Geography · Textbook solutions

Human Settlements and Land Use

Every textbook question in book order, plus the board's past questions. · 42 questions

Chapter activities

17 q

Try this / Make friends with maps! / Can you tell?

Practice · 17

Observe Fig. 3.1 and answer the following questions :
Act p00 F3.1(1) $Where are human settlements likely to develop : A, B, C, D or E? Why?$
Act p00 F3.1(2) $In the above figure in which place human settlement is not likely to develop and why?$
Act p00 F3.1(3) $Looking at the figure above, what factors do you think could contribute to the development of human settlements?$
Act p00 F3.1(4) $Can economic factors be important along with physical factors for the development of human settlements?$
Act p00 F3.1(5) $Do physical factors affect the economic activities of human settlements?$
Act p00 F3.1(6) $Make a list of factors which affect development of settlements in an area.$
Act p03 Recall $Can you differentiate between urban and rural settlements?$
Act p03 Think $Can a town have only one function? Why do the cities become multi-functional?$
Act p06 CYT $You know what is urban and what is rural. What will you call the area that lies between them?$

See the two Land Use Land Cover maps of Ichalkaranji city, Kolhapur district, given below and observe how changes have occurred in the city over the years. Map A) is for 2007 and map B) for 2017. Both are at a scale of 1:80,000 and were generated by the Maharashtra Remote Sensing Application Centre, Department of Planning, Government of Maharashtra. The legend is:

Colour	Land use / land cover class
Pale yellow	Agriculture
Olive green	Forest
Light pink (mauve)	Wasteland-Scrub
Blue	Waterbodies
Dark red	Built Up - Rural
Bright pink (magenta)	Built Up - Residential
Salmon	Built Up - Residential-Sparse
Navy blue	Built Up - Industrial
Purple	Built Up - Public/Semipublic
Dark green	Built Up - Recreation
Brown	Built Up - Mining/Quarry
Pale teal	Built Up - Open Space

On both maps a blue line runs across the south-east corner, labelled PANCHAGANAGA RIVER, and a network of thin black lines crosses the map. The settlements named are Ichalkaranji, Rui, Chandur, Sajani, Korochi, Takawade, Ingali, Haroli, Jambhali, Nandani, Kondigre, Yadrav, Mangaonwadi, Gaon Bhag and Shahu Nagar, with two areas marked INDUSTRIAL ESTATE. Also labelled are a stadium, several colleges and gardens, a sports complex, a playground, temples, a bus stand, an S.T. depot, an RTO office, an MSEB power station, a water treatment plant and a sewrage treatment plant. Between 2007 and 2017 the bright pink residential area of Ichalkaranji spreads outward in every direction, most of it over ground that was pale yellow agriculture or light pink wasteland-scrub on the earlier map. The navy blue industrial patches also grow, and a brown mining/quarry patch appears in the north-west.

Act p07 Ichal(1)

Enlist the colours used for showing land uses in the index.

Act p07 Ichal(2) $What do the blue and the black lines show?$
Act p07 Ichal(3) $What is the name of the river in the map?$
Act p07 Ichal(4) $Name any two villages shown on the map.$
Act p07 Ichal(5) $Which city is shown on the map?$
Act p07 Ichal(6) $Which periods do the maps belong to?$
Act p07 Ichal(7) $Which land covers have reduced? What are their colours?$
Act p07 Ichal(8) $Which land covers seem to have increased?$

Exercise

25 q

Identify the correct correlation : A : Assertion; R : Reasoning
Ex Q1(1) $A : Settlements can be of various types. R : Various physical factors affect the growth of settlements.$
Tap an option to check your answer.
Ex Q1(2) $A : When cities grow, their functions also grow. R : Cities can have only one function.$
Tap an option to check your answer.
Give geographical reasons :
Ex Q2(1) $Not all rural settlements change into urban settlements.$
Ex Q2(2) $In rural settlements, land use is related to agriculture.$
Ex Q2(3) $Rural-urban fringes have the characteristics of both urban and rural settlements.$
Ex Q2(4) $Growth of urban areas is linked to land use.$
Write short notes on :
Ex Q3(1) $Interrelationship between rural and urban settlements.$
Ex Q3(2) $Problems of urban settlements.$
Ex Q3(3) $Suburbs.$
Ex Q3(4) $Mixed land use.$
Answer the following questions :
Ex Q4(1) $Explain the characteristics of rural settlements.$
Ex Q4(2) $What factors are responsible for development of various patterns in a settlement? Give examples.$
Differentiate between :
Ex Q5(1) $Land use and Land cover$
Ex Q5(2) $Barren and Non-agricultural land$
Ex Q5(3) $Radial pattern and Circular pattern$
Ex Q5(4) $Nucleated and Dispersed settlement$
Draw a neat and well-labelled diagram for :
Ex Q6(1) $Linear settlement$
Ex Q6(2) $Radial settlement$
Ex Q6(3) $Compact settlement$
Ex Q6(4) $Dispersed settlement$

Ex Q7

Write a note in your own words about how land use in Lonar city has evolved over time. Two Land Use Land Cover maps of Lonar city are given, one for 2005-06 and one for 2015-16, both at a scale of 1:30,000 and generated by the Maharashtra Remote Sensing Application Centre. Their legend is: Colour Land use / land cover class Pale yellow Agriculture Olive green Forest Light pink (mauve) Wasteland-Scrub Blue Waterbodies Dark red Built Up - Rural Bright pink (magenta) Built Up - Residential Salmon Built Up - Residential-Sparse Navy blue Built Up - Industrial Purple Built Up - Public/Semipublic Dark green Built Up - Recreation Brown Built Up - Mining/Quarry Pale teal Built Up - Open Space On the 2005-06 map the features named are Lonar Lake with its ring of forest, Lonar City, Lonar, Saraswati Village, Lonai Village and two Temples. On the 2015-16 map all of those still appear, and in addition Krishna Nagar, Central Public School, Civil & Criminal Court, Tehsil Office, Rural Hospital, Gov. Hostel and Gov. ITI are named. The bright pink residential area around Lonar City is larger, and a band of residential and sparse-residential land now extends south-east past Lonai Village towards Krishna Nagar over ground that was Wasteland-Scrub in 2005-06.

