Human settlements are ... Settlements: description, species and classification

According to the All-Russian Classifier of Territories of Municipal Formations (OCTM) in Russia there are more than 155 thousand different settlements. Settlements are separate administrative units, presupposing the settlement of people within the built-up area. An important condition for the designation of such a territory as a settlement is the permanence of residence on it, but not during the whole year, but in the seasonal period.

The problem of identification and comparison of settlements

For an uninitiated person, all settlements are divided into towns and villages. However, their classification is much more diverse. In the modern world it is difficult to independently understand all the subtleties of the distribution between the territories. The boundaries of cities as they expand, create new areas are blurred, absorbing the surrounding villages, agricultural land. What was yesterday a part of another region today is subject to new administrative centers.

However, the classification concerning the division of inhabited and equipped areas on the principle of "city / village" is most common not only in our country, but throughout the world. The complexity of the choice of criteria is determined by various factors, especially clearly it is traced in sparsely populated areas.

What is a city?

The city is much easier to define. Such settlements are the largest settlements of people within a single territory. In this city is considered a settlement, whose population is not engaged in agriculture and industries adjacent to it. Typically urban employment is industry, trade, science, culture. In addition, such administrative units have their own distinctive, highly individual traits.

What makes the city stand out makes it special?

Most often this is a large population density of people. On average, this number exceeds a few tens of thousands per one square kilometer. To provide all people with housing, it is necessary to create special housing, which is also typical for the city. Urban architecture in recent years has tended to find new opportunities to accommodate as much of the earth as possible the number of living quarters. Thus, cities grow not only in breadth, but also upwards.

Urban settlements - is also the concentration of cultural, political, legal life of the country or a particular region. Most often this is due to the fact that it is in the city is located administrative and economic node of a certain region. This contributes to the creation of a center that brings together the best specialists, technology, institutions and resources.

Is it good urbanization, as it seems at first glance?

Concentration of opportunities in one place leads to what the authorities are trying to fight, but, perhaps, so far unsuccessfully. This is a rapid decline in the number of people in rural areas. This happens for various reasons - a high mortality rate, while the birth rate is very low. The outflow of young people to cities also provokes a lack of work, a cultural environment, recreational facilities, a low standard of living and an absolutely destroyed infrastructure.

Differences of cities, their types by number of inhabitants

City of the city is different. The distance between settlements, belonging to cities, can be several tens and hundreds of kilometers. This uneven urbanization is especially clear in such a large country as Russia. And if about 80% of the population live in the North-West, Central regions in large settlements, then in Altai, Ingushetia, Kalmykia - no more than 40%.

The life of some of the townspeople revolves around the industrial zone, others are concentrated on administrative matters, there are so-called military towns. The main field of activity of such settlements is the maintenance of a military unit located in the immediate vicinity of the city. Such settlements are mostly closed-type settlements, residents are counted not on hundreds and tens, but on units.

However, the share of cities among the total number of settlements is not so high. In cities, about 75% of the total population of the country lives (this trend is spread all over the world), but their number in relation to the villages is several times less. For example, according to the state register, in Russia there are a little more than a thousand, at the same time the total number of villages and villages exceeds a hundred thousand.

Division of villages by species

Rural settlements are very difficult to classify. The settlement in different regions of the country took place in different ways. Historically, some areas due to proximity to trade routes, natural resources, industrial enterprises are more densely populated. The distance between the settlements in these regions is small. The districts are clearly divided, and each has its own structure, subordination to the center, administrative hierarchy.

In general, rural settlements can be divided into two main features - the number of people living and the employment of the population.

My village, you are proud!

The village is not always a small settlement for a dozen yards. Places in which there are functioning enterprises, developed agriculture, social infrastructure, can number up to 10 thousand people. Such villages are equipped with good roads, own educational, cultural, medical institutions, mail and trade outlets. Most often, this is an economically developed area, the settlement of which belongs to it and is not in an abandoned state, in the long run it can claim even greater consolidation.

Since in Russia the classification of settlements is not legally fixed depending on the number of people living in them, it happens that the villages can be larger than small towns.

Differences between village and village

The boundaries of the settlements that fall under the definition of "village" are very small. Most often they do not go beyond one or two dozen yards, and the total number of residents does not exceed several hundred. In such places the life of people is very unsettled. The nearest stores, paramedic points can be located at a distance of several kilometers. At the same time, in such settlements there are often no basic conditions for life - mobile communications, internet, gas, normal transport interchanges. The state is really trying to establish life in the most remote corners of the camp, but the main problem remains the outflow of young people, the able-bodied population from the villages. Thus, over the past few decades, according to the state register, 14 settlements have received the status of "former settlement" in connection with the absolute departure of residents.

What is a farm?

One of the smallest formations that fall under the status of separate villages is the farm. Most often this is a remote group of houses or even one yard. People in them have a plot of land, cattle. They can be engaged in forestry, water management, farming. Between larger settlements and a village, sometimes there may not be a long distance. They can be located through the forest, the river, united by one road, but still being different administrative units.

In addition, there are many other types of settlements that specialize in certain activities. For example, dacha cooperatives, resort towns, sanatoria, forestry, railway stations and even roadblocks.

There are also settlements, characteristic of some nationalities, reflecting the mentality and culture of the historical territory (aul, ulus, somon, kishlak).