Chapter 7: Human Environment – Settlement, Transport And Communication

Settlements

The places where people build their homes and live are known as settlements. Early humans, who were nomadic, lived in temporary shelters like trees and caves, depending entirely on nature for their survival. The development of agriculture was a turning point; it required people to stay in one place, leading to the establishment of permanent homes. These early settlements naturally flourished near river valleys, such as those of the Indus, Tigris, Nile, and Hwang-He rivers, where water was readily available and the land was fertile for farming.

An ideal location for a settlement, known as its site, is chosen based on several favourable natural conditions:

• A pleasant and supportive climate.
• Consistent availability of water.
• Suitable, flat land for construction and farming.
• Fertile soil for agriculture.

Types of Settlements

Settlements can be classified in several ways:

1. Temporary vs. Permanent:
   • Temporary Settlements: These are occupied for a short duration by people who practice hunting, gathering, shifting cultivation, or transhumance (the seasonal movement of people with their livestock in search of new pastures). Such settlements are common in deep forests, deserts, and mountains.
   • Permanent Settlements: These are places where people build lasting homes to live in. Today, most human settlements are permanent.
2. Rural vs. Urban:
   • Rural Settlements: These are villages where the primary occupations are agriculture, fishing, forestry, and craftwork. They often face challenges like a lack of advanced medical and educational facilities but offer open spaces and fresh air.
   • Urban Settlements: These are towns and cities where people are mainly engaged in manufacturing, trade, and services. While they offer better job opportunities and facilities, they suffer from problems like traffic jams, pollution, congestion, and shortages of power and water.
3. Compact vs. Scattered:
   • Compact Settlements: Dwellings are built very close to each other. This type is typically found in flat plains and river valleys.
   • Scattered Settlements: Houses are spaced far apart over a large area. This pattern is common in difficult terrains like hilly tracts, thick forests, and regions with extreme climates.

Housing designs in settlements often reflect adaptations to the local environment. For example, areas with heavy rainfall have houses with slanting roofs to allow water to drain easily, while flood-prone regions have houses built on raised platforms or stilts.

Transport

Transport refers to the systems and means used to move people and goods from one place to another. The invention of the wheel revolutionized transport, making it far easier than walking or using animals. Modern means of transport save both time and energy, connecting the world in ways that were once unimaginable. Today, even though advanced technology exists, animals like donkeys, mules, and camels are still used for transport in many parts of the world, while llamas in the Andes and yaks in Tibet serve a similar purpose in mountainous regions.

The four major means of transport are roadways, railways, waterways, and airways.

Roadways

Roads are the most widely used means of transport, especially for short distances. They provide door-to-door service and act as feeders to other modes of transport like railway stations and airports.

• Types of Roads: Roads can be metalled (paved, or 'pucca') or unmetalled (unpaved, or 'kutcha').
• Network Density: The densest road networks are found in plains. However, roads have been successfully built in challenging terrains like deserts, forests, and high mountains. The Manali-Leh highway in the Himalayas is one of the highest roadways in the world.
• Modern Structures: To manage traffic in cities, roads are built both underground (as subways or underpasses) and over raised structures (as flyovers). Major highways connecting large cities are called Expressways. India's Golden Quadrilateral is a famous expressway network connecting the four major metropolitan cities: Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, and Kolkata.

Railways

Railways are an efficient mode of transport for carrying heavy, bulky goods and a large number of people over long distances quickly and affordably. The development of the steam engine during the Industrial Revolution was a catalyst for the rapid expansion of rail transport. Today, steam engines have been largely replaced by more efficient diesel and electric engines.

The railway network is well-developed in plain areas, and advanced technology has even made it possible to lay tracks in difficult mountainous terrains, although these are less common. The Indian railway network is the largest in Asia. The Trans-Siberian Railway is the longest railway system in the world, connecting St. Petersburg in Western Russia to Vladivostok on the Pacific coast.

Waterways

Waterways are the cheapest mode of transport, especially for moving very heavy and bulky goods over long distances. They do not require the construction and maintenance costs associated with roads and railways.

There are two main types of waterways:

• Inland Waterways: These use navigable rivers and lakes for transport within a country. Important examples include the Ganga-Brahmaputra river system in India, the Great Lakes in North America, and the River Nile in Africa.
• Sea Routes: These are oceanic routes used for transporting merchandise and goods between countries. These routes connect major international ports like Singapore, Mumbai, New York, London, and Sydney.

Airways

Developed in the early 20th century, airways are the fastest mode of transport. However, they are also the most expensive, mainly due to the high cost of fuel. Air traffic can be adversely affected by bad weather conditions like fog and storms.

Airways are the only mode of transport capable of reaching the most remote and inaccessible areas, such as dense forests or high mountains, where roads and railways cannot be built. Helicopters are particularly useful in these areas, especially during calamities, for rescuing people and distributing essential supplies like food, water, and medicine.

Communication

Communication is the process of conveying messages, ideas, and information to others. The development of technology has led to an information revolution, creating new and incredibly fast modes of communication that have made the world feel smaller and more connected.

• Mass Media: Modes of communication that can reach a large number of people simultaneously are called mass media. This includes newspapers, radio, and television. They are used to inform, educate, and entertain the public.
• Modern Communication Technology:
  • Satellites have made communication almost instantaneous. They are used for television broadcasts, telephone calls, and have practical applications like oil exploration, weather forecasting, and disaster warnings.
  • The Internet has transformed communication, allowing for electronic mail (e-mail) and providing access to worldwide information and interaction. It has also made our lives more comfortable, enabling us to reserve tickets for travel, cinema, and hotels from home.
  • Wireless telephonic communication through cellular or mobile phones has become extremely popular and is now a primary means of personal communication.

This high level of interconnectivity between people, services, and institutions across the globe has effectively turned the world into a large global society.