Read the given passage and answer the questions that follow : Different types of human settlements include hamlets, villages, small towns, large towns, isolated places, cities and conurbations. In some systems, types of human settlements are broken up into urban, suburban and rural; for example, the U.S. Census Bureau divides settlements into urban or rural categories based on precise definitions. Small settlements, such as hamlets and villages, have low populations and restricted access to services. Larger types of settlements, such as cities, have higher populations, higher densities and greater access to services. For example, a village may have only one or two general stores, while a large metropolis may have many specialized stores and chain stores. These differences are known as low-order service settlements and high-order service settlements. Larger settlements also have a sphere of influence affecting surrounding settlements. Settlements may also be divided by the site chosen, such as sites selected based on resources, trading points, defensive sites, shelter and relationship to water resources. The functions of human settlements also differ, as settlements may be established as ports, market towns and resorts. Types of rural settlements may also be classified by function, such as proximity to farming, fishing and mining. Settlements that focus on one economic activity are called single functional settlements. Human settlements may be permanent or temporary. For example, a refugee camp is a temporary settlement, while a city is a permanent settlement.
Ex Q8(1) $Which human settlements are mentioned in the passage above?$
Ex Q8(2) $On what basis are urban and rural areas classified?$
Ex Q8(3) $What are the functions carried out in rural settlements?$
Ex Q8(4) $Explain the difference between low-order service and high-order service settlements.$

What the board has asked from this chapter

Questions per paper · 3 papers · 2024 to 2026

June 2026

7 q

Complete the chain according to the co-relation of factors in column 'A', 'B' and 'C' :

S.No.	'A'	'B'	'C'
(1)	Migration	(a) Meat Processing	(h) Cottage Industry
(2)	Urban problem	(b) Communication	(i) Milk processing
(3)	Pastoral based industries	(c) Pulp processing	(j) Transportation
(4)	Tertiary economic activity	(d) Increase in slums	(k) Climatology
(5)	Physical Geography	(e) Geomorphology	(l) Forced
		(f) Voluntary	(m) Crime

Q1(A)(2)

Urban problem

Urban Land Use

Choose the correct option by identifying the correct co-relation between Assertion and Reason. A : Assertion R : Reason
Q1(B)(2) $A : Settlements are of various types. R : Various physical factors affect the development of settlements.$
Tap an option to check your answer.
Factors Affecting Human Settlements
Do as directed :
Q1(C)(2) $According to size, arrange the settlements from large to small. (a) Suburb (b) Megacity (c) City (d) Metro-city$
Types of Urban Settlements and Their Functions
State whether the following statements are True or False :
Q1(D)(2) $Settlements can not be classified according to functions.$
Types of Urban Settlements and Their Functions
Give geographical reasons (Any FOUR) :
Q2(2) $In rural settlements, land use is related to agriculture.$
Rural Land Use
Differentiate between (Any THREE) :
Q3(2) $Rural settlement and Urban settlement$
Types of Settlements
Mark and name the following on the outline map of the world with suitable index (Any SIX) :
Q4(A)(3) $Commercial City in the USA.$
Types of Urban Settlements and Their Functions

March 2026

8 q

Complete the chain according to the co-relation of factors in column 'A', 'B' and 'C' :

No.	'A'	'B'	'C'
(1)	Making maps	(a) Delhi	(l) Niger
(2)	Administrative cities	(b) Pampas	(m) Small-Scale Industry
(3)	Grass-Land Region	(c) Observation	(n) Skills of Geographer
(4)	Toys	(d) Bangladesh	(o) New York
(5)	Population Explosion	(e) Paper Industry	(p) Argentina

Q1(A)(2)

Administrative cities

Types of Urban Settlements and Their Functions

Write True or False :
Q1(D)(3) $The area between urban and rural area is called urban-rural fringe.$
Rural-Urban Fringe and Suburbs
Give geographical reasons (Any FOUR) :
Q2(5) $Not all rural settlements change into urban settlements.$
Types of Urban Settlements and Their Functions
Read the following passage and answer the questions given below : More than 3,500 years back, the city of Knossos on the island of Crete was the main centre town of the Minuan civilization. By 500 BC, Greece had become one of the most highly urbanized areas on the Earth. The Greeks established over 500 cities and small towns on the main lands as well as on the islands. Athens and Sparta were the leading cities of Greece. Athens may have been the largest city in the world at the time, with an estimated 2,50,000 inhabitants. The Greek cities were the centres of religion and power but also served as economic nodes. Cities were the main market places and bases from which wealthy merchants, land and livestock owners and traders operated. As educational centres, residents of cities included teachers and philosophers. They also had handicrafts industries that attracted the best crafts people and investors. In all of these roles, ancient cities were the anchors of cultural society; the focal points of power, authority and change.
Q6(A)(1) $Which was the largest city in the world during Greek period?$
Types of Urban Settlements and Their Functions
Q6(A)(2) $State the role of Greek cities.$
Types of Urban Settlements and Their Functions
Q6(A)(3) $What was the estimated population of Athens city?$
Types of Urban Settlements and Their Functions
Q6(A)(4) $Which amenities and services were available in ancient Greek cities?$
Types of Urban Settlements and Their Functions
Draw neat, labelled diagrams (Any TWO) :
Q6(B)(1) $Linear Settlement$
Patterns of Settlements

June 2025

7 q

Complete the chain according to the co-relation of factors in coloumn 'A', 'B' and 'C' :

No.	'A'	'B'	'C'
(1)	Ice covered region	(a) Capital of the country	(l) Harmful farming
(2)	Administrative city	(b) Artificial satellite	(m) Sparsely populated
(3)	Shifting agriculture	(c) Use of manpower	(n) Communication
(4)	Cottage industry	(d) Polar region	(o) Weavers
(5)	Global Positioning System (GPS)	(e) Small size of farm	(p) Tokyo

Q1(A)(2)

