Geography [2 Mark Question Answer]

In this, people build permanent houses. With time, several such structure develop and form a settlement. The availability of water and land for cultivation are important reasons for such settlements growing. Other factors are communication lines such as roads and railways, police stations, post office, hospital, market, health center, etc.

Settlements are groups of houses, usually in villages or towns, where people live. The size of settlements depends on the availability of roads, railways, hospitals, police station, administrative buildings, etc. Settlements grow over a period of time. A settlement can be permanent or temporary.

A gap is a low lying depression or a valley which cuts through a range of hills It is often occupied by a river.

Passes are low valleys or opening lying between two peaks in a range of hills. A pass is indicated by a drop in height of contours.

A col is formed when land has been cut considerably between two streams in a watershed. A col can be identified by a drop in height of the contours.

A hill is of a lower elevation than a mountain. It has uniform steepness on all sides. The contour lines of a hill are evenly spaced in the form of concentric circles.

A plateau or a table land is an uplifted piece

In a steep slope, the contours are drawn close to one another while in a gentle slope they are wide apart.

Vehicles such as trucks, buses, cars, jeeps, and other modem means of transport move over metalled roads. There are also cart tracks, pack tracks and footpaths, which are unmetalled roads. Cart tracks and pack tracks connect small village settlements in rural areas.

Linear settlements are those settlements that develop in a line. Houses, shops, dhaba’s, petrol pumps and garages develop along the sides of the roads, railway lines or river banks. Gradually, these linear settlements grow in size. These settlements gradually develop into trading centres.

A saddle is a shallow depression at a high elevation between two peaks or ridges. The depression is formed by streams or by glaciers flowing close to each other. A saddle need not have a river or stream flowing through it.

A ridge is a long and narrow elevation that has steep slopes on either side and stands out from the surrounding lowlands. It also acts as a watershed to rivers that flow down narrow valleys on both of its sides. A ridge could also have several peaks of various elevations.

A contour line is an imaginary line on a map connecting points at the same height above sea level.