a single house to the largest city. It is a place
where people live and interact through activities like agriculture, trading
and entertainm ent. xiv. Settlement inside valley
xv. Shoulder point settlement
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3 By rural settlement it is meant a sparsely populated community existing in
the country, away from densely populated urban centres. The rural
settlements derive their life support or basic economic needs from land
based primary economic activities. It is observed that the rural people are
less mobile and hence social relations among them are intimate. Rural
settlement may be of several types such as, Clustered or Nucleated
Settlements, Semi ­clustered or Fragmented Settlements, Hamleted
Settlements and D ispersed or Isolated Settlements.
Rural settlement means a rural space occupied by rural community with
their economic, social and cultural environment. This environment
influences the entire rural way of life and their dynamic structure.
Geographers look at the rural settlements as agglomeration of manmade
habitats on the earth which is dependent mostly on primary occupation.
1.3 EVOLUTION OF HUMAN SETTLEMENTS
In the initial stages of development man was a food gatherer. As food
supply was not secured man used to move from one place to another
in search of food. Hence there was no permanent settlement at that
stage.
Man is the most intelligent animal on the earth’s surface. He observes
the natural phenomenon and understands the scientif ic principles related
to them. He must have observed tl growth process of plant from seed
to plant and must have realized that it is possible for him to procure his
own food supply through the process of cultivation.
Fertile soil and pere nnial supply of water were the two most important
requirements of cultivation or agriculture. Both these requirements were
fulfilled in the lower part of the river course i.e. river walleys and
fertile flood plains having perennial supply of water.

Fig.1.1 Suitable location for Settlements
Hence in order to protect his agricultural field it became necessary
to construct house or shelter near to his agricultural field. This could
have been the starting point of the permanent rural settlement. It
occur red about 5000 to 6000 B.C. which is termed as Neolithic
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4 Man is a social animal and he prefers to live in the company of his
friends and relives. Hence the flat, fertile and accessible areas having
supply of water are densely populated: than the isolated, hilly and
inaccessible areas.

Fig. 1.2 Location of Settlements
Check your progress
1. Write a short note on evolution of human settlement. 1.4 FACTORS OF RURAL SETTI.EMENT
The site is the absolute location of an object or an activity, being the
ground or an area upon which a Village or a dwelling unit has been
built. A site is ‘vertical referring to t he local relationship between a
building and its immediate physical environment.
In rural settlements the site has to fulfill some basic needs of mankind
— water, food and protection from natural elements and outside
attacks. So the factors which the villagers look for while choosing a
site are whether the site is near a water source, near available land,
and close to source of fuel and fodder. The micro ­relief also plays
an important part. A hill ­top site or an island in a river is often
chosen as it is easy for defence purpose. The swampy land is
generally avoided, while a dyke is often favored as it gives protection
from floods. We will now be looking at some of the sitting factors in
greater detail.
4.1 Water Supply : Water is the most important of human need.
Examples of settlement which are not located near a water body are
rare. Ancient settlements which for reasons of defence had to be
located at some distance from water, often have a drop well or a
artificially dug pond. Today some settlements which are located in
middle of deserts — since they are blessed with the presence of oil or
other precious mineral — have piped w ater brought into the settlement.
Sometimes the need for water drive people to settle in otherwise
disadvantageous sites, such as islands surrounded by swamps or on munotes.in

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5 low lying river banks. In dry areas springs end wells allow settleme nts
to service and are known as wet point settlements. A good example
le of this type of settlement are the series of springs usually found
along the base of . scrap slope, and the consequent settlements
called the spring ­line settlements.
4.2 ArabIe land: Farmers would not choose to settle at localities
where land, is unsuitable for their traditional crops. Thus the
founders of villages in Europe avoided swampy low ­lying land and
settled in a reas of rolling country. On the other hand, when the
mongoloid people entered South East Asia and began to settle they
chose the low­ lying river valleys and coastal plains which were suited
to wet ­rice cultivation. Not only the land suit the crop, it also has to
suit their tools and implements. For example, the early farmers in
Europe built their homes in the uplands where the soil was lighter and
more friable, than the heavy clayey soils of the valleys, which they
could not turn with their ploughs. It is also important to remember
that most original village settlements were almost self sufficient and
thus would choose a site from which they had access to a variety
of lands incl uding pasture, arabic land and woodland.
4.3 Dry land : If water and land were available the site chosen for
building a village was usually one where the land was dry and not
subject to frequent flooding. Whenever settlements has taken place near
rivers or in low lying areas people have sought out the higher grounds
or dry points thus are called dry point settlements. These may be on
the outsides of meanders, on river terraces or on levees; for example
along the levees of the lower Mississippi there is a continuous line of
settlements; on the side of the valleys above the flood plains, on the
islands in the marshes and lakes and even on the man made mounds
for example on the dykes in Net herlands.
4.4 Shelter: The site is also chosen taking into account its suitability
as a shelter from natural elements. In the Alysine Himalayan region
people often choose the sunny south facing slope. Villages also avoid
wind ­swept height s, frost hollows and areas prone to damp unhealthy
mists. Where winds are strong in open country, settlements are built
behind the natural wind break of a grove of trees. Coastal villages
are often sited on sheltered bays o r lagoons. Another important
factor in deciding the site is health. People do not choose to settle
in disease prone areas, for example in Italy the low ­lying malarial area
was not settled till malaria was brought under control.
4.5 Defence : Most villages were created when political
instability and hostility of neighboring groups made defensive sites a
great advantage. For this reason many villages were built on
defensible hills, islands or promont ories. In Nigeria, for example,
upstanding ‘inselbergs’ formed good defensive positions and were
often used as settlement sites. Many villages though not actually built
on hills were located at their foot, so that in times of tr ouble the people
could retreat into their fortified heights. In many areas villages were munotes.in

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6 also built near monasteries and castles of powerful lords, which
offered them some protection in times of unrest.

Fig 1.3 defence site
Chec k your progress
1. What are the factors that decide the site of humans settlement?
1.5 SITE OF THE RURAL SETTLEMENTS
I) On River Bank : Water is one uf the essential requirement of man
and hence most of the settlements are located on i ivr banks, of the
perennial rivers.

Fig 1.4
H) Dry Point Settlements : These aic found in the areas which are
likely to get flooded due to river or ticks The settlements are located
on the elevated land in order to avoid danger of food. munotes.in

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Fig 1.5
iii) Wet Point Settlements : In the areas having scarcity of water, the
settlements are located near to the sources o water and hence are called
as Wet Point Settlements.

Fig 1.6
iv) Confluence Point Settlement T hese settlements are located at the
confluence point of two rivers. munotes.in

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Fig 1.7
v) Ford Point Settlement: Ford is a location in the river where river
can be crossed by an individual person on his own. (i.e. without using
boat.) This is p ossible when the level of water in the river is less. As
the land routes converge at this point, settlements are located near to
the ford point.

Fig 1.8
vi) Ferry Point Settlement : If the level of water in the river is more, it
can be crossed only by using boat. Boat is also known as Ferry.
Hence such location is termed as Ferry Point. munotes.in

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Fig 1.9
vii) Bridge Point Settlement : Normally land routes converge near the
bridge and hence settlements develop near to the bridge.

Fig 1.10
viii) Raised Beach Location Settlements along the coastal areas are
located at the higher elevations — i.e. the raised beach in order to avoid
the danger of high tide. munotes.in

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Fig 1.11
ix) Bay Point Location : These ar e located near to the bay. These
are contact point Settlements i.e. contact between fishing and farming.

Fig 1.12
x) Gap Point Location Gap is a place between two hilly where
elevation is less and hence it is a suitable location for c rossing the hill
ranges. Land routes converge near gaps and hence settlements develop
near to the gap e.g. Khopoli. munotes.in

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Fig 1.13
xi) Hill Top Settlements Tourist places or forts are located at the higher
elevations; and hence settlements deve lop at these places.

Fig 1.14
xii) Settlements on terraces : In the hilly areas Rat land suitable for the
establishment of settlements is very scarce and hence settlements arc
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Fig 1.15
xiii) Spur End Settlement Ridges from o bstruction for transportation and
hence transport routes take a turn at spur ends. Hence like gap points
settlements develop near to the spur end.

Fig 1.16
xiv) Settlements inside Valley : River valleys are the favorable sites
for the location of settlements. Such settlements are found near to the
river inside river valley. munotes.in

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Fig 1.17
xv) Shoulder Point Settlements : Shoulder point location provides a
beautiful view of the areas either side of the hilt range and hence such
locations develop as ideal tourist place locations.

Fig 1.18
1.6 PATTERN OF RURAL SETTLEMENT
The pattern of rural settlement can be approached in two ways.
Firstly through studying the size of the settlement and secondly
through the approach of the shape of the settlement.
The rural settlement range in size from a single dwelling unit to
clusters of hundreds of units, however they are generally g raded into
three main sizes
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14 6.1 The isolated settlement
6.2 The hamlet
6.3 The village.
6.1 The isolated settlement usually consists of one building or a
group of buildings, housing one family and perhaps a number of farm
worker s. Isolated settlements are usually farms built at a distance from
other settlements, either because the farmer wishes to live on his own
land, rather than travel from a distant village or the farm is located far
from any regular settleme nt. They are also very common in the animal
rearing economy, since the work entails large climbs of per farmer
land. They are also more common in the new world, where due to
more recent habitation more land was available to farmers, a nd old well
established settlements were non ­existant. Since such settlements are
many kilometers apart, they have to be self ­sufficient. Though isolated
settlements are found all over the world, horn crafts in Highlands of
Scotland to wheat farms of Canada, sheep farms of Australia, the
‘estancius’ of Argentina even in the sheep rearing communities of
Himalayas, they are usually the product of economic necessity
rather than social preference.

Fig 1.19 Isolated hous e
6.2 Hamlets The distinction between the hamlet and the village is
not clear ­cut Typically, however the hamlet is smaller, and the
buildings composing it more scattered. The hamlet generally situated in
remote areas where the pop ulation is sparce consists of a few farms and
houses. munotes.in

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Fig 1.20 Hemlet or Wadi
It may or may not have church, shop, post office or school Hamlets are
again more common in the animal rearing communities such as the
Pennines or the hilly areas of Wdlcs and Scotland in Great Britain or
among the animal rearing communities of Himalayan region . The
wadis of Maharastra are good example of hemlets

Fig 1.20 patterns of rural settlements
6.3 Village: In most Countries however the village is the typical form of
rural Settlements Apart from houses and farms it usually contains some
social features like a temple or a church, a school, post office a few
shops and a meeting place or a village hail. All of these may not
necessarily be present in all villages and their size and. number vary
with the size of the village, but it is usually these features which
distinguishes a village from a hamlet. Villages range in size from a few
dozen people to thousands. Occupa tionally also they vary though the munotes.in

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16 farming village is the most common. There are also fishing vi1lge,
forest villages and mining Villages.
The size of the village is determined by a number of factors
a) The absolute size of the populatio n;
b) The ability of the land to support the population;
c) The stage of development of the settlement; and
d) Other factors like physical limitation of the land or a preconceived size.
3. What are the different patterns of rural settlements?
The shape or form of the village can vary a la, however two of the
most common forms are the nucleated settlement and dispersed
settlement. Nucleated settlement itself can be of various shapes like
the irregular cluster, li near villages, square or rectangular village,
round village or a star shaped settlement. Nucleated settlements are
more common than dispersed settlements, because men tend to
dislike solitude and thus gather together for company and protection.
1.7 NUCLEATED RURAL SETTLEMENTS
Nucleated villages may take many forms and these are governed by a
number of factors including the original site of the villaqe. the
historical and social factors of its evolution and the methods of
farming practice.
i) Limitations of site Site is an important factor in deciding the
shape of a village. For example if it is sited in a valley with rather
steep sides it will tend to be linear and spread along t he valley floor.
Examples of such villages are common in French and Swiss Alps and in
Rhine gorge. Levee settlements or coastal settlements are also linear in
form e.g. the coastal villages of Konkan region or South Gujarat.
Settlements based on islands or hill tops on the other hand are often
square or circular.
ii) Farming organization and land tenure system : The method
of farming employed in an area, together with the land tenure system
affect the settlemen t pattern. Many nucleated village were built in
the centre of the village lands, especially where fields were farmed
communally or when individual farmers owned highly scotched plots of
land. In such systems no particular, shape emerged, in some cases the
village would be square and compact, elsewhere it migh be cross or
star­shaped, and often it would be linear in form. This is because in
addition to the distant plots each farmer would O \fl a garden plot
stretching back from his house.
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17 Similarly in a plantation economy, the settlement constructed by the
plantation owner is compact square, whereas the individual farmers ­ who
each own. d small plot of ‘and und build his house on it ­ live in a
dispersed or loose form of village. In areas where transhumance is
practised the valley villages are compact, where the land is divided
into individually owned fields, whereas the mountain pastures
where land is commonly owned th e settlements are dispersed.
iii) Date of development : In many areas which have a basically
nucleated pattern various villages have deplored various shapes. For
example large square or star shaped villages may be interspersed with
smalle r linear settlements. Such a pattern might arise if the large
villages were the original’ settlements and the smaller ones were
established at a later date, as a result of overpopulation in the original
village, or migration of some of the original villagers to marginal
lands. As technology advances and more and more marginal lands
C roe under cultivation, such movements are becoming common.
These newer villages arc generally built along existing road and
assume a linear form.
Check your progress
1. Write a Short not on nucleated pattern of settlements.
v) Changes in pattern with time : The present day shape or size of
many villages may be different horn their original form. This can be
caused by several factors Changes in agricultural techniques may mean
that fewer people are needed on the land, so that villages become
smeller in size or completely disappear. Many English villages
disappeared this way in 1411 century On the other hand villages
may grow in both population and area. Such additions of population
changes the original shape end a village which was round and
compact may extend in all directions along the road to produce a star
shape or may extend in one direction to produce an irregular C1USIiF.
Changes may also occur due to complete rebuilding of village, either
due to defense purpose or rebuilding after a natural calamity like
earthquake, fire or flood.
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Fig 1.21 patterns of rural settlements
Check your progress
1. What are the factors responsible to change the pattern of rural
settlements?
1.8 DISPERSED RURAL SETTLEMENT
Dispersed settlements are usually found in areas where it is essential
or at least diserable that the farmer should live on his land rather than in
a distant village. In rugged topography where there is only a small
proportion of cultivable land, agricultural settlements are necessarily
limited to good land and are thus dispersed. As a result
almost
all settlements based on farming in mountainous land are dispersed.
Dispersed settlement is also associated with animal rearing communities
all over the world.
Some areas of scattered settlement however have rich farmland and a
good climate, here the scattered pattern is due to historical or social
factors. The settlement of North America for example show a gradual
change from a traditional nucleated pattern of Set tlement to a dispersed
pattern as a result of social changes taking place in the country.
The original 17th century settlements on the Atlantic coast followed
the traditional pat tern of European village, as the land with its
mountains and forests resembled Europe. The need to live together
was spurred by religious factor as well as the need for defense against
Red Indians, When the migrants moved westw ard the major expansion
took place along the rivers like St. Lawrence, Mississippi, Ohio. The
pattern was linear with parallel strips of land at right angles to the river.
Later in the 1 9th century people began to settle further west in the
empty prairie land. The land had no forest. The former could only munotes.in

