Settlement Hierarchy

What is Settlement Hierarchy?

Within Geography, which covers maps, landforms, weather, climate, population and settlements: understand how our planet and people connect, this topic explains Settlement Hierarchy. Geography explains how places, people and natural processes connect, so each topic here combines a clear definition with a visual model.

Check that you can explain Settlement Hierarchy in your own words and give one example from everyday life. If you can do that, you have understood the core idea.

Understanding Settlement Hierarchy helps you explain patterns on maps and in the news, and make reasoned decisions about places and environments.

Settlement Hierarchy in detail

A settlement hierarchy ranks settlements by size and the services they provide. At the base are many small hamlets and villages with few services, and at the top are a few large cities with many specialised services. Higher-order services, such as hospitals and universities, have a high threshold population and are found in larger places, whereas lower-order services, such as a corner shop, are everywhere.

The range is the distance people will travel for a service. Central place theory explains the pattern, and the sphere of influence is the area served by a settlement. The hierarchy shows the connections between places and helps planning.

How the interactive helps you understand Settlement Hierarchy

Watch the bar chart in the interactive. Use any sliders or buttons it offers to change the values and see how the bar chart responds.

Before you change anything, predict the result. Then change one value at a time and check whether your prediction was right. This is a quick way to build a correct mental model of Settlement Hierarchy.

Real-life uses and examples

• Explain how Settlement Hierarchy affects people, jobs and land use in a region.
• Support an answer about Settlement Hierarchy with a named case study and specific evidence.
• Interpret a graph or map that shows Settlement Hierarchy and say what it suggests.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Mixing up cause, effect and consequence when you explain Settlement Hierarchy.
• Writing general statements without a named place or example.
• Learning the definition without testing it. Use the quiz and the interactive to check that you can apply the idea.