Settlements & Hierarchy - Sardinia

CIE iGCSE Geography Assessment

Nucleated Settlements – Dwellings that are bunched together around a specific point

Linear Settlements – Dwellings that are spread out in a line

Dispersed Settlements – Dwellings that are spread out with large areas of land between them

• Soil type/quality
• Water supply
• Natural threat
• Natural resources/raw materials
• Relief
• Accessibility

Hierarchy

• Settlements in an area can be put in order based on their size or the services they provide.
• Higher up the hierarchy the population size and number of services in the settlement increases.
• There are fewer large settlements

Sphere of Influence

• Settlements in an area depend on each other as people will use a variety of services found in different settlements.

The area served by a settlement is known as its sphere of influence.

• The size of this depends on the type and number of services offered by the settlement and the transport links to it.

RURAL SETTLEMENTS 

• Few services – low order services

Low order services – Oftenly used e.g. small general store selling convenience goods

URBAN SETTLEMENTS

• Greater number and variety of services: lower order & higher order services

High order services – Not needed so often e.g. comparison goods – furniture, clothing.        People are willing to travel further to buy them

Range – The distance people are prepared to travel to use a service

Threshold Population – A shop or service needs a minimum number of potential customers to make a profit.

• Services providing lower order goods/services require a lower threshold population
• Services providing higher order goods/services require a higher threshold population

Case Study: Sardinia

Location

• An Italian island in the Mediterranean Sea 
• Population: 1.7 million people
• Until recently:
  • Most of the population lived in inland areas
  • Economy was based on agriculture & mining of coal, lead and zinc
• However…
  • In the last 50 years tourist development has taken place in coastal areas

Function of Different Towns

Cagliari

• Capital city
• Main Commercial + Industrial centre 
• One of the largest fish markets – vast ray of fish for sale to the public and trade
• One of the biggest container terminals in the Mediterranean area

Carbonia

• Built to provide housing for the workforce of the nearby mines
• The name *Carbonia* comes from the Italian word for coal – an abundant resource in this region
• However, the mines closed in the 1970s causing high unemployment

Bosa

• Small Town
• Located on the West coast
• Traditionally agriculture and fishing played an important part on the economy
• Has one of the most beautiful yet popular beaches in Italy

An Important Port

• Olbia is a town of over 50,000 inhabitants in north-east Sardinia
• Main connection between Sardinia and the Italian mainland
  • Airport
  • Passenger port
  • Railway to Nuoro & Cagliari

7 Marks

Questions

1. Define “sphere of influence”.
2. Describe characteristics of a hierarchy.
3. Explain what “Olbia” is.
4. What is a “threshold population”.
5. Describe the characteristics of a rural settlement.
6. Describe the characteristics of an urban settlement

Answers

1. Define “sphere of influence”.

The area served by a settlement

2. Describe characteristics of a hierarchy.

Higher up the hierarchy the population size and number of services in the settlement increases.

3. Explain the importance of Olbia

It is the main connection between Sardinia and the Italian mainland: airport, passenger port

4. What is a “threshold population”?

A shop or service needs a minimum number of potential customers to make a profit.

5. Describe the characteristics of a rural settlement.

Few services – low order services

6. Describe the characteristics of an urban settlement

Greater number and variety of services: lower order & higher order services