Final answer:
Settlement patterns, which are determined by geographical, historical, and cultural factors, describe how humans distribute themselves in a region. The four main settlement patterns are dispersed, linear, nucleated, and planned.
Step-by-step explanation:
A settlement pattern refers to how human beings distribute themselves in a certain geographical area. This pattern can be influenced by numerous factors such as the availability of resources, physical landscape, and cultural or historical aspects. There are four major types of settlement patterns: dispersed, linear, nucleated, and planned settlements.
- Dispersed settlement pattern happens when individual houses are scattered throughout an area. This is common in sparsely populated regions or where farming and agriculture are a major way of living.
- Linear settlement pattern is characterized by homes arranged in a line, typically along a physical feature like waterfronts, rivers or streets.
- In nucleated settlement pattern, the houses are clustered in a specific place, often around a source of essential resource like water.
- Planned settlements are those deliberately laid out according to a plan, often created by urban planners or governments, such as modern cities and towns.
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