Administrative city

Types of Urban Settlements and Their Functions

Choose the correct option and complete the sentences.
Q1(B)(2) $Land use in Rural Area :$
Tap an option to check your answer.
Rural Land Use
True or False :
Q1(C)(5) $Location of human settlement is not affected by physical factors.$
Factors Affecting Human Settlements
Do as directed :
Q1(D)(3) $Arrange the following settlements according to the population in ascending order : (a) Metropolitan city (b) Suburb (c) City (d) Megacity$
Types of Urban Settlements and Their Functions
Mark and name the following on the outline map of the world with suitable index (Any SIX) :
Q4(A)(4) $Administrative City : Moscow$
Types of Urban Settlements and Their Functions
Write short notes on the following (Any THREE) :
Q5(1) $Land use in Rural area.$
Rural Land Use
Draw neat, labelled diagrams (Any TWO) :
Q6(B)(1) $Triangular pattern of settlement.$
Patterns of Settlements

March 2025

5 q

Identify the incorrect factor and write it :
Q1(D)(4) $Permanent Human Settlements are not found in Antarctica. (a) Very cool climate (b) Fertile soil (c) Frozen land (d) Long winter$
Factors Affecting Human Settlements
Differentiate between (Any THREE) :
Q3(1) $Land use and Land cover$
Rural Land Use
Mark and name the following on the outline map of the world with suitable index (Any SIX) :
Q4(A)(3) $Major administrative city in Maharashtra.$
Types of Urban Settlements and Their Functions
Write short notes on the following (Any THREE) :
Q5(2) $Mixed land use$
Urban Land Use
Draw neat, labelled diagrams ( Any TWO) :
Q6(B)(2) $Circular Settlement$
Patterns of Settlements

June 2024

7 q

Complete the chain according to the co-relation of factors in column 'A', 'B' and 'C' :

No.	'A'	'B'	'C'
(1)	Consumer goods	(a) Physical geography	(h) Commercial area
(2)	Geography	(b) International	(i) Climatology
(3)	Migration	(c) Industrial area	(j) Pharmaceuticals
(4)	Formal region	(d) Distinct boundaries	(k) India to Australia
(5)	Urban land use	(e) Ready for direct consumption	(l) State
		(f) Current fallow	(m) Automobiles

Q1(A)(5)

Urban land use

Urban Land Use

Choose the correct option by identifying the correct co-relation between the assertion and reason : (A : Assertion R : Reason)
Q1(B)(2) $A : When cities grow, their functions also grow. R : Cities have only one function.$
Tap an option to check your answer.
Types of Urban Settlements and Their Functions
Identify and write the incorrect factor :
Q1(C)(2) $Types of settlements on the basis of spacing between the houses _____. (a) Compact settlement (b) Dispersed settlement (c) Isolated settlement (d) Regional settlement$
Types of Settlements
Identify whether the following statements are true or false :
Q1(D)(2) $Man is not a social animal.$
Factors Affecting Human Settlements
Give geographical reasons (Any FOUR) :
Q2(3) $The suburbs near main cities are rapidly developing.$
Rural-Urban Fringe and Suburbs
Distinguish between (Any THREE) :
Q3(1) $Triangular settlement and Circular settlement.$
Patterns of Settlements
Mark and name the following on the outline map of the world with suitable index (Any SIX) :
Q4(A)(2) $Mega city on the western coast of India.$
Types of Urban Settlements and Their Functions

March 2024

4 q

Write True or False :
Q1(B)(1) $Land use patterns in rural areas are different from urban area.$
Rural Land Use
Differentiate between (Any THREE) :
Q3(2) $Nucleated and Dispersed settlement.$
Types of Settlements
Write short notes on the following (Any THREE) :
Q5(1) $Functional classification of urban settlement$
Types of Urban Settlements and Their Functions
Draw neat, labelled diagrams (Any TWO) :
Q6(B)(2) $Linear pattern.$
Patterns of Settlements

The 10 board questions to practise first

The questions and kinds of question the board asked most often come first. Each one says how often and when.

Question 1
This type asked 4 times: Jun 2024, Mar 2025, Jun 2025, Jun 2026. This one: Jun 2026 See all 4 of this type
Mark and name the following on the outline map of the world with suitable index (Any SIX) :
Q4(A)(3) $Commercial City in the USA.$
Question 2
This type asked 4 times: Mar 2024, Mar 2025, Jun 2025, Mar 2026. This one: Mar 2026 See all 4 of this type
Draw neat, labelled diagrams (Any TWO) :
Q6(B)(1) $Linear Settlement$
Question 3
This type asked 3 times: Mar 2024, Jun 2024, Jun 2026. This one: Jun 2026 See all 3 of this type
Differentiate between (Any THREE) :
Q3(2) $Rural settlement and Urban settlement$
Question 4
Asked 2 times: Jun 2025*, Jun 2026 (* = numbers or wording changed that year) See all 2 times it was asked
Do as directed :
Q1(C)(2) $According to size, arrange the settlements from large to small. (a) Suburb (b) Megacity (c) City (d) Metro-city$
Question 5
Asked once: Jun 2025 (same type asked 4 times) See all 4 of this type
Mark and name the following on the outline map of the world with suitable index (Any SIX) :
Q4(A)(4) $Administrative City : Moscow$
Question 6
Asked once: Jun 2025 (same type asked 4 times) See all 4 of this type
Draw neat, labelled diagrams (Any TWO) :
Q6(B)(1) $Triangular pattern of settlement.$
Question 7
Asked once: Jun 2024 (same type asked 3 times) See all 3 of this type
Distinguish between (Any THREE) :
Q3(1) $Triangular settlement and Circular settlement.$
Question 8
Asked once: Mar 2025 (same type asked 4 times) See all 4 of this type
Mark and name the following on the outline map of the world with suitable index (Any SIX) :
Q4(A)(3) $Major administrative city in Maharashtra.$
Question 9
Asked once: Mar 2025 (same type asked 4 times) See all 4 of this type
Draw neat, labelled diagrams ( Any TWO) :
Q6(B)(2) $Circular Settlement$
Question 10
Asked once: Mar 2024 (same type asked 3 times) See all 3 of this type
Differentiate between (Any THREE) :
Q3(2) $Nucleated and Dispersed settlement.$

Quick revision

6 most-asked questions · 14 key points · 7 derivations · 5 diagrams

Checked against Balbharati Geography Std XII (Maharashtra State Board), Chapter 3.

