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# Features of Settlements For thousands of years, humans have moved from place to place. They traveled to find food, often following the animals they hunted. They gathered other types of food. Over time, they began to settle and build permanent homes. **Human geography** considers why people settle...

# Features of Settlements For thousands of years, humans have moved from place to place. They traveled to find food, often following the animals they hunted. They gathered other types of food. Over time, they began to settle and build permanent homes. **Human geography** considers why people settle in some places and not others. It includes the study of the relationship between people, places, and the environment and how this relationship impacts where people settle. A **settlement** is an area where people have built places to live. Different factors affect where groups of people choose to locate their settlements. These could be physical factors, such as settling by the side of a mountain to get shelter from the weather. Settling near a lake or river supplies a source of water and food. This lesson will explore the different types of settlements and the locations in which people choose to settle. ## Features of Settlements | Feature | Description | |---|---| | Pattern | Settlements have shapes called settlement patterns. Some patterns are based on the natural features of their area. For example, a town built beside a river will have a long pattern that follows the riverbank. | | Size | A settlement's size is measured in terms of its population. Population is the number of people who live in a town, area, or country. | | Density | Population density is the measurement of how many people live within a certain space. Density = the number of people in a settlement ÷ the total land area of the settlement. |