Work Guide Site and situation

WORKGUIDE Section A: Additional Notes What do we mean by site and situation of a settlement? The site and situation of a settlement are very different things. The site of a settlement is the land upon which it was built. There are a range of factors that can determine the site of a settlement. These are mainly physical factors Availability of water Availability of building material Type of soil Fertility of soil (Rural settlements) Relief/ Gradient of the slope Drainage NOTE: In the exams you may be asked to identify the factors from an existing diagram. The situation of a settlement is its location in relation to surrounding human and physical features. We usually describe the situation when we are telling someone where a settlement is. •wet point site - these are sites close to a supply of water •dry point site - these are sites that avoided the risk of flooding •defensive site - these were sites that were on high ground and allowed the inhabitants to see enemies from a distance •aspect - many settlements in the northern hemisphere are located on south facing sides of valleys where it is sunny •shelter - away from rain and prevailing winds •trading point - often settlements developed where natural training points meet such as along rivers or natural route ways

•resources - many settlements developed close to where natural resources could be found Site Characteristics Defensive Difficult to attack e.g. hill-top or island Hill-foot Sheltered, with flat land for building and farming Gap Lower, more sheltered land between two hills Wet point Close to water in a dry area Dry point On higher, dry area close to wet land e.g. marshes or flooding rivers Route centre Focus of routes (e.g. roads) from surrounding area Bridging point Where bridges can be built over a river

Section B – Activity Refer to the diagram below and answer the questions that follow QUESTIONS 1. Define the following terms a. Site of a settlement. (2) b. Situation of a settlement. (2) 2. From the diagram what are the factors that influence the choice of site for the settlement. (6) 3. From the diagram identify the situation factors. (2) 4. How do the site and the situation factors differ from one another? (4) Total: 16

Section C MEMO 1. Define the following terms a. Site of a settlement. (2) A piece of land occupied by a settlement and its physical features b. Situation of a settlement. (2) It is the location of a settlement and its relationship to the surrounding 2. From the diagram what are the factors that influence the choice of site for the settlement. (6) Availability of building material from the forest Availability of water from the river and the lake Availability of arable land (flat and fertile) 3. From the diagram identify the situation factors. (2) The hill for defense purposes 4. How do the site and the situation factors differ from one another? (4) The site factors refer to the factors of the area before any establishment of a settlement. Situation factors are always compared to something around the settlement, which means they are identified after the settlement has been built. Total: 16