Most asked in board papers

1
Functional classification of cities: administrative and other cities, why cities grow multi-functional
Asked 3 times: 2026, 2025, 2024
2
Land use in rural and urban areas, mixed land use, land use and land cover
Asked 3 times: 2026, 2025, 2024
3
Urban growth: settlements by size, megacity, suburbs, rural-urban fringe, urban problems
Asked 3 times: 2026, 2025, 2024
4
Patterns of settlement: linear, triangular, circular
Asked 3 times: 2026, 2025, 2024
5
Types of settlement: nucleated and dispersed, rural and urban
Asked 2 times: 2026, 2024
6
What a settlement is, and the factors (physical) that affect it
Asked 3 times: 2026, 2025, 2024

Must-know points

Settlement: Man being a social animal likes to live in groups. Due to social needs, many people come together at a place and construct houses in a particular way: a settlement. It may range from one house to a city.
Factors affecting settlements: Physical, cultural and economic factors. Physical factors (relief, altitude, soils, climate, drainage, groundwater level) influence the type and spacing of settlements: in dry regions houses stand along the water source. Security concerns favoured nucleated settlements.
Types by spacing between houses: Four types: (1) compact, clustered or nucleated; (2) semi-clustered or fragmented; (3) dispersed; (4) isolated.
Type and pattern: Type is a category with common features; pattern is the spatial arrangement of settlements within an area. Compact is a type; linear is a pattern (a linear settlement can be compact or dispersed).
Rural and urban settlements: Divided on the basis of their functions. Rural people are mainly in primary activities; urban settlements are generally compact, larger, and engaged in non-primary activities.
Functional classification of towns: By the dominant function: administrative, industrial, transport, commercial, mining, cantonment, educational, religious, tourism. A city does not carry out only one function: it takes on more as it grows, one of them the major one.
Size of settlements: Settlements range from a hamlet to metropolitan cities: hamlet, village, town, city, metropolitan city, megacity. As towns become cities and cities become metro cities, land use, structure and skyline change.
Land use: Different lands suit different uses. Human beings use land as a resource for economic activities, production, residence and recreation. In rural areas land use revolves around agriculture; in urban areas around residential and other economic activities.
Land use and land cover: Land cover is the physical surface covering the land: forest, water, ice, bare rock, sand. Land use is the use people put the land to. Land cover can be read from satellite imagery; land use cannot, from imagery alone.
Rural land use classes (Land Record Department): Forests; non-agricultural uses; barren and wastelands; permanent pastures; tree crops and groves; culturable wasteland (fallow over 5 years); current fallow (1 year or less); other fallow (1 to 5 years); net area sown.
Urban land use: Residential, industrial, institutional, recreational, transportation, commercial (clustered at the core in the CBD, Central Business District), plot layouts on the periphery (encroaching farmland) and mixed land use.
Mixed land use: An area where various land uses exist together: residential, commercial and industrial in an integrated manner, with houses, businesses, shops, schools, clinics and open spaces at one place.
Rural-urban fringe: The area between urban and rural areas, with characteristics of both. Not a separate zone but a transition that merges into both, with mixed rural and urban land use. Growth of the urban span is urban sprawl.
Suburbs: Well-established towns or small cities outside a metro city that grew because of it: Bhandup, Kalyan, Virar for Mumbai; Wakad, Hinjawadi for Pune.

Derivations

Try each one first, then open its outline.

Patterns of settlements and the factors behind them

Linear: along a road, railway, canal or river, in a straight line or the shape of the road or river.
Rectangular: parallel straight lines of houses; planned cities take this shape.
Radial: grows around a central object or centre, which drives the growth around it.
Circular: around a lake; houses closely spaced because of the water.
Triangular: at the confluence of two rivers or roads, or along a sea coast; grows on all three sides.
Patternless: population grows and houses are built haphazardly, as per convenience and space.

Differentiate between nucleated and dispersed settlement

Nucleated (compact, clustered): houses closely spaced together; in the past, security concerns favoured them.
Dispersed: houses widely spaced, scattered among fields; small and sparsely spaced.
Nucleated settlements are large and closely spaced; dispersed ones are small.

Differentiate between land use and land cover

Land cover: the physical surface covering the land (forest, water, ice, bare rock, sand).
Land use: the use people have put the land to (residential, recreational, agricultural).
One land can have both: land use recreational, land cover forest.
Land cover can be found from satellite images; land use cannot be found from them alone.

Give reasons: in rural settlements, land use is related to agriculture

Most rural people are engaged in primary activities, mainly agriculture.
So most rural land is net sown area, fallow, pasture, groves and forest, classified by the Land Record Department.
Non-agricultural uses (houses, roads, shops) take only a small share.

Give reasons: not all rural settlements change into urban settlements

A settlement becomes urban when most of its workers move to non-primary (secondary and tertiary) activities.
That needs location, transport, industries and services, which many villages lack.
So many villages remain agricultural, primary settlements.

Give reasons: rural-urban fringes have the characteristics of both

The fringe is the transition between urban and rural areas and merges into both.
Farmland may be converted to residential or industrial use while villages remain.
Daily commuters travel from the fringe to offices in the city centre, so land use is mixed.

Problems of urban settlements

Pressure on housing, water supply and transport; lack of housing leads to slums.
Farmland on the periphery turns into plot layouts; land prices rise.
Public facilities suffer; economic inequality and crime may increase.
Environmental problems: pollution and loss of open spaces.

Diagrams to practise

Linear settlement: label road, railway, river or canal · houses in a line along it
Radial settlement: label central object or centre · roads radiating outwards · houses along the roads
Circular settlement: label lake at the centre · houses closely spaced around it
Triangular settlement: label confluence of two rivers or roads · growth on all three sides
Compact and dispersed settlement: label compact: houses clustered close together · dispersed: houses scattered among fields · fields, roads and water source

Mistakes that cost marks

Calling a pattern a type

Compact, semi-clustered, dispersed and isolated are types (spacing of houses). Linear, rectangular, radial, circular, triangular are patterns (arrangement).

Mixing up radial and circular

Radial grows around a central object or centre, with roads radiating out. Circular grows around a lake, houses close because of the water.

Treating land use and land cover as the same

Land cover is what covers the surface (forest, water); land use is what people use it for. A park's land use is recreational, its land cover vegetation.

Wrong fallow periods

Current fallow: 1 year or less. Other fallow: more than 1 but less than 5 years. Culturable wasteland: uncultivated for more than 5 years.

Saying a city has one function

Cities carry out more than one function as they grow. So "cities can have only one function" is wrong, and "settlements cannot be classified by function" is wrong too.