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19 claim a land if he lived dud worked on it. Therefore only dispersed
settlements arc found in the interiors, with no villages at all.
Dispersed settlement though not restricted to the new lands of
Americas, Australia and New Zealand is rarer in Asia and Africa. it is
however more common in Europe. In Europe the establishment of
dispersed settlement came much later than village development
and Was caused by two factors. The first of the two factors the
enclosure act, which led to the fencing of individual fields, rather than
the old common fields. This affected rural settlements in two ways
firstly a number of people left village leading to d epopulation and
secondly sin e the farmer had a consolidated plot rather than
scattered plots, he preferred to live on his own land. Thus the original
village was surrounded by a series of outlying farms. The second
reason fo r dispersion was overpopulation and as a part of the
population left the village to found a new settlement, they often founded
dispersed settlement rather than new village.
In some parts of Africa, especially in the south and east of the
continent settlement by Europeans on large farms and ranches has
created some dispersed settlement, but the typical form of rural settlement
remain the village. There is a tendency towards some dispersion in areas
where small holdings for cas h crops have been established or where
old European estates have been broken up.
Check your progress
1. Write a short not on dispersed settlement.
1.9 HOUSE TYPES IN RURAL AREAS
One of the basic requirement of man is a shelter. The house is therefore
a universal feature of any region permanently settled by human beings.
The house as a shelter regulates the harshness of the climate to meet
the physiological requirements of the body.
Man needs shelter for various reasons. They are:
 To protect himself from vagaries of climate like high temperature,
cold climate, heavy rainfall or snowfall and so on.
 The house acts as a source of security both physically and
emotionally. Physically it protects man from attack of wild animals
and hostile action of fellow men. Emotionally i provides a
protective environment from the stress and strain of outside
world.
 House also provides a receptacle where man store his possessions
be it food grains, animals, water or other luxury items. That it is
one of the pr ime function of the ()I1­C s b(a tie out by the fact
that in a two room rural house, one room becomes the
storehouse of foodgrains, or of animals. munotes.in

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20 The vario us factor which affect the house type are:
a) Environment
b) Socio ­economic condition of the inhabitant.
c) Level of technological development of the society.
The various aspects house which are affected by these factors are
I) The site
ii) The structure
iii) The layout or the plan; and
iv) The building material.
Thus it is said that house is a testimonial of the complex relationship
between man and environment and reflects the direct influence of
ecology. In rur al societies these fundamental issues are more apparent.
Social, climate and geographic conditions are combined to produce an
architecture on which fashion or style plays little or no part.
The impact of these various factors on the diffe rent aspects of rural
house types are discussed in the following text.
a) Environmental factors In choosing the site of a dwelling unit a
number of ecological factors play an important role. A number of
climatic factors have to be taken into consideration. In mountainous
areas of the world for example the availability of the sunlight is the
most important determining factor. The sunny slope is naturally favoured,
therefore in northern hemisphere houses are often situated on the south
facing slopes.

Fig 1.22 settlements of sunny slopes
In the lesser Himalayan belt a house is naturally built on spur
jutting out from the hillside. The site is then well drained and dry,
while at the same time safe from landslides. The shelter of a forest or a
large number of trees can also be helpful, as they protect the house
from landslides and avalanches.
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21 Besides sunlight the other very important reason for sitting of a
house is the ava ilability of suitable sufficient drinking water for both
human and domestic animals. The houses from the simple to the most
complex are always located close to a source of water. Proximity to
fertile land is also taken into consideratio n. In hilly areas for example
land is chosen is such a way, so that terracing can be done without
much difficulty. Again rural dwellings are usually contiguous and
compact as it ensures safety. While selecting land for housing sites
therefo re, surplus land is kept in reserve so that more houses can be
constructed when population increases in the course of time.

Fig 1.23 Rural settlements on spur
The structure of a house is greatly influenced by the nature and
degree of precipitation. Protection against rains is s important a
function as protection from sunlight. The climate according to J.
Brunches express itself through the roof” and this remark is truly
applicable to rural dwellings of monsoon I ndia. Areas of heavy rainfall in
India, for example Konkan region sees not only steeply sloping roofs,
but the eves are also constructed in such a way that the verdr1dih or
the open space in front of the house is protected from rainfall.
Hat roofs on the other hand are common to dry areas for example Punjab
region.
In areas of high temperature the openings are kept to a minimum. A
thick wall with slit like windows prevent the suns heat from entering
the house and keep the in teriors cool. Such dwellings with a bon ­like
shape are common in Middle East. Verandahs are also common features
of houses in hot sunny lands for example India, and southern United
States.
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Fig 1.24 Rural House from Konkan region
In swampy a nd tidal areas on the other hand, houses are built on
stilts, so that with the rice in tidal waters the houses can not gate
flooded. It is a common feature in certain parts of Assam. Stilts are also
common in areas infested with wild a nimals as a security measure.

Fig 1.25 House on Stilts - Assam
The layout of a house is more the function of economic and social
factors rather than the physiographic ones. At times, however
environment does have an indirect influence ov er the housetype. In
Bengal, for example a dwelling house ot a homestead is composed of four
huts facing a central courtyard, with a pond somewhere at the back.
The pond is the source of mud which is the main building material.
Geology and t he general physiography on the other hand play a very
important role in deriding the nature of building material. In hilly,
rocky areas stone slabs are used extensively both as walls and roofs.
In Western Himalayas, for example sla te roofs on stone houses are a
common sight. In the more vegetated Eastern Himalayas, on the other
hand, wood, bamboo, rattan and thatch are main building material.
The local geological structure also dictates the nature of s tone that
is used. Therefore, while sandstone is common in Orissa, it is
granite in Maharashtra. The houses in Indo­ Gangetic plains on the munotes.in

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23 other hand are mainly mud and brick structure as clay is easily
available.
Geology plays another important role as well. In earthquake prone areas
the building material used are lightweight ones. For example, Japanese
are famed for their use of paper, since Japan is a earthquake prone
area. In India inhabitants of such areas use wood as opposed to stone.
In flood prone areas again the cheapest building material is used, as in
case of flood the full house may be washed away. A good example of
this can be found in the riverine tracts of Bihar. Here cultiv ators live in
huts with wattled walls and thatched roof. These are not only the
cheapest of all building material, but are also easily available.
b) Socio ­Economic factors Economic factors play an important role in
deciding the grandeur of the building and its location with respect to
other important village sites. The chief’s house in all societies is
elaborate, more decorated and of greater height than a commoner’s
house. The complexity of structure indicate the elevated posit ion of the
chief in the society. Similarly every village in India shows the contrast
between the houses of the upper and lower classes. The upper class
houses occupy better position as regards in village well; the well
drained sites and are invariably more elaborate affairs with a courtyard
(angan) and build of more durable or expensive material such as brick,
wooden beam etc. The poor houses on the other hand are one or
two room structures often housing livesto ck and humans under the
same roof. Building material are also much inferior, and they
generally occupy the worst possible sites, like the flood prone tracts or
undrained swampy locations.
Social and religious factors influence both the overall layout of the
structure as well as choosinq the site. In timbuktic, for example, the
houses never face west, the direction of the previewing wind, least evil
spirits and misfortune enter. In Kumaon and Garhwal the house site is
selec ted by the village priest after performing certain religious rituals
which are believed to be essential in order to make the spirit or ghost
to quit that particular place. In India caste an important social factor
determines the site of the house. Members of the same caste
usually build their houses adjoining one another. The schedule castes
live in areas far from the higher castes and the village proper, so as
not to pollute either The wells of the sc hedule castes are also
separate from that of the higher cactus. Again as social values and
perception of private space varies between societies, in a number of
tribal societies the whole village may live in one long hut or all the
young boys might live in a communal dormetory.
c) Levels of technological development Finally it is the levels of
technological development that determines the building material today,
as well as the overall structure of the house. A good example of this are
the modern Eskimo houses, which rather than being ‘igloos’ built of ice
slabs are modern brick ­wood structure. Similarly in a number of villages
in India today asbestos or corrugated sheets have replaced tiles or munotes.in

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24 thatch. M ud and wattle is being replaced by brick or stone. Similarly
there is some change in the structure of the house albeit slowly.
However the major change today is as regards the site. Through land
reclamation and draining a number of margi nal sites are being used
today. Also rather than the traditional sitting factors modern ones like
proximity to a roadway or an irrigation canal is becoming more
important.
So we can conclude this discussion by saying that higher the societi es
knowledge of technology, the higher is the uniformity in rural houses in
terms of structure, layout and building material.
Check your progress
1. What are the Factors deciding house types?
1.10 SUMMARY
After studying this lesson, we will be ab le to understand the following.
Rural settlement and urban settlement geography are two integral parts
that constitute the discipline of Settlement geography.
Fertile soil and adequate supply of water were two parameters of
cultivation. So when man evolved from food gatherers to cultivators they
chose river valleys to settle down. As a result fertile lands free from
environmental hazards have dense population and compact rural
settlements. These areas also have central places with more confined
hinterland d ue to inter competition. For example in the Ganga ­Yamuna
doab, high fertility soil, adequate irrigational facilities, and means of well
developed transport have given rise to almost uniform distribution of
settlements. In rural settlements the sites have t o fulfil some basic needs of
mankind such as water, food natural elements and protection from outside
attack. There can be several patterns of rural settlements. Some of them
are:
a. Linear Pattern
b. Radial Pattern
c. Star Shaped Pattern
d. Rectangular Pattern
e. Fan P attern and
f. Circular Pattern.
Apart from these there are various factors like environment, socio ­
economic condition of the inhabitant and level of technological
development of the society which affect the rural house types. In the lesser
Himalayan belt a h ouse is naturally built on spur jutting out from the hill
side. This site is well drained, dry as well as safe from landslide and munotes.in

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25 avalanches. On the other hand in swampy areas houses are built on stilts.
Economic factors also play important role in decidin g the location of rural
settlement with respect to other important village sites. The best built
house in the village belongs to the chief which is more decorated and of
greater height than a commoner’s house. Moreover, with the advent of
time and technolo gical development, the building material of rural houses
has also developed. In India asbestos or corrugated sheets have replaced
tiles or thatch.
To conclude it may be said that rural settlement study identifies the
economic, social and environmental aspe cts of the villages. Several
aspects like availability of key facilities and services, the ability of
residents to access employment, shops, health facilities and recreational
opportunities and identifies environmental and landscape factors which
make each settlement unique.
1.11 CHECK YOUR PROGRESS/ EXERCISE
1. True and false
a. In mountainous areas availability of sunlight is very important
determining factor of rural settlement.
b. The transition of man from hunter and food gatherer to agriculture
and settlement is known as Neolithic Revolution.
c. Dry point settlement occurs in the areas which have scarcity of water
hence the settlements are located near to the sources of water.
d. When settlements are located at the confluence point of two rivers
they are known as co nfluence point settlements.
e. In the upper Himalayan belt a house is naturally built on spur jutting
out from the hill side.

2. Fill in the blanks
a. To protect his ____________ ________man constructed house near it.
b. Dry point settlement may occur on the outside s of___________, on
river terraces or on levees.
c. In Nigeria __________ formed good defensive positions and were
often used as settlement sites.
d. Round and compact village when extend in all directions along the
road produce a _______ ___________ settlement.
e. _______ roofs are common in dry areas like Punjab.


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26 3. Multiple choice question
a. The upper class houses occupy better position and use
i. more durable or expensive material like brick, wooden beam etc .in
rural areas
ii. more inexpensive material like thatch, ti n in rural areas
iii. more durable material like tin, corrugated sheet, rubber cloth in rural
areas
b. The rural settlement which usually consists of one building or a group
of buildings is known as
i. Isolated settlement
ii. Dispersed settlement
iii. Wet point settlement
c. The size of villages is determined by
i. The absolute size of the fishing ground and the ability of it to
support the population
ii. The absolute size of the population and the ability of land to support
the population
iii. The absolute size of the cultivable land and the ability of land to
support the population
d. Settlement developed on the island or hill tops are often
i. Rectangular
ii. Star shaped
iii. square or circular
iv. Short answer question
1. What is Neolithic revolution?
2. What are the factors determine the site of rural settle ments?
3. Write short notes on:
a. Dry point settlement
b. Hill top settlements
c. Settlement on terraces
d. Shoulder point settlements
e. Settlement inside valley
4. Describe nucleated pattern of settlement
5. What are the factors behind the change of the pattern of rural
settle ments?
6. State the factors that affect house types in rural settlements.

