Settlement Geography by K MOKHELE https://padlet.com/47358025/2c4ny0hg5zgk6ada Rural & Urban settlement en-us 2023-05-04 19:30:34 UTC 2023-05-04 19:48:42 UTC hello@padlet.com Rural Settlement 47358025 https://padlet.com/47358025/2c4ny0hg5zgk6ada/wish/2578764957 What characterises a rural settlement in South Africa are the following:

  • Farmstead: A single farm and outbuildings
  • Hamlet: A loose grouping of a few farmsteads
  • Village: A denser grouping of many farmsteads
Rural settlements are the smallest settlements which are unifunctional. They are farmsteads, hamlets or villages, where primary activities (farming, fishing, forestry or mining) take place.

The largest land use in South Africa is agriculture. Approximately 12, 1% of the land is used for both commercial and subsistence cultivation of crops.

Although rural communities focus on primary economic activities (farming and forestry), there are a number of different ways in which the land in these settlements can be used.

Subsistence farming involves using the land to grow crops and breed animals that are a source of food for the family living on the farm. The aim is not to sell the goods, but to consume them.

Commercial farming is practised where the land is used to grow crops or breed animals that are then sold as food sources to other markets. The main aim of this rural land use is to generate income for the farmers. Commercial farming can be either intensive or extensive. Commercial farming can be divided into:

  • Stock farming: Animals, for example, cows, chicken, sheep, pigs.
  • Crop farming: Cultivation of land, for example, maize, wheat, fruit, vegetables.
  • Mixed farming: A combination of stock and crop farming.
]]> 2023-05-04 19:39:32 UTC https://padlet.com/47358025/2c4ny0hg5zgk6ada/wish/2578764957 urban settlement 47358025 https://padlet.com/47358025/2c4ny0hg5zgk6ada/wish/2578772951  Function

  • Rural settlements are mainly unifunctional (they have one main function) with only primary economic activities occurring, e.g. farming or forestry.
  • Urban settlements are multifunctional (they have many functions), i.e. they have both secondary activities (factories/manufacturing) and tertiary activities (services).
 Size and complexity

  • Settlements are classified from the smallest to the largest.
  • A farmstead, hamlet and village are rural settlements.
  • A town, city, metropolis, conurbation and megalopolis are urban settlements.


Rural  | Farmstead
A single farm and outbuildings

Hamlet
A loose grouping of a few farmsteads

Village
A denser grouping of many farmsteads
Urban | 
Town
A densely populated urban area, e.g. Harrismith or Beaufort West

City
A large town where many people live and work, e.g. East London,
Bloemfontein

Metropolis
A main city in a region which is surrounded by dependent towns, e.g.
Cape Town, Durban, Port Elizabeth

Conurbation
A large urban area formed by the growth and coalescence of a number of
cities and towns, e.g. Witwatersrand

Megalopolis
A gigantic urban complex formed when a number of conurbations join,
e.g. Boston, New York and Washington (Bonywash)
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