Getting the size order wrong

Largest to smallest: megacity, metropolitan city, city, suburb. Reverse it when the question asks for ascending order.

Ebooks Tutor

Geography · Textbook solutions

Human Settlements and Land Use

Every textbook question in book order, plus the board's past questions. · 42 questions

Chapter activities

17 q

Try this / Make friends with maps! / Can you tell?

Practice · 17

Observe Fig. 3.1 and answer the following questions :
Act p00 F3.1(1) $Where are human settlements likely to develop : A, B, C, D or E? Why?$
Act p00 F3.1(2) $In the above figure in which place human settlement is not likely to develop and why?$
Act p00 F3.1(3) $Looking at the figure above, what factors do you think could contribute to the development of human settlements?$
Act p00 F3.1(4) $Can economic factors be important along with physical factors for the development of human settlements?$
Act p00 F3.1(5) $Do physical factors affect the economic activities of human settlements?$
Act p00 F3.1(6) $Make a list of factors which affect development of settlements in an area.$
Act p03 Recall $Can you differentiate between urban and rural settlements?$
Act p03 Think $Can a town have only one function? Why do the cities become multi-functional?$
Act p06 CYT $You know what is urban and what is rural. What will you call the area that lies between them?$

Colour	Land use / land cover class
Pale yellow	Agriculture
Olive green	Forest
Light pink (mauve)	Wasteland-Scrub
Blue	Waterbodies
Dark red	Built Up - Rural
Bright pink (magenta)	Built Up - Residential
Salmon	Built Up - Residential-Sparse
Navy blue	Built Up - Industrial
Purple	Built Up - Public/Semipublic
Dark green	Built Up - Recreation
Brown	Built Up - Mining/Quarry
Pale teal	Built Up - Open Space

Act p07 Ichal(1)

Enlist the colours used for showing land uses in the index.

Act p07 Ichal(2) $What do the blue and the black lines show?$
Act p07 Ichal(3) $What is the name of the river in the map?$
Act p07 Ichal(4) $Name any two villages shown on the map.$
Act p07 Ichal(5) $Which city is shown on the map?$
Act p07 Ichal(6) $Which periods do the maps belong to?$
Act p07 Ichal(7) $Which land covers have reduced? What are their colours?$
Act p07 Ichal(8) $Which land covers seem to have increased?$

Exercise

25 q

Identify the correct correlation : A : Assertion; R : Reasoning
Ex Q1(1) $A : Settlements can be of various types. R : Various physical factors affect the growth of settlements.$
Tap an option to check your answer.
Ex Q1(2) $A : When cities grow, their functions also grow. R : Cities can have only one function.$
Tap an option to check your answer.
Give geographical reasons :
Ex Q2(1) $Not all rural settlements change into urban settlements.$
Ex Q2(2) $In rural settlements, land use is related to agriculture.$
Ex Q2(3) $Rural-urban fringes have the characteristics of both urban and rural settlements.$
Ex Q2(4) $Growth of urban areas is linked to land use.$
Write short notes on :
Ex Q3(1) $Interrelationship between rural and urban settlements.$
Ex Q3(2) $Problems of urban settlements.$
Ex Q3(3) $Suburbs.$
Ex Q3(4) $Mixed land use.$
Answer the following questions :
Ex Q4(1) $Explain the characteristics of rural settlements.$
Ex Q4(2) $What factors are responsible for development of various patterns in a settlement? Give examples.$
Differentiate between :
Ex Q5(1) $Land use and Land cover$
Ex Q5(2) $Barren and Non-agricultural land$
Ex Q5(3) $Radial pattern and Circular pattern$
Ex Q5(4) $Nucleated and Dispersed settlement$
Draw a neat and well-labelled diagram for :
Ex Q6(1) $Linear settlement$
Ex Q6(2) $Radial settlement$
Ex Q6(3) $Compact settlement$
Ex Q6(4) $Dispersed settlement$

Ex Q7

Write a note in your own words about how land use in Lonar city has evolved over time. Two Land Use Land Cover maps of Lonar city are given, one for 2005-06 and one for 2015-16, both at a scale of 1:30,000 and generated by the Maharashtra Remote Sensing Application Centre. Their legend is: Colour Land use / land cover class Pale yellow Agriculture Olive green Forest Light pink (mauve) Wasteland-Scrub Blue Waterbodies Dark red Built Up - Rural Bright pink (magenta) Built Up - Residential Salmon Built Up - Residential-Sparse Navy blue Built Up - Industrial Purple Built Up - Public/Semipublic Dark green Built Up - Recreation Brown Built Up - Mining/Quarry Pale teal Built Up - Open Space On the 2005-06 map the features named are Lonar Lake with its ring of forest, Lonar City, Lonar, Saraswati Village, Lonai Village and two Temples. On the 2015-16 map all of those still appear, and in addition Krishna Nagar, Central Public School, Civil & Criminal Court, Tehsil Office, Rural Hospital, Gov. Hostel and Gov. ITI are named. The bright pink residential area around Lonar City is larger, and a band of residential and sparse-residential land now extends south-east past Lonai Village towards Krishna Nagar over ground that was Wasteland-Scrub in 2005-06.

Read the given passage and answer the questions that follow : Different types of human settlements include hamlets, villages, small towns, large towns, isolated places, cities and conurbations. In some systems, types of human settlements are broken up into urban, suburban and rural; for example, the U.S. Census Bureau divides settlements into urban or rural categories based on precise definitions. Small settlements, such as hamlets and villages, have low populations and restricted access to services. Larger types of settlements, such as cities, have higher populations, higher densities and greater access to services. For example, a village may have only one or two general stores, while a large metropolis may have many specialized stores and chain stores. These differences are known as low-order service settlements and high-order service settlements. Larger settlements also have a sphere of influence affecting surrounding settlements. Settlements may also be divided by the site chosen, such as sites selected based on resources, trading points, defensive sites, shelter and relationship to water resources. The functions of human settlements also differ, as settlements may be established as ports, market towns and resorts. Types of rural settlements may also be classified by function, such as proximity to farming, fishing and mining. Settlements that focus on one economic activity are called single functional settlements. Human settlements may be permanent or temporary. For example, a refugee camp is a temporary settlement, while a city is a permanent settlement.
Ex Q8(1) $Which human settlements are mentioned in the passage above?$
Ex Q8(2) $On what basis are urban and rural areas classified?$
Ex Q8(3) $What are the functions carried out in rural settlements?$
Ex Q8(4) $Explain the difference between low-order service and high-order service settlements.$

