A dispersed settlement is one of the main types of settlement patterns used to classify rural settlements. Typically, in stark contrast to a nucleated settlement, dispersed settlements range from a scattered to an isolated pattern (Figure 12.6).

What causes dispersed settlement pattern?

If the landscape has few natural resources, a low population, infertile or poor soil, and bad weather conditions, then few towns will develop in the area and people will travel great distances to the nearest town. All of these factors contribute to a dispersed pattern.

What are the pattern of settlement?

Pattern of settlement is defined as the relationship between one house or building to another. It can be identified by reading and observing a local scale map. The patterns of settlement deals with compact and semi-compact only, as dispersed has its own shape.