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27
1.12 ANSWERS TO THE SELF LEARNING
QUESTIONS :

1. (a) True.
1.b True,
1.c.False, Wet point
1. d.True
1.e. False, lesser Himalayan.
2.a. agricultural field
2. b. meanders
2.c. “inselb ergs”
2.d. star shape
2.e. Flat

3. a.i.
3. b.i
3. c.ii
3.d.iii.
1.13 TECHNICAL WORDS AND THEIR MEANING

1. Altitude ­the height of the land
2. Clustered Settlement Pattern: a settlement where buildings are
clustered around a particular point.
3. Dry­point Site: a settlement site on dry land surrounded by low, wet
ground; this was good for defence.
4. Linear Settlement: a settlement which follows the line of, for example,
a road or river.
5. Nucleated Settlement Pattern: a settlement where buildings are
clustered around a particular point.
1.14 TASK

1. In a chart show different patterns of rural settlements
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28 2
URBAN SETTLEMENT
After going through this chapter you will be able to understand the
following features.
Unit Structure
2.0 Objectives
2.1 Introduction
2.2 Subject ­ Discussion
2.3 Concept of Urbanisation
2.4 Difference between rural and urban settlements
2.5 Different problems of U rbanisation and their causes, such as:
a. Urban sprawl
b. Overcrowding
c. Housing
d. Unemployment
e. Slums and squatter settlements
f. Transport
g. Water
h. Sewage problems
i. Trash Disposal
j. Urban crimes
k. Urban pollution
2.6 Solution of urban problems
2.7 Summary
2.8 Check your Progress/ Exercise
2.9 Answers to the self learning questions.
2.10 Technical words and their meaning
2.11 Task
2.0 OBJECTIVES
By the end of this unit you will be able to:
 Learn the definition of Urban Settlement
 Understand the Concept of Urbanisation
 Learn different problems of urbanisation and their causes
 Study the solutions regarding urban problems
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29 2.1 INTRODUCTION
In the pre vious chapters you have learnt about the Definition, Scope and
Nature of Human Geography. Also we have studied Population, its growth
and distribution as well as the reasons behind each of them. Furthermore
we have studied about migration along with world distribution of tribes
and their habitat along with rural settlements. In this chapter we are going
to study Urban Settlement.
2.2 SUBJECT DISCUSSION
Growth of urban settlement is a recent phenomenon and very few
settlements have reached the population size of more than a few thousand
inhabitants till recent past. By around A.D. 1810 the city of London was
the first urban settlement to reach a population of one million. By 1982
approximately 175 cities in the world had crossed the one million
population mark. Presently 48 per cent of the world’s population lives in
urban settlements compared to only 3 per cent in the year 1800.
The definition of urban settlement varies from one country to another.
Some of the common basis of classification is size of po pulation,
occupational structure and administrative setup.
Locations of the earliest urban settlements were based on the availability
of water, building materials and fertile land. In the present era these
considerations still remain valid with modern te chnology playing a
significant role in locating urban settlements. Piped water can be supplied
to a distant settlement; building material can be transported from long
distances. For example, the requirements of a holiday resort are quite
different from th at of an industrial town. Industrial towns generally need
local energy supplies or raw materials while tourist centres require
attractive scenery.
Cities in urban settlements play a central role in the ability of nations to
achieve sustainable developm ent. Today, half the world’s seven billion
people live in cities. By 2030 there will be over one billion more urban
residents and for the first time ever in many parts of the world the number
of rural residents will start to shrink. Between 2010 and 2050, the urban
population will grow significantly, by 2.5 to 3 billion people, increasing
the urban share to two ­thirds of the world’s population.
Urbanization is a population shift from rural to urban areas and sound
urban development will accelerate progres s towards social and economic
fields and may help in eradicating extreme poverty. Without adequate
management and investments, slums may expand, and cities may fail to
generate the jobs necessary to improve livelihoods. As a result,
inequalities, exclusion , and violence may increase. If countries do not
utilise resources properly, cities may fail to provide economic
opportunities to surrounding rural areas. They may become vulnerable to
climate and other environmental changes. There is a rise in population all
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30 hard and struggling to accommodate the influx of population and address
the multidimensional challenges of urban development .
2.3 RURAL VERSUS URBAN SETTLEMENT -
CONCEPT OF U RBAN:
The difference between urban and rural and delimits of what constitutes
a city is very important in understanding the concept of settlement
geography. The word rural may be defined as those parts of the
country which show unmist akable signs of being dominated by
extensive use of land, either at present time or in the immediate
past’. Urban on the other hand is associated with the city or a town.
The difference between the two however is narrowing, and today
it is becoming difficult to clearly distinguish the two. In olden days,
the cities were clearly demarcated by a boundary wall, thus limiting both
urban and rural space. Cities were centres of cultural innovations and
Places with a comparatively higher standard of living. With the
improvement of science and technology and spread of mass
communication however lifestyles in rural areas arc not very different
horn those of urban areas. Many urbanities are seeking the rustic
lifestyle and arc deliberately moving back to the villages,
commuting to the cities for work. Cities have therefore both
literally and figuratively broken through the barriers of their former
walls and spread throughout the Countryside. There are all degrees of
urbanization between a city and a village and the relationship
between the two lies become a continuum rather than a dichotomy.
Each country however has to have a def inition of urban for its
administrative purpose and each one has adopted a definite and
distinctive criteria. The criteria chosen are ones that are best suited to
that particular countries socio ­economic structure. For example — when
regarding pop ulation size as a criterion populous countries have taken
figures in thousand, while countries with sparse po pulation have taken the
figure s in hundreds.
Majority of the countries have adopted population size as the main
criterion, but the act ual number of people in a settlement, for it to be
called urban varies considerably. on the lower end of the scale is
Denmark where a settlement of two hundred people constitutes a
town as it does in Sweden and Finland. On the other side of the scale
lies Greece where a settlement must have over 10,000 inhabitants for it
to be called urban. In between these two extremes lies a variety of
figures. A thousand inhabitants make a town in Canada, but it requires
2500 in th e U.S.A. A 1000 is enough in Venezuela, but Ghana requires
5000. Clearly numbers alone mean very little.
Other urban fac tors such as density of population, trading activities
and administrative functions have also been taken into a ccount. Most
cities generally have a dense population, but this might not always be munotes.in

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31 true. And with the exception of India — where a settlement must have
density of over 1000 persons/square mile it is rarely used as a criterion.
More cr itical than density of a settlement is its function. It is generally.
accepted that one of the distinguishing characteristic of urban areas is
that its work force is divorced from soil, that is, they are not
primarily food producers . Yet very few states include function in its
definition. India is one exception, where to be classified as urban
a settlement must have over seventy five percent of its adult male
population engaged in work other than agricul ture. Among others Isreal
refuses the status of a town to a settlement of over 2000 if more
than a third of the heads of the household are engaged in agriculture.
Congo also states that a settlement of 2000 people must b e pre­
dominantly non ­agricultural to be called urban.
The administrative functions of the town is used by some states as the
sole criterion of urban. This is so in T urkey, Czeckoslovakia and
united Arab Republic. Many more define their towns by giving them a
certain kind of government, as in Japan, Algeria and United Kingdom.
This really means that a city or a town is what a state is prepared to call
it by.
The United Nation’s has identified three main types of loc alities in
order to classify urban areas:
1. Agglomerations or clusters of population without regard to official
boundaries or administrative functions;
2. Localities with fixed boundaries having a legally recognized “town
status”, some form o f local government, and an official designation
as ‘city’, ‘borough, ‘urban district , or municipality’;
3. Minot civil divisions Which actually comprise the entire country
and may not have local government or town status’.
Therefore UN has concluded ‘Because of national differences in the
characteristics which distinguish urban from rural areas, the
distinction between urban and rural population is not yet amenable to
a single delinition which would be applicable to a ll countries. For this
reason, each country should decide, for itself which areas are urban and
which are rural.
In India since the 1961 census the following criteria are used to defin e
urban. All municipal areas continue to be class ified as urban irrespective
of whether or not they fulfill other criteria. For non ­municipal an as
the following conditions have to be fulfilled
1. There should be a population density of not less than 1000
persons/square mile.
2. The should each have a populati on of 5000 or more.
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32 3. Three fourth of the population should be engaged in non —agricultural
occupation
However as each state of India, is allowed to determine the municipal
status of a unit, certain municipalities do no t fulfill one or more of the
criteria, whereas there are also settlements which fulfill all three criteria,
but are not considered urban.
Besides these physical aspects of urban society, geographers have found
that city is a state of mind, a body of customs and traditions. The city
is a meeting point not only of roads and merchandise but also of men
and ideas. City has also been seen as a relatively large, dense and
permanent settlement of socially heterogenous individual s. The large
size makes for less personal contact and communication substitutes face
to face contact. Density makes for diversity and growth of new
ideas and technology. Cinder a city structure the old social order
breaks curd is replaced by a new one. Thus kinship ties weaken to
he replaced by economic and occupational groupings. Finally
instability becomes a norm and mobility increase However many of
these characteristics are also increasingly being fo und in the rural
areas, especially in the more affluent countries where the
communication network is well developed . And in doing so is blurring
our concept of what is rural and what is urban
Check your Progress
1. Distinguish between Urban and Rural settlement.
2.4 DIFFERENCE BETWEEN RURAL AND URBAN
SETTLEMENTS
There is no doubt that there is division between rural and urban
settlements today, we do not know what exactly defines a village or a
town. In fact, it has become com mon to use the term “continuous” rather
than a clear division between the two. There is no single criteria which
helps to distinguish the rural areas from the urban areas. Although
population is an important indicator, we find in many village of India and
China the population is more than 10,000.
Generally the people in the village are mostly engaged in agricultural or
other types of primary activities. Thus a village consists of people who are
working in the village itself.
Today, however, the situatio n has changed. A large section of population
prefer to live in the village because it provides open space and a pollution
free environment. However this trend is prevalent more in the western
countries.
Often it was argued that the differences between t he rural and urban areas
should be on the basis of function. But the village in India provide much
less function than that of the villages in USA. Petrol pumps are very munotes.in

