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Factors influencing settlements.

Answer Text:
Factors influencing settlements.
(a) Water supply attracts human settlements e.g. along the lakes, rivers and springs.
(b) Relief affects settlement since:
- Mountain peaks and steep rugged slopes are sparsely populated while gently sloping and lowlands attract settlement.
(c) Aspect, in mountainous areas, affects settlement as people often prefer the warm sunny south-facing slope. (In the northern hemisphere) or north-
facing slope (In the southern hemisphere).
(d) Disease and pest infested areas discourage settlement e.g. tsetse fly infested areas and also swampy areas where mosquitoes breed.
(e) Defense is a major factor. Settlements are
built strategically on self-protective areas such as hills, mountains and islands where people are protected from attacks by other communities.
(f) Mining activities and the occurrence of the minerals that can be
exploited attract human settlement.
(g) Soil is a major component which influences settlement.
- Areas with poor, infertile soils are sparsely populated while areas with fertile soils and good drainage system attract dense population.