Site of settlement
Also called: Settlement site · Topic: Human Settlements and Urbanisation in India · NCERT: Class 11, Ch 5 "Topographical Maps"
Meaning
The site of a settlement is the actual ground it stands on. Early settlers chose sites for five main things: water, food, relief (the shape of the land), work and defence. A wet-point site is next to a river or spring, where water is easy to get. A dry-point site is on a levee (a raised river bank) or other high ground in a flood plain, where floods cannot reach. Other sites are hilltops that are easy to defend, and gaps, fords (shallow river crossings) and crossroads that are good for trade. On a topographical map, you can study sites by comparing where settlements are with the contours and rivers.
Example
Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh sits on high ground on the left bank of the Ganga. It is close to the river's water but safe from most floods.
Don't confuse with
- Situation: site is the ground under the settlement. Situation is where the place sits in relation to the areas and routes around it.