Theory question 102
Settlement(a) Outline four ways in which urban settlements differ from one another. (b) Outline three factors that have contributed to the high population density in Japan. (c) State three problems resulting from the high population density in Japan.
Show the model answer
(a) Site (physical location: coastal, hilltop, river); situation (relationship with surrounding areas); size (area and population); functions (administrative, industrial, commercial, port); plan and layout (grid, radial, irregular); age and history; level of services and infrastructure.
(b) Advanced industrialisation offering jobs; intensive agriculture (rice) on fertile alluvial plains; limited lowland (mountainous country) so people crowd on plains and coasts; good transport and communication; high standard of living and medical care (long life expectancy); availability of fish from surrounding seas; political stability.
(c) Overcrowding and housing shortage; traffic congestion; pressure on social amenities; high cost of land and food; pollution and environmental degradation; stress-related illness; shortage of farmland, leading to land reclamation.
Japan's plains are small, so people crowd onto them.