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33 .common in a village in USA but in India, it is mostly found in the
urban cent res only.
A telephone exchange is an urban function in India, while it is not so
in Western Europe or USA. In the present days, however, telephone
services have developed incalculably in the rural areas of India.
Within India al so, the functions are different in different villages. For
example; villages of Punjab and Maharashtra have facilities which are
rare in the villages of Eastern India.
In the developed countries, the difference between the urban and rur al
areas has almost vanished. Here village consists of residential suburbs
where everyone can easily reach the urban areas. On the other hand
farmers of wheat belts of USA live in the town and they go to the
farm only when there is work. They are known as suitcase farmers.
In this case, it is very difficult to analyse whether farmers should fall in
the category of urban or rural population. Thus, differentiating between
rural and urban settlements becomes very difficu lt.
In LCD’s (Less Developed Countries), the situation is different. In India,
for example, majority of the population lives in rural areas but all the
villages do not come under the same category. Villages, which are
much close to the cit ies, are far more developed than the villages
found in remote areas. While settlements at the two extreme ends can
be called either rural or urban but the village in the middle can’t be
categorized clearly. This 7 makes us to think ab out rural urban
continuum rather than the dichotomy because of this gradual change.
URBAN SETTLEMENT:
Different countries have different definitions of an urban settlement. In
Israel and Italy a settlement with higher population of people employed
in non ­agricultural work can be called a town.
The census of India also defines an urban settlement, in a different
way. This definition however changes from time to time. In 2011,
census of India defines urban settlemen ts as:
1. All places with municipality, corporation and containment boarder
notified town area comm ittee, etc.
2. All other places which satisfies following categories
a) Minimum population of 5000.
b) 75% of male working population engaged in non ­agricultural
pursuits.
c) A density of Population of at least 400 person per sq. km.
2. Define Urban Settelments.
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34 CONCEPT OF URBANISATION
The demographic definition of urbanization is the increasing share of the
population living in ur ban areas. Many other definitions of urbanization
are used by researchers and policymakers, l eading to confusion about the
concept. Urbanization often takes place at the same t ime, but is not
the same thing as, population growth, economic growth or cultural
change; it’s more informative to see all these as separate processes. The
concept ha s crept almost all parts of the world to an extent that,
nearly half of the world’s population now lives in urban areas.
URBANISATION AND SUB -URBANISATION
The process of ulbanisdtion ca n be sub ­divided into 4 parts
1. Sub ­urbanisation
2. Metropolitianisation
3. Urban ­ commercialisation
4. Rural Urbanisation
Sub­Urbanisation refers to the spread of urban conditions towards the
rural areas. This has brought about haphazard and unplanned
development in the rural areas.
Metropolitianisation refers to the growth of metropolitan centres. The
rapid growth of metropolitan cities has been a result of dir ect migration of
the rural people of the metropolitan city.
Urban commercialisation refers, to the growth of industrial cities. The
industrial cities like Rourkela, Durgapur, and Bhilai have developd as
industrial towns and cities.
Rural Urban isation refers to the urbanisation of the rural areas through
the growth of small towns and villages. We can say that the process of
urbanisation is still going on in India.
The emergence of Rural — Urban fringe in India is a very recent
development. Before 1950, the Rural — Urban fringe was not existing in
India. The main reason for the absence of Rural — Urban fringe was the
very slow growth of cities in that period. At present rnigrationis high into
the cities requiring more space. Due to this c ities. started expanding
physically and development started taking place around the vacant land
within the city itself and then the land lying outside the city limit also
started developing.
In the post ­independence period, it was found that the cit ies with I lakh
population started growing very fast. The city was unable to
accommodate the sudden population resulting into the development of
rural areas around the cities. The net result was that the urban land uses
started intruding within the, ru ral areas.
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35 In the suburbs there are residential houses with small gardens attached
to them. More than half of the active population in the suburbs works in
the towns or in the main cities. The growth of suburbs depends upon the
level of devel opment of transportation and geographical topography.
At present we find Mumbai is extending northwards due to heavy
pressure of population and geographical locations. The northern suburbs
are quite developed and have all the fac ilities which are available in
Mumbai city. With development of western and eastern railways the city
is very well linked with the northern suburbs. Not only that, the
western and eastern express highways also connect the suburbs with the
main c ity. The middle and low class people who cannot afford houses in
Mumbai city are settling down in northern suburbs. At present, the
other facilities for life like education, markets, entertainment and
recreational centres are very well developed here. It is expected that in
future the facilities in suburbs will not be less than that of the city itself.
A new satellite city has developed around Mumbai viz. Navi Mumbai.
It is not far away from the old city and it is connected with th e main
city by roads and railways. The real development of this area started in
1972 and a bus service now links Navi Mumbai. with Thane and
Navi Mumbai with Dadar, a ferry service now operates linking up
Nariman point — Churc hgate with Belapur in Navi Mumbai. Two new
ports are developed viz. Thane and Belapur. Many Government offices
from the main cities have shifted to Navi Mumbai. This will also
create many job opportunities. The wholesale market has also sh ifted to
Vashi. The plans laid down for the development of Navi Mumbai may
be very progressive and attractive but there are some short comings in
these plans.
1. Transportation between Mumbai and Navi Mumbai is yet to be
developed. Trains should be more frequent.
2. There is huge load on Vashi Bridge.
3. Lack of finance is creating problems resulting in improper development.
4. Local schools arc not developed and many of the students come to
Mumbai for studies.
5. Local people are not ready to give up their land.
6. There is corruption among the house agents and development agencies.
7. Pollution in Thane Belapur area is another problem.
From a detailed study we can say .that the suburbs are a phenom enon
of recent times. The urban development of Mumbai shows that there are
long and narrow strips of built up areas. The western strips extends
from Bandra to Dahisar and the Eastern strip extends from Kurla to
Mulund. Actually speakin g during the earlier t imes the process of sub
urbanisation was slow. During this time, the suburbs were occupied
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36 Suburb, Khar a Maharashtrian suburb and Vile Pane and Andheri
were Gujarati suburbs. All these suburbs were residential suburbs and
most of the people were commuters to the city.
In the initial stage, th ere was no sub urban growth to Mumbai.
However, after Second World War, there was rapid growth of suburbs.
This was mainly because of the partition of the country and
migration of the refuges. Moreover the growth of the industries
within the cities also I d to growth of suburbs.
The easter n suburbs mainly assume an industrial character, It was
because the first industries developed at Kurla and further development
preceded from Kurla to Thane, which is another main industrial
location.
After 1960, however the residentia l growth in su burbs took place on a
large scale. many agri cultur al and fishing villages developed into
residential areas.
An important development in settlement studies during the last several
decades has been the expansion of population. T he development of
fringe areas started in USA and today the fringe areas are much larger
than the central parts of the city. This expansion of the fringe areas is
made possible by the devel opment of transportation — automobiles and
railway s. In the fringe areas today, there is provision of electricity and
water and so people can easily live here. Most of the people living in
the fringe areas depends upon the main cities for employment an
services.
Check your Progress
1. Explain the Concepts of urbanization and sub ­ urbanization.
2.5 PROBLEMS OF URBANISATION AND THEIR
CAUSES
Although India is one of the less urbanized countries of the w orld with
only 27.78 per cent of her population living in urban
agglomer ations/towns, this country is facing a serious crisis of urban
growth at the present time. Whereas urbanization has been an
instrument of economic social and political progress, it has led to
serious socio Economic prob lems.
The sheer magnitude of the urban population, haphazard and unplanned
growth of urban areas, and a desperate lack of infrastructure are
the main causes of such a situation. The rapid growth of Urban
population both natural and through migration, has put heavy pressure
on public utilities like housing, sanitation. transport, water, electricity,
health, education and so on.
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37 Poverty, unemployment and under employment among the rural
immigrants, beggary, t hefts, dacoities, burglaries and other social evils are
on rampage. Urban sprawl is rapidly encroaching the precious
agricultural land. The urban population of India had already crossed the
285 million mark by 2001. By 2030, more than 50 per cent o f India’s
population is expected to live in urban areas. Following problems need to
be highlighted.
a) Urban Sprawl
Urban sprawl or real expansion of the cities, both in population and
geographical area, of rapidly growing cities is the root cause of urban
problems. In most cities the economic base is incapable of dealing with
the problems created by their excessive size. Massive immigration from
rural areas as well as from small towns Into big cities has taken place
almost consistently; thereby adding to the size of cities.
This is due to the fact that such large cities act as magnets and attract large
number of immigrants by dint of their employment opportunities and
modern way of life. Such hyper urbanisation leads to projected c ities
sizes of which challenge imagination. Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai,
Bangalore, etc. are examples of urban sprawl due to large scale migration
of people from the surrounding areas.
b) Overcrowding
Overcrowding is a situation in which too many people live in too
little space. Overcrowding is a logical consequence of over ­population
in. urban areas. It is naturally expected that cities having a large size of
population squeezed in a small space must suffer from overcrowdin g.
This is well exhibited by almost all the big cities of India.
For example, Mumbai has one ­sixth of an acre open space per
thousand populations though four acre is suggested standard by the
Master Plan of Greater Mumbai. Delhi has a population density of
9,340 persons per sq km (Census 2001) which is the highest in India.
This is the overall population density for the Union territory of Delhi.
Population density in central part of Delhi could be much higher. This
leads to tremendous pressure on infrastructural facilities like housing,
electricity, water, transport, employment, etc. Efforts to decongest Delhi
by developing ring towns have no’ met with the required success.
c) Housing
Overcrowding leads to a chronic problem of shortage of houses in urban
areas. This problem is specifically more acute in those urban areas
where there is large influx of unemployed or underemployed immigrants
who have no place to live in when they enter cities /towns from the
surrounding areas. The major factors are shortage of building materials
and financial resources, inadequate expansion of public utilities into sub ­
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38 caste and fami ly ties and lack of adequate transportation to sub ­urban
areas where most of the vacant land for new construction is located.
d) Unemployment
The problem of unemployment is no less serious than the problem of
housing mentioned above. It is estimated that about half of all educated
urban unemployed are concentrated in four metropolitan cities (Delhi,
Mumbai, Kolkata, and Chennai’. One of the major causes of urban
unemployment is the large scale migration of people from rura l to
urban areas. But the growth of economic opportunities fails to keep pace
with the quantum of immigration . The limited capacity of urban areas
could not create enough employment opportunities and absorb the rapid
growth of the urban lab our force. Efforts made by the central and the
state governments to create employment opportunities in rural areas and
to check the large scale rurat ­urban migration have not met with
much success.
e) Slums and Squatter Settlements
The natural consequence of unchecked, unplanned and haphazard
growth of urban areas is the growth and spread of slums and squatter
settlements which present a striking feature in the ecological structure of
Indian cities, especi ally of metropolitan ce ntres.
The rapid urbanisation in conjunction with industrialisation has
resulted in the growth of slums. The proliferation of slums occurs due
to many factors, such as, the shortage of developed land for housing,
the high prices of land beyond the reach of urban poor, a large influx
of rural migrants tothe cities in search of jobs etc.
In India , slums are one or two ­room hutments mostly occupying
government and public lands. S lums have invariably extreme u nhygienic
conditions. Slums are known by different names in different cities. They
are called bustees in Kolkata, jhuggi ­ jhoparies in Delhi, Jhoparpattis or
Chawl in Mumbai and Cheri in Chennai.
No clear ­cut distinction can be drawn between slums and squ atter
settlements in practice except that slums are relatively more able and
aie located in older, inner parts of cities compared to squatter
settlements which are relatively temporary and are often scattered in all
parts of the city, e specially outer zones where urban areas merge
with their rural hinterland.
Squatter settlements are constructed in an uncontrolled manner and
badly lack essential public services such as water, light, sewage. Such
an environment lead s to several health problems. They can occur
through or organized rapid (almost overnight) invasions of an area by
large number of people or by gradual accretion, family by family.
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39 Dharavi is one such example. It was an arm of the s ea that was
fiIIe1 by waste, largel y produced by the people who have come to live
there. The other cities with over 40 per cent slum population to
the total population (Municipal Corporation) are Faridabad and
Meerut. Kol kata r’{agpur and Thane have about one ­third of their
population as slum population.
1) Transport
With traffic bottleneck and traffic congestion, almost all cities and
towns of India are suffering from acute form of transport probl em.
Transport problems increase and become more complex as t he town
grows in size. With its growth, the town performs varied and
complex functions and more people travel to work or shop.
As the town becomes larger, even people living within the built ­up
area have to travel by car or bus to cross the town and ou iers
naturally bring their cars or travel by public tran sport. Wherever, trade
is important, commercial vehicles such as vans and trucks will make
probl em of traffic more complicated.
Since most of the commercial activities of t he towns are concentrated
in the Central Business District (C.B.D.), the centres are areas of
greatest congestion. However, other pa its of the town are not free
from traffic congestion.
The traffic scenario in almost all the Indian cities presents a pathetic
picture with Mumbai still having the best city transport system and
Chennai, khmedabad and Pune being reasonably well served by local
transp ort system. In all other cities, if one does not own a personal
vehicle, great hardship is experienced in moving about in the city.
Similar conditions prevail in most of the Indian cities. In Kolkata,
metro rail and Vivekanand Setu we re constructed to ease traffic flow.
But traffic congestion in several old localities and near Haora bridge is
almost a daily routine. In Ahmedabad, the speed of vehicles comes
down to 5 km/hr on Gandhi Marg and several other roads due to
congestion and overcrowding.
g) Water
Today we have reached a stage where practically no city in India!
gets sufficient water to meet the needs of city dwellers. In many
cities people get water from the municipal sources for less than half
an hour every alternate day.. In dry summer season, taps remain dry for
days together and people are denied water supply at a time when they
need it the most.
The individual towns require water in larger quanti ties. Many small
towns have no main water supply at all and depend o n such sources as
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40 Urban Water Supply Programme (AUWSP) was launched to provide
v’ater to towns wi th population of less than 20,000.
Keeping in view the increased demands for water by the urban
population, Central Public Health and Environmental Engineering
Organisation (CPHEEO) fixed. 125 ­200 litres of water per head per
day for cities with a population of more than 50,000, 100 ­125 litres for
population between 10,000 and 50,000 and 70 ­100 litres for towns
with a population below 10,000.
h) Sewerage Problems
Urban areas in India are almost invariably plagued w ith insufficient
and inefficient sewage facilities. Not a single city in India is fully
sewered. Resource crunch fated by the municipalities and unauthorised
growth of the cities are two major causes of this pathetic state of
affairs.
Most o f the cities have old sewerage lines which are not looked after
properly. Often sewerage lines break down or they are overflowing.
Most cities do not have proper arrangements for treating the sewerage
waste and it is drained into a ne arly river (as in Delhi) or in sea (as in
Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai), thereby polluting the water bodies.
In most Indian cities, water pipes run in close proximity to sewer
lines. Any leakage leads to contamination of water which results in
the spread of several water borne diseases.
I) Trash Disposal
As Indian cities grow in numbe r and size th e problem of trash disposal
is assuming alarming proportions. Huge quantities of garbage produced
by our cities po se a serious health problem. Most cites do not have
proper arrangements for garbage disposal and the existing landfills
are full to the brim. These landfills are hotbeds of disease and
innumerable poisons leaking into their su rroundings.
Wastes putrefy in the open inviting disease carrying flies and rats and
a filthy, poisonous liquid, called leachate, which leaks out from
below and contaminates ground water. People who live near the
rotting garb age and raw sewage fall easy victims to several diseases
like dysentery, malaria, plague, jaundice, diarrhoea, typhoid, etc.
j) Urban Crimes
Modem cities present a meeting point of people from different walks of
life having no affinity with o ne another. Like other problems, the
problem of crimes increases with the increase in urbanisation. In fact
the increasing trend in urban crimes tends to disturb peace and
tranquility of the cities and make them unsafe to live in par ticularly
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41 Growing materialism, consumerism, and competition in everyday life,
selfishness, lavishness, appalling socio ­economic disparities and rising
unemployment and feeling of loneliness in the crowd are some of the
prim ary causes responsible for alarming trends in urban crime.
Not only the poor, deprived and slum dwellers take to crime;
youngsters from well ­ to­do families also resort to crime in order
to make fast buck and for meeting­ requirements of a lavish life.
Occasional failures in life also drag youngsters to crime.
The problem of urban crime is becoming more complicated in the present
day world because cr iminals often get protection from politicians,
bureaucrats and elite class of the urban society. Some of the criminals
reach high political positions by using their money and muscle power.
k) Problem of Urban Pollution
With rapid pace of u rbanisation, industries and transport systems grow
rather out of proportion. These developments are primarily respocisible
for pollution of environment, particularly the urban environment.
Check your Progress
1. Describe various problems relate d to Urban Settelment.
2.6 SOLUTIONS OF URBAN PROBLEMS
Many solutions to solve the problems in urban areas have been
recommended by various studies. Some of them are as follows:
a) Systematic development of urban centers and crea tion of job
opportunities : One important solution of our ­urban problems is the
systematic development of the fast growing urban cities and
planning an investment programme which could give rise to a large
number of well distribute d visible urban centers throughout the country.
b) Regional planning with city planning Urban planning is almost city
centered.
There should be regional planning along With city planning to solve the
problem.
c) Encouraging industries to mo ve to backward area: It should be
encouraged to open newer and heavy industries in the backward areas
distinct. This will also take care of linear development of metropolitan
big cities.
d) Municipalities to find own financial resources: If roa ds are properly
mentioned , it provides sewage System, Supply drinking water and
electricity, and then people will pay taxes properly. If the municipality
failed to give service, the trade union will resort to strikes. It is necessary
than that private tra nsportation be encouraged. Privately operated bus and
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42 e) Am endment of Rent Control Act Laws which inhibit the construction
of new houses or giving of houses on rent must be amended. The
munici pality should build more houses.
1) Adopting P ragmatic Housing Policy In May 1988, the Central
Govt. presented the National Housing Policy (NHP) to the Parliament
which aimed to abolishing homelessness by the turn of the century and
upgrading the quality of accommodation to a fixed minimum standard.
Such policy look to be too ambitious and appears to be auto pain.
Check your Progress
1. State solutions to the Urban Problems.
2.7 SUMMARY
After studying this lesson, we will be abl e to understand the following.
Any form of human habitation is a settlement. It variesfrom a single house
to the largest city. It is a place where people live and interact through
activities like agriculture, trading and entertainment. Although the
defini tion of urban settlement varies from one country to another, in a
nutshell, urban settlement is a human settlement which is characterised by
high population density and are created through urbanization. These are
categorized by urban morphology as cities, towns, conurbations or
suburbs. There are differences between rural and urban settlements but till
today there is no exact definition of a village or a town. Thus, urban fringe
is a marginal area both of town as well as countryside. Rural ­Urban fringe
is a transitional zone and the urban impact on rural social life has been felt
well away from the immediate surroundings of cities. Generally the
village population are engaged in primary activities. But the present day
scenario is different as many city dwell ers prefer to live in villages to have
a pollution free atmosphere. In the developed countries there is actually no
demarcating line between the rural and urban areas. Urbanization is a
population shift from rural to urban areas and globally, more people l ive in
urban areas than in rural areas. Urbanization may be driven by local and
global economic and social changes, and is generally a product of
modernization and industrialization. Urbanization has economic and
environmental effects also. Although India is one of the less urbanised
countries of the world with only 27.78 percent of her population living in
urban agglomeration, this country is facing a serious crisis of urban
growth at present due to rapid growth of urban population both natural
and throug h migration. This has created immense pressure on public
utilities such as housing, sanitation, transport, education, occupation etc.
With systematic development of urban centres, job opportunities, regional
planning some of these problems may be solved. I n addition to these
industries should be encouraged to develop in rural areas.

