NCERT 7th Class (CBSE) Social Science: The Human Environment: Settlement, Transport and Communication

Question: What do you understand by the term human settlement? How did settlements emerge? Answer: Human settlements refer to the locations where people build their homes. Around these settlements human communities develop. A community is a group of people living in a particular area and bound by a common culture or religion. Depending on the nature of the environment and the needs of the people, settlements of different types evolved. Settlements can be temporary or permanent. Question: What kind of patterns do settlements form? Discuss in detail. Answer: Based on the patterns the settlements form, we can classify them as circular, linear, parallel, radical etc. Circular settlements: Settlements built around ponds or reservoirs are called circular settlements. People here utilise the water from the pond for their regular domestic and irrigational needs. Linear settlements: Settlements built along a road or along a railway track are called linear settlements. If settlements are found on both sides of the track or roads they are called parallel settlements. Radial settlements: Settlements which emerge and radiate from a central point and form a radial or star-shaped pattern are called radial settlements. These settlements are found in cities and trading towns where the roads converge at the business centre from different parts. Question: Write a short note on the different kinds of urban settlements. Answer: Around 5000 years ago, as civilisations grew in river valleys around the world, urban settlements, or towns and cities, started developing. Generally people in urban settlements are engaged in secondary (processing or manufacturing) and tertiary (services) activities. Cities have better infrastructure, like transport and communication systems, and provide better medical facilities, educational institutions and banking than are available in rural areas. Urban settlements are usually much larger than rural settlements in area and population size. The average income of people who live in urban area is generally higher than that of people living in rural area. Urban areas also have higher volumes of trade. Urban settlements can be classified on the basis of their main function: Mining town or quarrying towns: Towns where surface or underground mining is the most important function. For example: Hutti (gold) and Dhanbad (coal) in India. Industrial towns: Towns where processing or manufacturing is the major activity. For example: Chicago, Essen, Jamshedpur, Bhilai etc. Transport towns: Towns that manufacture automobiles, junctions where rail routes or roadways meet and those transit facilities for change in the mode of transport are called transport towns. For example: Berlin, Chennai, Detroit etc. Commercial towns: Towns where extensive marketing of finished products, services and capital take place. For example: London, Mumbai, New York etc. Administrative towns: Towns from which the governments of a state or nation functions. National capitals, federal state capitals or provincial capitals can be considered examples. London, New Delhi, Chandigarh, Paris, Gandhinagar etc. are examples. Defence towns: Towns that function as a base for the armed forces are called defence towns. They are also called Garrison towns. Mhow and Jalandhar in India, Portsmouth and Plymouth in the UK are some examples. Cultural and educational towns: They are known for education, religion and culture. Pittsburgh, Oxford and Cambridge are educational towns. Jerusalem, Rome, Mecca and Madurai are some examples of religious towns. Agra, Hyderabad and Lucknow are examples of cultural towns. Question: Highlight the importance of rural-urban interdependence. or Rural and urban settlements are interdependent. Justify this statement. Answer: Rural and urban areas are dependent on each other. The villages supply food grains, fruits, vegetables, agricultural raw materials and casual labourers to the towns. The towns supply industrial goods, social and utility services and employment opportunities to the villagers. or Answer: Rural or urban areas are highly dependent on each other. While urban area depend on rural areas for food grains and raw materials, the rural sector depends on the urban sector as a market for their produce and source of finished products. Question: How are roads classified in India? Answer: In India roads are classified into five categories: National Highways: which connect sate capitals. Border Roads: Which maintain the supply line to the remote areas along India's border. State Highways: Which connect the district capitals within a state. District Roads: Which connects the various towns in a state. Village Roads. Question: What are the relative advantages of road, rail and air transport? Answer: Advantages of road, rail and air transportation are as follows: Road: They provide door-to-door service. They are the main means of transport in remote landlocked villages. They are easier to build and maintain in difficult terrain, like forests and mountains. Rail: The railways are fairly fast, safe, cheap and comfortable for the movement of people and material. The industrialised regions of the world and thickly populated industrial belts have dense network of railways. Trans-continental railways are of great economic and political importance. Airways: Air transport is the fastest but the most expensive means of transport. Perishable, brittle and highly valuable cargo is also generally airlifted. Air transport is largely independent of the type of terrain, as planes can fly over difficult terrain. Air transport is a boon for regions dominated by hills and inaccessible areas, and to reach disaster-hit regions. Helicopters, particularly, plays a major role in rescue and relief operations. Question: What is communication? List various means of modern communication. Answer: Communication refers to the effective exchange of ideas and information. Without which one cannot acquire, process or apply knowledge. It is the very basis of development. Communication can be verbal and non-verbal. It can be one-to-one communication or mass communication (communicating with thousands of people at the same time). Various means of modern communications are: telephones, computers, emails or electronic mails, fax etc. Satellite launched into space from Earth have revolutionised communication. Television now brings news from across the world live into houses. People send instant messages of mobile phone and computers. Sending e-mail via internet has become one of the fastest growing methods of communication. These new methods of communication have shrunk distances across the globe - so much so that we are now said to be living in a large global village Question: Write short notes on the following: Permanent settlements, Compact settlements, Scattered Settlements, Inland waterways, Railways, Communication. Answer: Permanent Settlements: The settlements in which people