What the board has asked from this chapter

Questions per paper · 3 papers · 2024 to 2026

June 2026

7 q

Complete the chain according to the co-relation of factors in column 'A', 'B' and 'C' :

S.No.	'A'	'B'	'C'
(1)	Migration	(a) Meat Processing	(h) Cottage Industry
(2)	Urban problem	(b) Communication	(i) Milk processing
(3)	Pastoral based industries	(c) Pulp processing	(j) Transportation
(4)	Tertiary economic activity	(d) Increase in slums	(k) Climatology
(5)	Physical Geography	(e) Geomorphology	(l) Forced
		(f) Voluntary	(m) Crime

Q1(A)(2)

Urban problem

Urban Land Use

Choose the correct option by identifying the correct co-relation between Assertion and Reason. A : Assertion R : Reason
Q1(B)(2) $A : Settlements are of various types. R : Various physical factors affect the development of settlements.$
Tap an option to check your answer.
Factors Affecting Human Settlements
Do as directed :
Q1(C)(2) $According to size, arrange the settlements from large to small. (a) Suburb (b) Megacity (c) City (d) Metro-city$
Types of Urban Settlements and Their Functions
State whether the following statements are True or False :
Q1(D)(2) $Settlements can not be classified according to functions.$
Types of Urban Settlements and Their Functions
Give geographical reasons (Any FOUR) :
Q2(2) $In rural settlements, land use is related to agriculture.$
Rural Land Use
Differentiate between (Any THREE) :
Q3(2) $Rural settlement and Urban settlement$
Types of Settlements
Mark and name the following on the outline map of the world with suitable index (Any SIX) :
Q4(A)(3) $Commercial City in the USA.$
Types of Urban Settlements and Their Functions

March 2026

8 q

Complete the chain according to the co-relation of factors in column 'A', 'B' and 'C' :

No.	'A'	'B'	'C'
(1)	Making maps	(a) Delhi	(l) Niger
(2)	Administrative cities	(b) Pampas	(m) Small-Scale Industry
(3)	Grass-Land Region	(c) Observation	(n) Skills of Geographer
(4)	Toys	(d) Bangladesh	(o) New York
(5)	Population Explosion	(e) Paper Industry	(p) Argentina

Q1(A)(2)

Administrative cities

Types of Urban Settlements and Their Functions

Write True or False :
Q1(D)(3) $The area between urban and rural area is called urban-rural fringe.$
Rural-Urban Fringe and Suburbs
Give geographical reasons (Any FOUR) :
Q2(5) $Not all rural settlements change into urban settlements.$
Types of Urban Settlements and Their Functions
Read the following passage and answer the questions given below : More than 3,500 years back, the city of Knossos on the island of Crete was the main centre town of the Minuan civilization. By 500 BC, Greece had become one of the most highly urbanized areas on the Earth. The Greeks established over 500 cities and small towns on the main lands as well as on the islands. Athens and Sparta were the leading cities of Greece. Athens may have been the largest city in the world at the time, with an estimated 2,50,000 inhabitants. The Greek cities were the centres of religion and power but also served as economic nodes. Cities were the main market places and bases from which wealthy merchants, land and livestock owners and traders operated. As educational centres, residents of cities included teachers and philosophers. They also had handicrafts industries that attracted the best crafts people and investors. In all of these roles, ancient cities were the anchors of cultural society; the focal points of power, authority and change.
Q6(A)(1) $Which was the largest city in the world during Greek period?$
Types of Urban Settlements and Their Functions
Q6(A)(2) $State the role of Greek cities.$
Types of Urban Settlements and Their Functions
Q6(A)(3) $What was the estimated population of Athens city?$
Types of Urban Settlements and Their Functions
Q6(A)(4) $Which amenities and services were available in ancient Greek cities?$
Types of Urban Settlements and Their Functions
Draw neat, labelled diagrams (Any TWO) :
Q6(B)(1) $Linear Settlement$
Patterns of Settlements

June 2025

7 q

Complete the chain according to the co-relation of factors in coloumn 'A', 'B' and 'C' :

No.	'A'	'B'	'C'
(1)	Ice covered region	(a) Capital of the country	(l) Harmful farming
(2)	Administrative city	(b) Artificial satellite	(m) Sparsely populated
(3)	Shifting agriculture	(c) Use of manpower	(n) Communication
(4)	Cottage industry	(d) Polar region	(o) Weavers
(5)	Global Positioning System (GPS)	(e) Small size of farm	(p) Tokyo

Q1(A)(2)

Administrative city

Types of Urban Settlements and Their Functions

Choose the correct option and complete the sentences.
Q1(B)(2) $Land use in Rural Area :$
Tap an option to check your answer.
Rural Land Use
True or False :
Q1(C)(5) $Location of human settlement is not affected by physical factors.$
Factors Affecting Human Settlements
Do as directed :
Q1(D)(3) $Arrange the following settlements according to the population in ascending order : (a) Metropolitan city (b) Suburb (c) City (d) Megacity$
Types of Urban Settlements and Their Functions
Mark and name the following on the outline map of the world with suitable index (Any SIX) :
Q4(A)(4) $Administrative City : Moscow$
Types of Urban Settlements and Their Functions
Write short notes on the following (Any THREE) :
Q5(1) $Land use in Rural area.$
Rural Land Use
Draw neat, labelled diagrams (Any TWO) :
Q6(B)(1) $Triangular pattern of settlement.$
Patterns of Settlements

March 2025

5 q

Identify the incorrect factor and write it :
Q1(D)(4) $Permanent Human Settlements are not found in Antarctica. (a) Very cool climate (b) Fertile soil (c) Frozen land (d) Long winter$
Factors Affecting Human Settlements
Differentiate between (Any THREE) :
Q3(1) $Land use and Land cover$
Rural Land Use
Mark and name the following on the outline map of the world with suitable index (Any SIX) :
Q4(A)(3) $Major administrative city in Maharashtra.$
Types of Urban Settlements and Their Functions
Write short notes on the following (Any THREE) :
Q5(2) $Mixed land use$
Urban Land Use
Draw neat, labelled diagrams ( Any TWO) :
Q6(B)(2) $Circular Settlement$
Patterns of Settlements