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43 2.8 CHECK YOUR PROGRESS/ EXERCISE
True and false
a. Mumbai, in India is extending towards the north due to heavy pressure
of population.
b. The emergence rural ­urban fringe in Indi a is a very recent
development.
c. Urban sprawl is a situation in which too many people live in too little
space.
d. In most Indian cities water pipes run in close proximity to sewer lines.
e. One of the major causes of urban unemployment is the large scale
migrati on of people from urban to rural areas.
1. Fill in the blanks :
a. _____________is a new satellite city has developed around
Mumbai.
b. _________ and _______ are two new ports.
c. The urban development of Mumbai shows that there are
_______________strips of built up areas.
d. ________________ is a situation in which too many people live in
too little space.
e. Most of the commercial activities of the towns are concentrated in
the ________________________ .
2. Multiple choice question
a) Sub­urbanisation refers to the spread of urban conditions towards
the
i. rural areas
ii. urban areas
iii. both rural and urban areas
b) Overcrowding leads to problems like
i. Housing, unemployment, poverty
ii. Housing, playground, availability of sunlight
iii. Housing, function, poverty
c) Examples of Urban sprawl or real e xpansion of cities due to large
scale migration of people from surrounding areas are as follows:
i. Delhi, Darjiling, Thane, Jalandhar, Bangalore
ii. Delhi, Pune, Thane, Malda, Bangalore
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44 d) The areas where trade is importa nt traffic problems become more
complicated by
i. Personal cars
ii. Commercial vehicles, like vans and trucks
iii. Car pools
3. Short answer question

1. Define urban settlements.
2. What are the various problems related to urban settlements?
3. Write a short note on
a. Problems of urban pollution
b. Urban crimes
c. Sewage problems
4. What are the solutions to the urban problems?
2.9 ANSWERS TO THE SELF LEARNING QUESTIONS :
1. (a) True.
1.b True,
1.c.False, overcrowding
1. d.True
1.e.False, rural to urban areas.
2.a. Navi Mumbai
2. b.Th ane and Belapur
2.c.long and narrow
2.d.Overcrowding
2.e. Central Business District (C.B.D.)
3. a.i.
3. b.i
3. c.iii
3.d.ii.


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45 2.10 TECHNICAL WORDS AND THEIR MEANING

1. Conurbation ­Large urban area where towns and cities have merged
2. Industry (industrial areas ) ­ Places where things are made such as
factories or workshops
3. Rural ­urban fringe ­ On the outskirts of an urban area beyond the
suburbs where there is a mixture of rural land uses and urban land uses
4. Urban spraw l­Spreading outwards of a city and its subur bs, leading to
changes in rural areas
5. Urbanisation ­Increase in the percentage of people living in urban areas
2.11 TASK

1. In a chart show problems of urbanisation and their causes.









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46 3
COLONIZATION AND THIRD WORLD
After going through this chapter you will be able to understand the
following features.
Unit Structure
3.0 Objectives
3.1 Introduction
3.2 Subject - Discussion
3.3 The concept of Colonization
3.4 Concept of Third World
3.5 Concept of Developed & Developing countries
3.6 Characteristics of Developed, Developing& Underdeveloped
Countries:
3.7 Problems Related To Underdeveloped & Developing Countries
3.8 Summary
3.9 Check your Progress/ Exercise
3.10 Answers to the self learning questions.
3.11 Technical words and their meaning
3.12 Task
3.0 OBJECTIVES

By the end of this unit you will be able to:
 Learn the concept of Colonization
 Understand the Concept of Third World
 Learn the Concept of Developed & Developing countries
 Study th e Characteristics of Developed, Developing& Underdeveloped
Countries
 Study the Problems Related To Underdeveloped & Developing
Countries
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47 3.1 INTRODUCTION
In the previous chapters you have learnt about the Definition, Scope and
Nature of Human Geography. We have also studied Population, its growth
and distribution as well as the reasons behind each of them. Furthermore
we have studied about migration along with world distribution of tribes
and their habitat. Rural and Urban Settlement both a part of settl ement
geography have also been studied by us beforehand. In this chapter we are
going to study Colonization and Third World.
3.2 SUBJECT DISCUSSION
Colonisation happening for thousands of years has played a pivotal role in
shaping the modern world. From an cient times, through the middle -ages
and to the modern era, people have travelled to and settled in new areas
and countries and came into contact with other people and cultures. This
has sometimes led to conflict resulting into destruction of the indigenou s
people and their culture. Apart from this there was exchange of
knowledge, goods and traditions also. In ancient times, the Greeks and
Romans established colonies in other territories. In the middle ages there
was a large scale movement of people establi shing new colonies all over
Western Europe. Some modern day nations of Europe were established at
this time such as Hungary, colonised by the Huns; France, colonised by
the Franks; and England, colonised by the Anglo -Saxons.
After the discovery of America by explorer Christopher Columbus in 1492
Europeans started exploring and trading with the indigenous people in this
new land and in1607, the British set up a colony at Jamestown in Virginia,
North America. The benefits of discovering new lands and set out to claim
new territories was new realisation of other European nations. The Dutch
took control of Indonesia in 1619 and called it the Dutch East Indies. The
French and English set up colonies in India and North America.
Colonisation usually involves large -scale immigration of people to a 'new'
location and the expansion of their civilisation and culture into this area.
Colonisation forms a settlement or colony by these groups of people who
seek to take control of territories or countries. The colony is und er the
immediate political control of the country where the colonisers came from.
This country in control is usually geographically -distant, and is sometimes
called the parent country or the mother country.
COLONIZATION AND THIRD WORLD
3.3 COLONIZATION: T HE CONCEPT
The term Colonization is derived from the Latin word colere , which
means " to inhabit ". Thus, Colonization can be explained as a process of
gaining control by a central system of power which tries to dominate the
surrounding land and its componen ts (people, animals etc.). The world has
been already affected by colonization, for example, India was colonized
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48 3.4 CONCEPT OF THIRD WORLD
Since 1950, people have been aware about the contrast in the standards of
living of different countries. Some of the countries of the world are rich
and many countries are poor. The people of rich countries have very high
standards of living as compared to poor countries. It is very difficult to
give exact definition of richness and poverty. Both of these terms are
relative. It is also observed that within the rich countries too, there is a
difference in the standards of living of the people.
The concept of development is related to the economy of the country.
When we discuss about ov erall development we must also consider social,
political and environmental development. Inspite of difficulties to define
poor and rich countries, many people made attempts to divide the two
types of worlds into different groups of countries. The poor cou ntries
came to be called by different names, one of them being ‘Third World’
countries. Some of the common terminologies used for third world are
backward, underdeveloped, developing, less developed, south countries
and more. All these terminologies are re lative to their applications. Each
terminology has different context.
The concept of Third world is European in origin. In 1940, France used
this term for the 1st time since early 1960s the word “Third World” has
gained importance. During this time the eco nomists and geographers
divided the world’s countries into three categories on the basis of
economic and political aspects.
a. First World : - Economist called the 1st world countries as democratic
and capitalist countries. Under this category they included th e countries
like U.S.A, U.K, W.Germany, Japan, Canada, Australia etc. In these
countries, standard of living is very high.
b. Second World : - Countries under communist scale were under 2nd
world category. The important nations were Russia, China, Cuba,
N.Kore a, and E.Germany.
c. Third World :-Many countries of the world got their independence
after the end of Second World War. The newly independent nations were
facing problems of poverty, illiteracy, over population, poor technology,
etc. These newly independent d emocratic nations came to be known as
“Third World Countries” by the economists. Some of the important third
world countries are Bangladesh, India, and Sri Lanka.
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49

*Source: http://www.nationsonline.org/bilder/third_world_map.jpg
If we look at the world map we find that most of the developed nations of
the world are located in the northern hemisphere. The important nations
are U.S.A, Canada, Japan, Russia, etc. Two nations from southern
hemisphere are called northern countries. They are Australia and New
Zealand.

According to the commission large number of poor countries are located
in the southern hemisphere. So, they use the terminology ‘south’ for the
3rd world countries of the world. There are very few poor countries in the
northern hemisphere.
Follow ing are the descriptions of important terminologies used for the
Third World countries.
1. East Countries: -
Some scholars have meaning distinction in the world as East -West. Here
the western countries are considered as developed countries. Here, the
people ar e having high standard of living, high proportion of employment,
democracy, etc. The eastern countries are considered as “Backward
countries” and here the people are having lower standard of living. The
‘west’ world is related to the modern, open, society; whereas ‘east’ world
is related to the traditional conservative societies.

2. Fourth World :-
On the basis of the working of an economy rather than political standard
“New Week Magazine” divided the countries of the world into 4
categories. According to them 1stis belonging to the developed nations. 2nd
world belongs to socialist, communist nations. 3rd world nations includes
all those nations which has made significant progress after their
independence. In this category they included Argentina, S.Africa, and
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50 nations which are having worst economic conditions. In these nations
there is a dominance of primary activities. In this category they included
countries like Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakista n, etc.

3. Bandung Nations :-
This world was introduced by Mr. Berad in 1957. This world has taken its
name from the city in Indonesia. This city hosted an important meeting
and so people started calling these poor nations as ‘Bandung nations’.

4. Non-Aligned N ations :-
This world is sometimes used with 3rd world. These 2 words are related to
history and ideology. Many of the participants at the Bandung conference
started to institutiontize their movement. Many of the Bandung Nations
again held a conference at Be lagard in 1961. During the conference they
formed the group of non – aligned nations. This was a group of poor
nations and so the countries started getting called non – Aligned Nations.
3.5 CONCEPT OF DEVELOPED & DEVELOPING
Following terminologies are use d to differentiate among the levels of
development in the countries of the world.
1. Backward :-
The word “backward” is related to the economic, social and political
backwardness. In most of the Third World countries, we find eco, social
sectors. There is us e of primitive technology in the industries, agricultural
sector, fishing, etc. The social backwardness is observed with differences
among male and female, literacy, infant mortality rate etc.

2. Underdeveloped :-
The word “underdeveloped” is related to reso urce utilization. Due to non -
availability of capital, technology, demand, skilled labour etc. the
resources are not properly developed. The resources in many African
nation remain under -developed and so these countries are called as
underdeveloped countrie s

3. Less Developed or Developing Countries :-
Some of the Third World countries after their independence made
remarkable progress in the industrial sector. The GDP growth rate at
present is very high, per capita income is also very high but still the
countr y is having certain characteristics of the Third World country and so
they are called as developing countries. Most of the newly industrialized
countries of the world come under this category. They are Brazil,
Argentina, Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, etc.