live permanently are called permanent settlements. Nowadays all settlements big or small are developed as permanent settlements. They have a layout plan. It includes buildings for: residential purposes commercial purposes schools, hospitals, office and other services cultural and entertainment needs. space for streets, roads, etc. Compact Settlements: Compact settlements have houses built very close to each other. They have narrow, winding streets. Such settlements are mostly found in fertile river valleys and plains. Scattered Settlements: Scattered settlements are mostly found in forested areas, hilly regions and deserts. The houses are scattered over a large area. Inland Waterways: Navigable rivers, lakes and canals are used as inland waterways. Their development depends upon the depth and width of the waterways and the continuity of flow. The Great lakes between USA and Canada along with the St. Lawrence river is the largest and the busiest inland waterway in the world. Large rivers like Nile, the Amazon, the Mississippi, the Yangtze, the Rhine and the Ganga are also important inland waterways. Many countries have interlinked their navigable rivers by constructing canals. Some of the well-known canals in the world are the Suez, the Panama and the Kiel. Railways: Railways are quick means of transport over long distances at a comparatively lower cost. Railways carry raw materials to industrial regions and distribute the finished goods inside the country or carry them to the ports for export. The factors which influence the development of railways are the relief features of the region, the density of the population, the availability of natural resources and the level of economic development. Communication: The invention of radio and television introduced a wireless medium in communication. It also made communication with millions of people possible at the same time. Thus, they are called means of mass communication. The telegraph, telephone, fax and e-mail are important means of communication. Satellites have made communication easier and faster. They help in weather forecasting. The development of fax, electronic mails or emails through internet, and cellular phones have enhanced the speed of communication. With the improvement in communication physical distances have reduced. The world has become a large global society. Question: Name the factors responsible for the growth of a settlement. Answer: The growth and development of a settlement depends upon: Suitable land Availability of water Favourable climate Fertile soil Question: How are urban settlements classified? Explain with examples. Answer: Urban settlements are generally on the basis of the economic activities they perform. They can be classified as: Administrative towns: They are the capital cities like New Delhi, Washington DC and Canberra. Defence towns: They are centres of military activities like Mhow and Barrackpore. Cultural towns: They include religious centres like Ayodhya, Mecca and Jerusalem or educational centres like Oxford, Allahabad and Shantiniketan. Industrial town: They are the centres of production and manufacture of different goods. Jamshedpur, Durgapur, Ahmadabad, Rourkela and Pittsburgh are example of industrial towns. Junction towns: They are located at the crossroads of major roads or railways. For example Mughal Sarai, Chicago and Moscow. Question: What are the factors responsible for the development of railways? Answer: The factors that influence the development of the railways are the relief features of the region, the density of population, the availability of natural resources and the level of economic development. Question: Name and explain the various types of rural settlements. Answer: There are mainly four types of rural settlements: Compact settlements: Compact settlements have houses built very close to each other. They have narrow, winding streets. Such settlements are mostly found in the fertile river valleys and plains. Scattered settlements: Scattered settlements are mostly found in forested areas, hilly regions and deserts. The houses are scattered over a large area. Linear settlements: Linear settlements develop along a road, a river or a canal. They have rows of houses facing each other. Radial settlements: Radial settlements develop when streets radiate from a common point in all directions. The houses are built along the streets. Question: Describe different types of waterways. Answer: Waterways comprise inland waterways and sea routes: Inland waterways: Navigable rivers, lakes and canals are used as inland waterways. Their development depends upon the depth and width of the waterways and the continuity of flow. The Great lakes between USA and Canada along with the St. Lawrence river is the largest and the busiest inland waterway in the world. Large rivers like Nile, the Amazon, the Mississippi, the Yangtze, the Rhine and the Ganga are also important inland waterways. Many countries have interlinked their navigable rivers by constructing canals. Some of the well-known canals in the world are the Suez, the Panama and the Kiel. Sea routes: Seas and oceans are used to transport goods from one continent to another are called sea routes. The important sea routes are- The North Atlantic route - connects eastern North America and western Europe. It is the busiest route in the world. The Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean route - connects the countries of Europe with east Africa, South Asia and the Far East. The Cape route between western Europe and the Far East, Australia and New Zealand was important before the construction of the Suez Canal. Tokyo, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Mumbai, Singapore, Karachi, Cairo, New York, Chicago etc. are some important seaports in the world. Question: Why is air transport preferred over other means of transport? Answer: Air transport is preferred over the other means of transport because: Speed is the only factor for which air transport is preferred over land and sea transport. It can reach the remotest and most inaccessible areas, where there are no roads and railways. Helicopters are widely used to help people at times of natural disasters. Perishable and costly goods are transported by air. Question: The world has now become a large global society. Explain. Answer: Satellites have made communication easier and faster. They help in weather forecasting. The development of fax, email through internet and mobile phones have enhanced the speed of communication. With the improvement in communication, physical distances have reduced. The world has become a large global society. Question: Why is land transport considered the lifeline of a country? Answer: Land transport is considered the lifeline of a country because: They provide door-to-door service. They are the main means of transport in remote landlocked villages. They are easier to build and maintain in difficult terrain, like forests and mountains.

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