June 2024

7 q

Complete the chain according to the co-relation of factors in column 'A', 'B' and 'C' :

No.	'A'	'B'	'C'
(1)	Consumer goods	(a) Physical geography	(h) Commercial area
(2)	Geography	(b) International	(i) Climatology
(3)	Migration	(c) Industrial area	(j) Pharmaceuticals
(4)	Formal region	(d) Distinct boundaries	(k) India to Australia
(5)	Urban land use	(e) Ready for direct consumption	(l) State
		(f) Current fallow	(m) Automobiles

Q1(A)(5)

Urban land use

Urban Land Use

Choose the correct option by identifying the correct co-relation between the assertion and reason : (A : Assertion R : Reason)
Q1(B)(2) $A : When cities grow, their functions also grow. R : Cities have only one function.$
Tap an option to check your answer.
Types of Urban Settlements and Their Functions
Identify and write the incorrect factor :
Q1(C)(2) $Types of settlements on the basis of spacing between the houses _____. (a) Compact settlement (b) Dispersed settlement (c) Isolated settlement (d) Regional settlement$
Types of Settlements
Identify whether the following statements are true or false :
Q1(D)(2) $Man is not a social animal.$
Factors Affecting Human Settlements
Give geographical reasons (Any FOUR) :
Q2(3) $The suburbs near main cities are rapidly developing.$
Rural-Urban Fringe and Suburbs
Distinguish between (Any THREE) :
Q3(1) $Triangular settlement and Circular settlement.$
Patterns of Settlements
Mark and name the following on the outline map of the world with suitable index (Any SIX) :
Q4(A)(2) $Mega city on the western coast of India.$
Types of Urban Settlements and Their Functions

March 2024

4 q

Write True or False :
Q1(B)(1) $Land use patterns in rural areas are different from urban area.$
Rural Land Use
Differentiate between (Any THREE) :
Q3(2) $Nucleated and Dispersed settlement.$
Types of Settlements
Write short notes on the following (Any THREE) :
Q5(1) $Functional classification of urban settlement$
Types of Urban Settlements and Their Functions
Draw neat, labelled diagrams (Any TWO) :
Q6(B)(2) $Linear pattern.$
Patterns of Settlements

The 10 board questions to practise first

The questions and kinds of question the board asked most often come first. Each one says how often and when.

Question 1
This type asked 4 times: Jun 2024, Mar 2025, Jun 2025, Jun 2026. This one: Jun 2026 See all 4 of this type
Mark and name the following on the outline map of the world with suitable index (Any SIX) :
Q4(A)(3) $Commercial City in the USA.$
Question 2
This type asked 4 times: Mar 2024, Mar 2025, Jun 2025, Mar 2026. This one: Mar 2026 See all 4 of this type
Draw neat, labelled diagrams (Any TWO) :
Q6(B)(1) $Linear Settlement$
Question 3
This type asked 3 times: Mar 2024, Jun 2024, Jun 2026. This one: Jun 2026 See all 3 of this type
Differentiate between (Any THREE) :
Q3(2) $Rural settlement and Urban settlement$
Question 4
Asked 2 times: Jun 2025*, Jun 2026 (* = numbers or wording changed that year) See all 2 times it was asked
Do as directed :
Q1(C)(2) $According to size, arrange the settlements from large to small. (a) Suburb (b) Megacity (c) City (d) Metro-city$
Question 5
Asked once: Jun 2025 (same type asked 4 times) See all 4 of this type
Mark and name the following on the outline map of the world with suitable index (Any SIX) :
Q4(A)(4) $Administrative City : Moscow$
Question 6
Asked once: Jun 2025 (same type asked 4 times) See all 4 of this type
Draw neat, labelled diagrams (Any TWO) :
Q6(B)(1) $Triangular pattern of settlement.$
Question 7
Asked once: Jun 2024 (same type asked 3 times) See all 3 of this type
Distinguish between (Any THREE) :
Q3(1) $Triangular settlement and Circular settlement.$
Question 8
Asked once: Mar 2025 (same type asked 4 times) See all 4 of this type
Mark and name the following on the outline map of the world with suitable index (Any SIX) :
Q4(A)(3) $Major administrative city in Maharashtra.$
Question 9
Asked once: Mar 2025 (same type asked 4 times) See all 4 of this type
Draw neat, labelled diagrams ( Any TWO) :
Q6(B)(2) $Circular Settlement$
Question 10
Asked once: Mar 2024 (same type asked 3 times) See all 3 of this type
Differentiate between (Any THREE) :
Q3(2) $Nucleated and Dispersed settlement.$

Quick revision

6 most-asked questions · 14 key points · 7 derivations · 5 diagrams

Checked against Balbharati Geography Std XII (Maharashtra State Board), Chapter 3.

Most asked in board papers

1
Functional classification of cities: administrative and other cities, why cities grow multi-functional
Asked 3 times: 2026, 2025, 2024
2
Land use in rural and urban areas, mixed land use, land use and land cover
Asked 3 times: 2026, 2025, 2024
3
Urban growth: settlements by size, megacity, suburbs, rural-urban fringe, urban problems
Asked 3 times: 2026, 2025, 2024
4
Patterns of settlement: linear, triangular, circular
Asked 3 times: 2026, 2025, 2024
5
Types of settlement: nucleated and dispersed, rural and urban
Asked 2 times: 2026, 2024
6
What a settlement is, and the factors (physical) that affect it
Asked 3 times: 2026, 2025, 2024