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51 4. Developed Countries :-
A developed country , industrialized country , or " more economically
developed country " is a sovereign state that has a highly developed
economy and advanced technological infrastructure relati ve to other less
industrialized nations. Developed countries have post-industrial
economies, meaning the service sector provides more wealth than
the industrial sector . They are contrasted with developing countries ,
which are in the process of industrialization , or undeveloped countries,
which are pre -industrial and almost entirely agrarian .
3.6 CHARACTERISTICS OF DEVELOPED,
DEVELOPING & UNDERDEVELOPED COUNTRIES:
The size of the progress of a country can be seen from the successful
development of the country. Income per capita, economic growth,
unempl oyment, and population growth rate is partly an indicator to
measure the success of development. Grouping the countries into
developed and developing countries is generally based on economic and
technological sectors.
The characteristics of developed count ries are as follows :
a. Average income per capita of the population is generally high.
b. Education level of high average population.
c. Life expectancy of the population average height.
d. Population growth rate per year is relatively small.
e. The d eath rate per year is relatively small population.
f. Life-style market economy.
g. His wide and varied field.
h. Economic activity in most industry sectors, as well as export
commodities.
i. The majority of the population lives in cities.
j. Relativ ely high level of population health.
The characteristics of developing countries are as follows :
a. Average income per capita of the population were generally low.
b. Education levels low average population.
c. Life expectancy lower average population.
d. Population growth rate per year is quite high.
e. The mortality rate is relatively high population per year.
f. Livelihoods of the population is generally patterned agrarian.
g. Narrow the field work.
h. Commodity exports of raw materials, rather than processed
ingredients.
i. The majority of the population live in rural areas.
j. Low levels of population health.
k. High unemployment figures.
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52 3.7 CHARACTERISTICS OF UNDERDEVELOPED
COUNTRIES:
1) Low per capita income
2) Inequitable distribution of we alth and income
3) Predominance of agriculture
4) Deficiency of capital
5) High rate of population growth
6) Unemployment and underemployment
7) A dualistic economy
8) Technical backwardness
3.8 PROBLEMS RELATED TO UNDERDEVELOPED
& DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
More than half of the people of the under developed and developing
countries lives below poverty line and are leading a tuff life. Though, each
country faces a different set of specific problems some of them are
common to all of them. They are as follows:
1. Poverty: Poverty is definitely one of the main reasons of why third
world countries belong to developing category. Due to unstable economic
and social conditions, people in these countries continue to be poor.
Moreover, the prevalent political structure is creating a gap betw een the
rich and poor and the gap is increasing day by day.
2. Lack of Proper Drinking Water: due to overpopulation and over
exploitation of natural resources like fresh water, the developing and
underdeveloped countries are facing shortage of clean and acces sible
drinking eater. Many people die due to famines and thirst in these areas.
The rivers and lakes are badly contaminated and measures to improve the
situation are inadequate.
3. Lack of Electricity Supply: Improper planning and over use of the
resources ha ve resulted in depletion of natural resources capable of
producing electricity. Thus, the developing and underdeveloped countries
are facing shortage of electricity. The problem can be solved with the help
of renewable sources of energy such as wind power, solar power, tidal
energy, nuclear energy and others.
4. Agriculture : More than half the population of all the developing
nations in the world depends on Agriculture or farming for survival and
for at least two meals a day. That is almost 75 percent of the world’s
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53 every year in order to train and empower these people from such countries
to at least to help them learn to live off Agriculture.
5. Health Care : improper and lack of access to he althcare is posing a
threat on the lives of the people of these countries. It is found that
countries like Africa and interior parts of the Indian subcontinent are
suffering from many communicable epidemics which do not allow the
economic stability to come in.
6. Geopolitical Issues/War : Most of the countries that fall in the third
world category or the ones that are developing are either facing heavy duty
corruption or buried deep under the ashes of war. Civil wars, cold wars,
war on religion and so on, are fought even after knowing the consequences
on society, economy and polity. The main reasons behind wars and geo
political issues is illiteracy and religious intolerance. Political or individual
interests are some other reasons of the same.
7. Pollution: Pollu tion is the contamination of natural resources. In the
developing and underdeveloped countries, it is one of the major reasons of
shortage of natural resources. It is an outcome of improper planning, lack
of awareness and ignorant attitude of the citizens and the Government.
Though all types of pollutions prevail in these countries, water and air
pollution dominate the scene.
8. Social and Cultural Exclusion : All third world countries are facing
issues pertaining to social exclusion which is basicallya state where people
lose their self -confidence and bury themselves into deeper and deeper
wretched poverty along with greater isolation. Due to lack of social and
cultural framework, a country can go non -functional due to complete loss
of morals and ethics from the society.
9. Hunger : More than 870 million people of the entire third world
population have no food to eat or a very precarious food supply i.e. more
than the population of the US and the European Union combined. This is a
result of regional disparity and regional diversity. If these situations are
left uncontrolled, the conditions any worsen very soon.
It is really surprising how things go around in this small Earth of ours. On
one hand we have a small handful of people and their families get the
entire r esources and facilities and all the good that this world has to offer,
whereas more than half of the world’s population is dying because of their
destiny’s cruelty on their lives and the other three quarters are barely
managing to keep it up and dying ever y second of the day, not living life
the way it was meant to be lived i.e. abundantly; only in their desperate
hopes to create a secure and prosperous lives for their little ones. The
concerned Governments must join together and take joint efforts towards
the upliftment of the third world countries.

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54 3.9 SUMMARY
After studying this lesson, we will be able to understand the following.
After going through the chapter we have learnt what Colonisation is and
how it has shaped the modern world. This very term d erived from Latin
means “to inhabit”. Colonisation usually involves large -scale immigration
of people to a 'new' location . This country in control is usually
geographically -distant, and is sometimes called the parent country or the
mother country.
Geograph ers and economists opined that the concept of development of a
nation entirely depends on the economy of the country. Overall
development of a nation includes social, political and environmental
development. There is huge contrast in the standards of livin g of different
countries. Some of the countries are rich while many are poor. Both of
these terms are relative hence it is very difficult to define exactly richness
and poverty. The people of rich countries have very high standards of
living as compared to poor countries. In spite of difficulties to define poor
and rich countries, many people made attempts to divide the two types of
worlds into different groups of countries.
The economists and geographers divided the world’s countries into three
categories on the basis of economic and political aspects. The third world
countries are those underdeveloped nations of the world, particularly with
widespread poverty especially of Asia and Africa. Second World refers to
the former communist -socialist, industrial s tates. The important nations
were Russia, China, Cuba, North Korea, and East Germany. First World
countries refer to the developed, capitalist, industrial countries, having
more or less common political and economic interests that include North
America, We stern Europe, Japan and Australia. The terminologies such as
Backward, Banding Nations, Non -Aligned Nation, East Countries, Fourth
World has been used to differentiate among the levels of development in
the countries of the world.
Characteristics of Devel oped, Developing and Under developed Countries
vary as the economic and technological sectors differ between them. For
example a verage income per capita of the average population and
education level is generally high in developed countries w hereas in
devel oping countries average income per capita of the population as well
as education levels were generally low. The scenario is different in the
Underdeveloped Countries where per capita income is low and
distribution of wealth and income among average populat ion is
inequitable . In spite of this, three categories of countries face several
problems such as p overty, lack of proper drinking water and electricity
supply, agriculture, health care geopolitical issues/war , pollution, social
and cultural exclusion and hunger.

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55 1. True and false
a) The term Colonization is derived from the Latin word “colere” means
"to inhabit" .
b) The concept of Third world is Asian in origin.
c) Economist called the 1st world countries as democratic and capitali st
countries.
d) The eastern countries are considered as “Backward countries” and here
the people are having lower standard of living.
e) This world “First world” was introduced by Mr. Berad in 1957

2. Fill in the blanks
a. India was colonized by the ____________ for almost 300 years.
b. The word “backward” is related to the _______ , __________ and
political backwardness.
c. The word “________________” is related to resource utilization.
d. Population growth rate per year is relatively __________ in developed
countries.
e. In de veloping countries commodity exports of ______ ________is
more rather than processed ingredients.
3. Multiple choice question
a. In developed countries there is
i. Relatively high level of population health.
ii. Relatively low level of population health.
iii. Low per capit a income
b. In Underdeveloped Countries there is
i. Predominance of agriculture
ii. The majority of the population live in rural areas.
iii. Life-style market economy.
c. The country that used the term “Third World” In 1940 is
i. Germany
ii. France
iii. Japan
d. Economist called the 1st world countries as
a. Socialist and capitalist countries
b. democratic and capitalist countries
c. communist, socialist and capitalist countries 3.10 CHECK YOUR PROGRESS/ EXERCISE
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56
4. Short answer question
1. Define Colonization.
2. What do you understand by third world?
3. What are developed and developing countries?
4. What are the characteristics of developed, underdeveloped and
developing countries?
5. State the problems related to underdeveloped & developing countries
3.11 ANSWERS TO THE SELF LEARNING
QUESTIONS :
1. a. True.
1.bFalse,European
1.c.True
1. d.Tru e
1.e. False, “Bandung Nations”
2.a. British
2. b.economic, social
2.c. “underdeveloped”
2.d. small
2.e. raw materials
3. a.i.
3. b.i
3. c.ii
3.d.ii

3.12. TECHNICAL WORDS AND THEIR MEANING

1. Basic education - This involves literacy, innumeracy, and life s kills.
2. Developed country -This is a term used to refer to relatively wealthy
and technologically advanced countries in which most people have
high life expectancies, access to education, and a high gross national
income per capita.
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57 3. Developing country - refers to low - and middle -income countries in
which most people have a lower standard of living with access to
fewer goods and services than do most people in high -income
countries.
4. Economic growth -Through this process, a country increases its ability
to prod uce goods and services.

3.13 TASK

1. In a chart show the differences between the characteristics of
developed, underdeveloped and developing countries?








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58 4
MULTINATIONAL CORPORATION AND
GLOBALISATION
After going through this chapter you will be able to understand the
following features.
Unit Structure
4.0 Objectives
4.1 Introduction
4.2 Subject - Discussion
4.3 The concept Multinational Corporation
4.4 Concept of Globalisation
4.5 Summary
4.6 Check your Progress/ Exercise
4.7 Answers to the self learning questions.
4.8 Technical words and their meaning
4.9 Task
4.0 OBJECTIVES
By the end of this unit you will be able to:
 Learn the concept of Multinatio nal Corporation
 Learn different characteristics of MNCs
 Advantages of MNCs
 Understand the Concept of Globalisation, its m eaning and positive as
well as negative effects
 Learn The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEANand
their Aims and Purposes
 Understand The Commonwealth
 Understand t he International Air Transport Association (IATA) which
is the trade association for the world’s airlines
 Study the only global international organization dealing with the rules
of trade between nations that is The W orld Trade Organization (WTO. munotes.in

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59  Study the UNESCO
 Learn The Arab League formally , the League of Arab States
 Study The European Union (EU), a politico -economic union of 28
member states
 Understand the concept of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization or
the North Atlantic Alliance, an intergovernmental military alliance
based on the North Atlantic Treaty.
 Learn the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries
4.1 INTRODUCTION
In the last few chapters we have studied about the Definition, Scope and
Nature of Human Geography along with Population, its growth and
distribution. Furthermore we have learnt about migration and world
distribution of tribes and their habitat. Rural and Urban Settlement both a
part of settlement geography have also been studi ed by us beforehand.
Colonization and Third World was the topic of the seventh chapter. Now
in the eighth chapter we are going to study Multinational Corporation and
Globalisation.
4.2 SUBJECT DISCUSSION
The literal meaning of multinational is involving several countries or
individuals of several nationalities. The gigantic size of the MNCs reflects
that they are super powerful organisations. No matter how big an MNC is,
their controls exist in the hands of a single institution. Moreover the
multination als in the world have American dominance.
On the other hand globalisation is the worldwide movement toward
economic, financial, trade, and communications integration. It is the
process that helps businesses or other organizations develop international
influence or start operating on an international scale. Globalisation as a
concept refers to the ways in which developments in one region can
rapidly come to have significant consequences for the security and
wellbeing of communities in quite distant region s of the globe. The
commonwealth is a voluntary association of 53 independent and equal
sovereign states. It was formally established by the Statute of Westminster
in 1931.
4.3 MULTINATIONAL CORPORATION AND
GLOBALISATION
Multinational Corporations(MNCs):
The word Multinational literally means many countries. Any multinational
company is that business organization which has its head office in one
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60 head office is called as parent company and branches as subsidiary
companies. The parent company manages and controls the activities of
subsidiary company. The subsidiary companies are affiliated with parent
companies through investment, trade -mark, patent and technology.
Today, MNCs are found in all the sectors of the economy and in all
market segments. In almost all countries of the world MNCs have shown a
great success. They cover large area of market. India too, has several
parent companies and subsidiary companies. Standard Chartered Bank,
Coco -cola, SONY Electronics, etc are some examples of multinational
companies found in India.
Characteristics of MNCs:

The multinational corporations have certain characteristics which may be
discussed below:
(1) Giant Size:
The most important fea ture of these MNCs is their gigantic size. Their
assets and sales run into billions of dollars and they also make
supernormal profits. The MNCs are also super powerful organisations. In
1971 out of the top ninety producers of wealth, as many as 29 were
MNC s, and the rest, nations. Besides the operations, most of these
multinationals are spread in a vast number of countries. For instance, in
1973 nearly 45 per cent had affiliates in more than 20 countries.
(2) International Operation:
Anessential feature o f a multi national corporation is that in such a
corporation, control exist in in the hands of a single institution. But its
interests and operations are spread across international boundaries. The
Pepsi Cola Company of the U.S operates in 114 countries. A n MNC
operates through a parent corporation in the home country. It may assume
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61 parent corporation without any local capital or management assistance. If
it is a subsidiary, th e majority control is still exercised by the foreign
parent company, although it is incorporated in the host country. The
branches and subsi diaries of MNCs operate under the unified control of
the parent company.
(3) Oligopolistic Structure:
An oligopol y is a market structure in which a few firms dominate.
Through the process of merger and takeover, etc., in course of time an
MNC comes to assume a huge power. This coupled with its giant size
makes it oligopolistic in char acter. So it enjoys a huge amoun t of profit.
This oligopolistic structure has been the cause of a number of evils of the
multinational corporations.
(4) Spontaneous Evolution:
One thing to be observed in the case of the MNCs is that they have usually
grown in anunstructured and unconsc ious manner. Very often they
developed through "Creeping incrementalism." Many firms become
multinationals by accident. Sometimes a firm established a subsidiary
abroad due to wage differen tials and better opportunity prevailing in the
host country.
(5) Collective Transfer of Resources:
An MNC facilitates multilateral transfer of resources Usually this transfer
takes place in the form of a "package" which includes technical know -
how, equipment and machinery, materials, finished products, managerial
servi ces, and soon, "MNCs are composed of a complex of widely varied
modern technology ranging from production and marketing to
management and financing. B.N. Ganguly has remarked in the case of an
MNG "resources are trans ferred, but not traded in, according t o the
traditional norms and practices of international trade."
(6) American dominance:
Another important feature of the world of multinationals is the American
dominance. In 1971, out of the top 25 MNCs, as many as 18 were of U.S.
origin. In that year th e U.S. held 52 per cent of the total stock of direct
foreign private investment. The U.E. has assumed more of the role of a
foreign investor than the traditional exporter of home products.
Advantages of MNCs:
The multinational corporations today have a r evolutionary effect on the
international economic system. It is so because the growth of inter national
transactions of the multinationals has affected the more tradi tional forms
of capital flows and international trade for many economies. Today they
constitute a powerful force in the world economy.
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62 The value of the products sold by the MNCs in 1971 was more than $ 500
billion which was about one -fifth of the GNP of the entire world,
excepting that of socialist economies. In the host countries, the volum e of
their production was about $ 330 billion. The present growth rate of their
output in the host countries is a spectacular 10 per cent per annum which
is almost double the growth rate of the world GNP.
In the field of international trade and internatio nal finance, the
multinational firms have come to exercise enormous power. In early
seventies the MNCs accounted for about one -eighth of all international
trade - From the nature of their growth it may be presumed that in the early
eighties their share will rise to one -fourth.
Among the developing countries only India had an annual income twice
that of General Motors, which is the biggest multinational corpora tion.
Otherwise the annual income of the other less developed countries is much
less than that of the giant MNCs. By their sheer size the MNGs can disrupt
the economies of the less developed countries, and may even threaten their
political sovereignty.
We may comprehend the relative economic power of the MNCs vis -a-
vis the nation -states by ranking t hem together according to gross annual
sales and gross national product respectively. As Lester R. Brown has
shown, out of 100 entries in the merged list 56 were nation -states and as
many as 44 were MNCs.
According to one estimate by early eighties some 300 large MNCs will
come to control 75 per cent of the world's manufacturing assets.
4.4 GLOBALIZATION: MEANING & EFFECTS
Meaning:
When several countries come together to work in harmony with respect to
economic, financial , trade and communications sectors, it is called
Globalization. It implies the opening of local markets to become an
interdependent world wi th free transfer of capital, goods, and services
across national frontiers. In short, globalization refers to the
interconnectedness of countries around the globe and the practice is
becoming serious year by year.
Positive Effects:
 It creates greater opportunities for firms in less industr ialized countries
to tap into more and larger markets around the world
 This can lead to more access to capital flows, technology, human
capital , cheaper imports and larger export markets
 It allows businesses in less industrialized countries to become part of
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63  It allows cultural exchange in a healthy manner \. This helps the
countries to broaden their social aspects and develop socially.
Negative Effects:
 The growth of international trade is exacerbating income inequalities,
both between and within industrialized and less industrialized nations
 Global commerce is increasingly dominated by translational
corporations which seek to maximize profits without regard for the
development needs of individual countries or the local populations
 Protectionist policies in industrialized countries prevent many
producers in the third world from accessing export markets ;
 The volume and volatility of capital flows increases the risks of
banking and currency crises, especially in countries with weak
financial institutions
 Competition among developing countries to attract foreign investment
leads to a "race to the bottom" in which countries dangerously lower
environmental standards
 Cultural uniqueness is lost in favour of homogenization and a
"universal culture " that draws heavily from American culture
Association of the Countries
ASEAN
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, was established
on 8 August 1967 in Bangkok, Thailand, with the signing of the ASEAN
Declaration (Bangk ok Declaration) by the Founding Fathers of ASEAN,
namely Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.
Aims and Purposes
The aims and purposes of ASEAN are:
1. To accelerate the economic growth, social progress and cultural
development in the r egion through joint endeavours in the spirit of
equality and partnership in order to strengthen the foundation for a
prosperous and peaceful community of Southeast Asian Nations;
2. To promote regional peace and stability through abiding respect for
justice a nd the rule of law in the relationship among countries of the
region and adherence to the principles of the United Nations Charter;
3. To promote active collaboration and mutual assistance on matters of
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64 4. To provide assistance to each other in the form of training and research
facilities in the educational, professional, technical and administrative
spheres;
5. To collaborate more effectively for the greater utilisat ion of their
agriculture and industries, the expansion of their trade, including the
study of the problems of international commodity trade, the
improvement of their transportation and communications facilities and
the raising of the living standards of th eir peoples;
6. To promote Southeast Asian studies; and
7. To maintain close and beneficial cooperation with existing
international and regional organisations with similar aims and
purposes, and explore all avenues for even closer cooperation among
themselves.
Fundamental Principles
ASEAN Member States have adopted the following fundamental
principles, as mentioned in the Treaty of Amit y and Cooperation in
Southeast Asia (TAC) of 1976:
1. Mutual respect for the independence, sovereignty, equality, territorial
integrity, and national identity of all nations;
2. The right of every State to lead its national existence free from
external interfer ence, subversion or coercion;
3. Non-interference in the internal affairs of one another;
4. Settlement of differences or disputes by peaceful manner;
5. Renunciation of the threat or use of force; and
6. Effective cooperation among themselves.
ASEAN Community
The A SEAN Vision 2020, adopted by the ASEAN Leaders on the 30th
Anniversary of ASEAN, agreed on a shared vision of ASEAN as a concert
of Southeast Asian nations, outward looking, living in peace, stability and
prosperity, bonded together in partnership in dynam ic development and in
a community of caring societies.
At the 12th ASEAN Summit in January 2007, the Leaders affirmed their
strong commitment to accelerate the establishment of an ASEAN
Community by 2015 and signed the Cebu Declaration on the Acceleration
of the Establishment of an ASEAN Community by 2015 .
The ASEAN Community is comprise d of three pillars, namely
the ASEAN Political -Security Community , ASEAN Economic
Community and ASEAN Socio -Cultural Community . Each pillar has its
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65 (IAI) Strategic Framework and IA I Work Plan Phase II (2009 -2015) , they
form the Roadmap for an ASEAN Community 2009 -2015 .
The Commonwealth
The Commonwealth is a voluntary association of 53 independent and
equal sovereign states . The Commonwealth includes some of the world’s
largest, smallest, richest and poorest countries, spanning five regions.
Thirty -one of its members are small states, m any of them island nations.
Commonwealth countries are supported by an active network of more than
80 intergovernmental, civil society, cultural and professional
organisations .
The Commonwe alth Secretariat
The Commonwealth Secretariat provides guidance on policy making,
technical assistance and advisory services to Commonwealth member
countries. They support governments to help achieve sustainable, inclusive
and equitable development. Their work promotes democracy, rule of law,
human rights, good governance and social and economic development.
We are a voice for small states and a champion for youth empowerment.
Priority areas of work are agreed at Commonwealth Heads of Government
Meetings , which occur every two years. The next summit is in the United
Kingdom in 2018.
Their vision is to help create and sustain a Commonwealth that is mutually
respectful, resilient, peaceful and prosperous and that cherishes quality,
diversity and shared va lues.
Their mission is to support member governments, and partner with the
broader Commonwealth family and others, to improve the well -being of
all Commonwealth citizens and to advance their shared interests globally.
The Commonwealth organisations are involved in diverse activities, from
helping countries with trade negotiations to encouraging women’s
leadership, building the small business sector, supporting youth
participation at all level s of society and providing experts to write laws.
The Commonwealth Secretariat promotes democracy, rule of law, human
rights, good governance and social and economic development. We are a
voice for small states and a champion for youth empowerment.
The Commonwealth Fund for Technical Co-operation (CFTC) was set -up
in 1971 and is the principal means for the Commonwealth Secretariat
to provide technical assistance to Commonwealth countries. Our approach
emphasises country ownership by delivering technical assistance on a
demand -driven basis.
IATA
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) is the trade
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66 of total air traffic. They support many areas of aviation activity and help
formulate industry policy on critical aviation issues. IATA is led by Tony
Tyler , Director General & CEO since July 2011.
IATA's member airlines account for carrying approximately 83% of
total Available Seat Kilometers air traffic. IATA supports airline activity
and helps formulate industry policy and standards. It is headquartered
in Montreal , Canada with Executive Offices in Geneva, Switzerland.
IATA was formed in April 1945 in Havana , Cuba . It is the succes sor to the
International Air Traffic Association, which was formed in 1919 at The
Hague , Netherlands.[4] At its founding, IATA consisted of 57 airlines from
31 countries. Much of IATA’s early work was technical and it pro vided
input to the newly created International Civil Aviation
Organization (ICAO), which was reflected in the annexes of the Chicago
Convention , the international treaty that still governs the conduct of
international air transport today.
Aviation grew rapidly over the following decades and IATA’s work duly
expanded. It transformed its trade association activities to take account of
the new dynamics in aviation, which was seeing increasing demand from
the leisure sector. Price flexibility became increasingly important and the
United States led the way into deregulation in 1978.
IATA has cemented its position as the voice of the aviation industry in
recent years, launching a number of important programs and lobbying
governments in the wake of successive crises. Despite its factual
influence, the IATA is a trade group wit h no legislative powers.
WTO
The World Trade Organization (WTO) is the only global international
organization dealing with the rules of trade between nations. The goal is to
help producers of goods and services, exporters, and importers conduct
their bus iness.
The WTO was born out of negotiations, and everything the WTO does is
the result of negotiations. The bulk of the WTO’s current work comes
from the 1986 –94 negotiations called the Uruguay Round and earlier
negotiations under the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT).
The WTO is currently the host to new negotiations, under the ‘Doha
Development Agenda’ launched in 2001.
Where countries have faced trade barriers and wanted them lowered, the
negotiations have helped to open markets for trad e. But the WTO is not
just about opening markets, and in some circumstances its rules supp ort
maintaining trade barriers for example, to protect consumers or prevent
the spread of disease.
At its heart are the WTO agreements, negotiated and signed by t he bulk of
the world’s trading nations. These documents provide the legal ground
rules for international commerce. They are essentially contracts, binding
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67 negotiated and signed by gove rnments, the goal is to help producers of
goods and services, exporters, and importers conduct their business, while
allowing governments to meet social and environmental objectives.
The system’s overriding purpose is to help trade flow as freely as poss ible
so long as there are no undesirable side effects — because this is
important for economic development and well -being. That partly means
removing obstacles. It also means ensuring that individuals, companies
and governments know what the trade rules are around the world, and
giving them the confidence that there will be no sudden changes of policy.
In other words, the rules have to be ‘transparent’ and predictable.
Trade relations often involve conflicting interests. Agreements, including
those pain stakingly negotiated in the WTO system, often need
interpreting. The most harmonious way to settle these differences is
through some neutral procedure based on an agreed legal foundation. That
is the purpose behind the dispute settlement process written in to the WTO
agreements.
UNESCO
In 1945, UNESCO was created in order to establish peace on the basis of
humanity’s moral and intellectual solidarity.
UNESCO strives to build networks among nations that enable this kind of
solidarity, by:
 Mobilizing for ed ucation: so that every child, boy or girl, has access to
quality education as a fundamental human right and as a prerequisite
for human development.
 Building intercultural understanding: through protection of heritage
and support for cultural diversity. UN ESCO created the idea of World
Heritage to protect sites of outstanding universal value.
 Pursuing scientific cooperation: such as early warning systems for
tsunamis or trans -boundary water management agreements, to
strengthen ties between nations and socie ties.
 Protecting freedom of expression: an essential condition for
democracy, development and human dignity.
UNESCO’s goal is to create holistic policies that are capable of
addressing the social, environmental and economic dimensions of
sustainable devel opment. This new thinking on sustainable
development reaffirms the founding principles of the Organization and
enhances its role:
 In a globalized world with interconnected societies, intercultural
dialogue is vital if we are to live together while acknowle dging our
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68  In an uncertain world, the future of nations depends not only on their
economic capital or natural resources, but on their collective ability to
understand and anticipate changes in the environment - through
education, scientific resea rch and the sharing of knowledge.
 In an unstable world - marked by fledgling democratic movements, the
emergence of new economic powers and societies weakened by
multiple stress factors – the educational, scientific and cultural fabric
of societies – along with respect for fundamental rights - guarantees
their resilience and stability.
 In a connected world - with the emergence of the creative economy
and knowledge societies, along with the dominance of the Internet, the
full participation of everyone in the new global public space is a
prerequisite for peace and development.
Arab League
The Arab League formally , the League of Arab States is a regional
organization of Arab countries in and around North Africa , the Horn of
Africa and Arabia . It was formed in Cairo on 22 March 1945 with six
members: Kingdom of Egypt , Kingdom of Iraq , Transjordan
(renamed Jordan in 1949), Lebanon , Saudi Arabia , and Syria .
The League's main goal is to "draw closer the relations between member
States and co -ordinate collaboration between them, to safeguard their
independence and sovereignty, and to consider in a general way the affairs
and interests of the Arab countries".
Through institutions such as the Arab League Educational, Cultural and
Scientific Organization (ALECSO) and the Economic and Social Council
of the Arab League's Council of Arab Economic Unity (CAEU), the Arab
League facilitates political, economic, cultural, scientific, and social
programmes designed to promote the interests of the Arab world . It has
served as a forum for the member states to coordinate their policy
positions, to deliberate on matters of common concern, to settle some
Arab disputes and to limit conflict s such as the 1958 Lebanon crisis . The
League has served as a platform for the drafting and conclusion of many
landmark documents promoting economic integration. One example is
the Joint Arab Economic Action Charter , which outlines the principles for
economic activities in the region.
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a politico -economic union of 28 member
states that are located primarily in Europe . It covers an area of
4,324,782 km2, with an estimated population of over 508 million. The EU
operates through a system of supranational institutions and
intergovernmental - negotiated decisions by the member states.[13][14] The
institutions are: the European Parliament , the European Council ,
the Council of the European Union , the European Commission , the Court
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69 the Court of Auditors . The European Parliament is elected every five years
by EU citizens .
The EU has developed an internal single ma rket through a standardised
system of laws that apply in all member states. Within the Schengen
Area , passport controls have been abolished. EU policies aim to ensure
the free movement of people, goods, services, and capital , enact legislation
in justice and home affairs, and maintain c ommon policies on
trade, agriculture , fisheries , and regional development .
NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization also called the North Atlantic
Alliance , is an intergovernmental military alliance based on the North
Atlantic Treaty which was signed on 4 April 1949. The organization
constitutes a system of defence whereby its member states agree to mutual
defense in response to an attack by any external party. NATO's
headquarters are located in Haren , Brussels , Belgium
OPEC
Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries is
an intergovernmental organization of 13 petroleum -exporting nations,
founded in 1960 by the first five members, and headquartered since 1965
in Vienna , Austria . The 13 countries account for 40% of global oil
production and 73% of the world's "proven" oil reserves , making OPEC a
major influence on global oil prices .
OPEC's stated mission is "to coordinate and unify the petroleum policies
of its member countries and ensure the stabilization of oil markets, in
order to secure an efficient, economic and regular supply of petroleum to
consumers, a steady income to producers, and a fair return on capital for
those investing in the petroleum industry."
4.5 SUMMARY
After studying this lesson, we will be able to understand the following.
Any multinational company is a business organization that has its head
office in one country and the operations are spread over several other
countries. It has certain charac teristics such as their gigantic size and
control that exist in the hands of a single institution. But its interests and
operations are spread across international boundaries. For example, the
Pepsi Cola Company of the U.S operates in 114 countries. It has an
Oligopolistic Structure and Spontaneous Evolution also.
Globalization, a term in heavy current usage means working of several
countries together in harmony with respect to economic, financial, trade
and communications sectors. It has some positive and negative effects.
Some positive effects are that it provides greater opportunities for firms in
less industrialized countries, can lead to more access to capital flows,
technology, human capital etc. Among the n egative effects come the munotes.in

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70 protectionist poli cies in industrialized countries that prevent many
producers in the third world from accessing export markets and
competition between developing countries to attract foreign investment
leads to a "race to the bottom" in which countries dangerously lower
environmental standards
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, was established
on 8 August 1967 in Bangkok, Thailand. The aims and purposes of
ASEAN accelerate the economic growth, social progress and cultural
development in the region.
The Commonwealth is a voluntary association of 53 independent and
equal sovereign states. The Commonwealth includes some of the world’s
largest, smallest, richest and poorest countries, spanning five regions.
Thirty -one of its members are small states, many of them island nations.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) is the trade
association for the world’s airlines, representing some 260 airlines or 83%
of total air traffic.
The World Trade Organization (WTO) is the only global internationa l
organization dealing with the rules of trade between nations. The goal is to
help producers of goods and services, exporters, and importers conduct
their business.
UNESCO was created in 1945 in order to establish peace on the basis of
humanity’s moral and intellectual solidarity. It aims at child education so
that every child, boy or girl, has access to quality education as a
fundamental human right. Through protection of heritage and support for
cultural diversity it is building intercultural understan ding.
Arab League’s main goal is to draw closer the relations between member
States and co -ordinate collaboration between them.
The EU has developed an internal single market through a standardised
system of laws that apply in all member states.
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization headquarters are located in Haren,
Brussels, Belgium
Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries is an
intergovernmental organization of 13 petroleum -exporting nations,
founded in 1960 by the first five members, and headquartered since 1965
in Vienna, Austria
4.6 CHECK YOUR PROGRESS/ EXERCISE
1. True and false
a India has several parent companies and subsidiary companies.
b Standard Chartered Bank, Coco -cola, SONY Electronics, etc are some
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71 c The most important feature of these MNCs is their small size.
d The Pepsi Cola Company of the U.S operates in 114 countries.
e Another important feature of the world of multinationals is the Indian
dominance.
2. Fill in the blanks
a. When several countries come together to work in harmony with
respect to economic, financial, trade and communications sectors, it is
called ____________.
b. .__________ or the Association of Southeast Asian Nations was
established on 8 August 1967 in Bang kok, Thailand.
c. The ______________ __________ provides guidance on policy
making, technical assistance and advisory services to Commonwealth
member countries.
d. The WTO was born out of_________________, and everything the
WTO does is the result of negot iations.
e. Protecting freedom of expression: an essential condition for
______________, _________ and human dignity.
3. Multiple choice question

a. In 1945, UNESCO was created
i. in order to establish peace on the basis of humanity’s moral and
intellectual s olidarity.
ii. in order to establish independence on the basis of humanity’s moral
and intellectual solidarity.
iii. in order to establish hardship on the basis of humanity’s moral and
intellectual solidarity.
b. The World Trade Organization (WTO) is the only global
international organization
i. dealing with the rules of trade between nations.
ii. dealing with the rules of craftsmanship between nations.
iii. dealing with the rules of trade between cities.
c. In order to establish peace on the basis of humanity’s moral and
intelle ctual solidarity
i. UNESCO was created in 1954
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72 4. Short answer question
1. Define Globalisation.
2. What do you understand by Positive Effects of Globalisation?
3. Write a short note on Commonwealth.
4. What are t he aims and purposes of ASEAN?
5. Write a short note on the International Air Transport Association
(IATA)
4.7 ANSWERS TO THE SELF LEARNING QUESTIONS :
1. a. True.
1. b True
1. c. false, gigantic
1. d. True
1. e. False, American
2.a. Globalization
2. b. ASEA N
2.c. Commonwealth Secretariat
2.d. negotiations
2.e. democracy, development
3. a.i.
3. b.i
3. c.ii
4.8 TECHNICAL WORDS AND THEIR MEANING

1. The Commonwealth - is a voluntary association of 53 independent
countries.
2. EU - The European Union is a politico -economic union of 28 member
states that are located primarily in Europe.
3. The Arab League - The Arab League founded in Cairo in 1945, has 22
member states as of 2016
4.9 TASK

1. In a chart show the Advantages of MNCs.
2. In a world map show the Founding Fathers of ASEAN.
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73 5

PRACTICALS GEOGRAPHY


Introduction: Statistical diagrams are drawn with the help of quantified data to
represent the variation in the given distribution between the regions or within the
region at a particular time or over a period time. Diagrams help to analyse the
facts at a glance that are much more easily understood than just the numerical
figures which may not given a better understanding of the facts. Different
diagrams are drawn depending upon the size and range of statistical data under
study. Following are some the statistical diagrams that are used to represent
statistical information in the research studies, documentation of data by
government agencies etc.

1. Bar Diagrams are one dimensional or lin ear statistical diagram . In
bar diagram data represented is made proportional to the length of the bar
while the width remains constant for all the bars. These bars may be drawn
vertically or horizontally. The time element is the main factor which is
invol ved in the drawing of bar graphs. Different types of bar diagrams are
used with reference to the nature of data to be plotted on a graph. These are:

1.1. Simple Bar diagram: Here only one variable is represented. For
example annual rainfall, annual produ ction of crops, minerals,
population etc. over a period. They are generally drawn for comparison of
quantities.

1.1. 1 Simple Vertical Bar:
Study the vertical bar graph in which the bars of uniform width are
standing on a line or point. Since the bars a re drawn at the location of these
places on world map representing the amount of carbon -di-oxide emission
by respective countries, they are therefore said to be (cartographic
technique) ‘Located proportionate simple bar diagrams’ (figure 1).

Construction: Simple vertical bars have no sub -divisions. They represent
one variable (fact) only at a time e.g. a column may be erected straight to
show the total carbon di -oxide emission of each country. In simple bar the
length of the bar varies with quantity while the width representing country
in this case remains same for the countries.

Figure 1 depicts the percentage amount of total carbon dioxisde emissions
in the world by simple bar diagram. These are vertical bars. The map
represents that USA is the largest e mitter of carbio -dioxide in the world
followed by former USSR, China, Japan, U.K. Germany, India, Poland,
Canada and France.
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74

Figure 1

Table 1. Growth of Population in India: 1901 -2011















Year Population in Million
1901 238.4
1911 252.1
1921 251.3
1931 279.0
1941 318.7
1951 361.1
1961 438.2
1971 548.2
1981 683.3
1991 846.3
2001 1027.0
2011 1210.2 munotes.in

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75

figure 2

Figure 2 represents growh of population in India by simple bar diagram
from 18901 to 2011.

1.2. Multiple Bars: Bars are drawn to represent Spatial Data {spatial is
related to space or area e.g. production in different countries states or
regions). Multiple bars are used to represent data containing more than
one dependent variable & when comparison between different variabl es
is required. The procedure for drawing multiple bars is similar to
procedure of drawing simple bars, but in this case two or more bars
representing different variables are drawn together e.g. represent the
following data with the help of multiple bars.
PRODUCTION OF WHEAT AND RICE IN INDIA AND CHINA CHINA Crop India China
Rice 110 182
Wheat 57 105

Note: Production is in million Tons






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76

Figure 3

Multiple Bars


Figure 4

Figure 3 represents production of rice and wheat in India and China in
million tones. It facilitates the comparison between two crops within a
country as well between two countries. This is the advantage of multiple
bar diagram.

1.3. Divided Bars: Divided bars are drawn when the spatial d ata
contains more than one dependent variables and the total value of all
these variables is required. Divided bars can be drawn vertically or
horizontally. E.g. Represent following data with the help of divided bar.
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77 degree of variation within the given variable as well as we can compare
the total of all these variables together over a period of time or between
difference regions. Figure 5 represents production of crops by countries i n
world by divided bar diagram

WORLD - PRODUCTION OF RICE
Country Production in million tone
China 182
India 110
Other 227


Figure 5

2. Areal diagrams or two dimensional statistical diagrams: Circles
and squares are the examples of areal or tw o dimensional statistical
diagrams. In these diagrams areas are drawn proportionate to the given
quantity.

2.1 Circle Diagrams: In this diagram the area of a circle is shown
in proportion to the quantity it represents. To draw the circle one has
to drawn a ‘parabolic curve’ (figure 6 ) with the help of the 'square
root' of the actual value on a graph paper is drawn. Apropriate scale is
selected to include the lowest as well as the highest in the given data
series on the ‘x’ axis of the graph.T hen to draw a circle the value is
located on the ‘x’ axis to drawn a perpendicular touching the parabolic
curve. This perpendicular is a radius for drawing a circle/ square to
represent its quantity.
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78

Figure 6

Let us represent the following data with the help of c ircle diagram.

World -Production of Natural Gas
Country Production in million tonnes U.S.S.R. • 656
U.S.A. 444
Canada 88
Netherland 55
Algeria 43

World: Production of Natural Gas
By Located Proportionate Circle diagram

Figure 7

Located proportionate circle diagram is shown to represent following
aspects:

Figure 7 represents the total amount of natural gas production by
respective countries represented in the world map. We thus notice that
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79 largest producer of natural gas followed by USA, Canada, Netherlands and
Algeria countries.

Figure 8 represents continent wise proportion of population distributed in
the world. Asia continent has the highest number of p opulation while the
continent of Australia has the lowest size of population in the world.

World: Continentwise Proportion and Distribution of Population
By Located Proportionate Circle diagram


Figure 8

In comparison with bar diagram, circle diagra ms are more difficult to
construct, on account of the additional calculations involved. Though
circles will help in quickly recognizing the order of importance from the
relative sizes, the proportionate quantities are more difficult to compare,
particularl y for laymen. Their major merit lies in the fact that they
compress the data in lesser space areas where bars cannot be used on
account of larger size of data range where circles can be drawn.

2.2 Divided Circle or Pie diagram or Circle and Sector statist ical
diagram: Pie diagram helps us to understand the totality of the given
phenomenon as well the variation among this totality. For example total
population of a counry is its totality, while the proportion of rural and
urban population of the total popul ation is its variation. This type of data
can help us to understand whether a country is more or a rural nature or
urban or balanced. The size of a circle stands for its total population,
while its sectors (division of a circle) stands for proportion of ru ral and
urban population of that country. The whole circle consists of 360° is
divided into proportional parts to get sectors of the required area. This
diagram is known as divided circle diagram.


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80 World - Rural and Urban Population

Continents Populati on-Percentage Rural Urban Total
Africa 68 32 100 N. America 26 74 100 S. America 32 68 100 Asia 72 28 100 Europe 27 73 100 Australia 28 72 100
In the above mentioned example all values are in the percentage. Hence
if we equate 100% to the angle of 360° then we get 1% equal 3.6°. now
we can multiply the various percentage values by 3.6° to get the
corresponding angles, i.e. Africa - Rural population 68% x 3.6 =
244.8° which means 245°. This angle can be drawn on the circle which
is drawn for A frica. Once we represent rural population, the remaining
part of the circle represents the urban population. As there are only two
variables, there is no need to calculate values for the urban population.


Figure 9

Figure 9 represents continentwise prop ortion of rural and urban
composition in the world. We thus notice from figure 9 that the
continents of Asia, Africa are largely rural in character while that of
Europe, North America, Australia and South America are largely urban
in nature. This helps to understand that Asia and Africa are relatively
less developed due to large proportion of rural population and the rest
continents are more urbanized and so are relatively more developed in
the world.
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81 Figure 10 is also a pie diagram representing the type of landuse existing
in different continents of the world.

Figure 11 represents the environmental aspect of risk and intensity of
desertification level in different continents of the world by located pie
diagram .


Figure 10



Figure 11






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82 WORLD MAP - Students are expected to mark and name following
places / countries in the map of the world; with the help of atlas.

New York Delhi
Washington Sri Lanka
San Francisco Colombo
U.S.A. Singapore
U.K. Indonesia
Canada Australia
Mexico Sydney
Brazil Canberra
Argentina New Zealand
Peru Korea
Chile Pakistan
Riode Janeiro Iran
Los Angeles Iraq
Lima Kuwait
London Saudi Arabia
France Egypt
Paris Libya
Berlin Nigeria
Germany South Africa
Norway Kenya
Sweden Ghana
Finland Turkey
Rome Bangladesh
Russia Indian Ocean
Japan Pacific Ocean
Tokyo Atlantic Ocean
China Arctic Ocean
Hongkong Greenland
Thailand Poland
India Spain


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