Must-know points

Settlement: Man being a social animal likes to live in groups. Due to social needs, many people come together at a place and construct houses in a particular way: a settlement. It may range from one house to a city.
Factors affecting settlements: Physical, cultural and economic factors. Physical factors (relief, altitude, soils, climate, drainage, groundwater level) influence the type and spacing of settlements: in dry regions houses stand along the water source. Security concerns favoured nucleated settlements.
Types by spacing between houses: Four types: (1) compact, clustered or nucleated; (2) semi-clustered or fragmented; (3) dispersed; (4) isolated.
Type and pattern: Type is a category with common features; pattern is the spatial arrangement of settlements within an area. Compact is a type; linear is a pattern (a linear settlement can be compact or dispersed).
Rural and urban settlements: Divided on the basis of their functions. Rural people are mainly in primary activities; urban settlements are generally compact, larger, and engaged in non-primary activities.
Functional classification of towns: By the dominant function: administrative, industrial, transport, commercial, mining, cantonment, educational, religious, tourism. A city does not carry out only one function: it takes on more as it grows, one of them the major one.
Size of settlements: Settlements range from a hamlet to metropolitan cities: hamlet, village, town, city, metropolitan city, megacity. As towns become cities and cities become metro cities, land use, structure and skyline change.
Land use: Different lands suit different uses. Human beings use land as a resource for economic activities, production, residence and recreation. In rural areas land use revolves around agriculture; in urban areas around residential and other economic activities.
Land use and land cover: Land cover is the physical surface covering the land: forest, water, ice, bare rock, sand. Land use is the use people put the land to. Land cover can be read from satellite imagery; land use cannot, from imagery alone.
Rural land use classes (Land Record Department): Forests; non-agricultural uses; barren and wastelands; permanent pastures; tree crops and groves; culturable wasteland (fallow over 5 years); current fallow (1 year or less); other fallow (1 to 5 years); net area sown.
Urban land use: Residential, industrial, institutional, recreational, transportation, commercial (clustered at the core in the CBD, Central Business District), plot layouts on the periphery (encroaching farmland) and mixed land use.
Mixed land use: An area where various land uses exist together: residential, commercial and industrial in an integrated manner, with houses, businesses, shops, schools, clinics and open spaces at one place.
Rural-urban fringe: The area between urban and rural areas, with characteristics of both. Not a separate zone but a transition that merges into both, with mixed rural and urban land use. Growth of the urban span is urban sprawl.
Suburbs: Well-established towns or small cities outside a metro city that grew because of it: Bhandup, Kalyan, Virar for Mumbai; Wakad, Hinjawadi for Pune.

Derivations

Try each one first, then open its outline.

Patterns of settlements and the factors behind them

Linear: along a road, railway, canal or river, in a straight line or the shape of the road or river.
Rectangular: parallel straight lines of houses; planned cities take this shape.
Radial: grows around a central object or centre, which drives the growth around it.
Circular: around a lake; houses closely spaced because of the water.
Triangular: at the confluence of two rivers or roads, or along a sea coast; grows on all three sides.
Patternless: population grows and houses are built haphazardly, as per convenience and space.

Differentiate between nucleated and dispersed settlement

Nucleated (compact, clustered): houses closely spaced together; in the past, security concerns favoured them.
Dispersed: houses widely spaced, scattered among fields; small and sparsely spaced.
Nucleated settlements are large and closely spaced; dispersed ones are small.

Differentiate between land use and land cover

Land cover: the physical surface covering the land (forest, water, ice, bare rock, sand).
Land use: the use people have put the land to (residential, recreational, agricultural).
One land can have both: land use recreational, land cover forest.
Land cover can be found from satellite images; land use cannot be found from them alone.

Give reasons: in rural settlements, land use is related to agriculture

Most rural people are engaged in primary activities, mainly agriculture.
So most rural land is net sown area, fallow, pasture, groves and forest, classified by the Land Record Department.
Non-agricultural uses (houses, roads, shops) take only a small share.

Give reasons: not all rural settlements change into urban settlements

A settlement becomes urban when most of its workers move to non-primary (secondary and tertiary) activities.
That needs location, transport, industries and services, which many villages lack.
So many villages remain agricultural, primary settlements.

Give reasons: rural-urban fringes have the characteristics of both

The fringe is the transition between urban and rural areas and merges into both.
Farmland may be converted to residential or industrial use while villages remain.
Daily commuters travel from the fringe to offices in the city centre, so land use is mixed.

Problems of urban settlements

Pressure on housing, water supply and transport; lack of housing leads to slums.
Farmland on the periphery turns into plot layouts; land prices rise.
Public facilities suffer; economic inequality and crime may increase.
Environmental problems: pollution and loss of open spaces.

Diagrams to practise

Linear settlement: label road, railway, river or canal · houses in a line along it
Radial settlement: label central object or centre · roads radiating outwards · houses along the roads
Circular settlement: label lake at the centre · houses closely spaced around it
Triangular settlement: label confluence of two rivers or roads · growth on all three sides
Compact and dispersed settlement: label compact: houses clustered close together · dispersed: houses scattered among fields · fields, roads and water source

Mistakes that cost marks

Calling a pattern a type

Compact, semi-clustered, dispersed and isolated are types (spacing of houses). Linear, rectangular, radial, circular, triangular are patterns (arrangement).

Mixing up radial and circular

Radial grows around a central object or centre, with roads radiating out. Circular grows around a lake, houses close because of the water.

Treating land use and land cover as the same

Land cover is what covers the surface (forest, water); land use is what people use it for. A park's land use is recreational, its land cover vegetation.

Wrong fallow periods

Current fallow: 1 year or less. Other fallow: more than 1 but less than 5 years. Culturable wasteland: uncultivated for more than 5 years.

Saying a city has one function

Cities carry out more than one function as they grow. So "cities can have only one function" is wrong, and "settlements cannot be classified by function" is wrong too.

Getting the size order wrong

Largest to smallest: megacity, metropolitan city, city, suburb. Reverse it when the question asks for ascending order.

Chapter activities

Try this / Make friends with maps! / Can you tell?

Exercise

What the board has asked from this chapter

June 2026

March 2026

June 2025

March 2025

June 2024

March 2024

The 10 board questions to practise first

Question 1

Question 2

Question 3

Question 4

Question 5

Question 6

Question 7

Question 8

Question 9

Question 10

Most asked in board papers

Must-know points

Derivations

Diagrams to practise

Mistakes that cost marks

Chapter activities

Try this / Make friends with maps! / Can you tell?

Exercise

What the board has asked from this chapter

June 2026

March 2026

June 2025

March 2025

June 2024

March 2024

The 10 board questions to practise first

Question 1

Question 2

Question 3

Question 4

Question 5

Question 6

Question 7

Question 8

Question 9

Question 10

Most asked in board papers

Must-know points

Derivations

Diagrams to practise

Mistakes that cost marks