Site and Situation - GeoGeo World

Exploring Malta (2)
Miss Clara
Site and Situation
The characteristics of the point where the settlement is
located. These characteristics were the reason why the
Settlement Site
people in the early days chose this site to settle down and
live there.
This refers to the location of
a settlement relative to its
surroundings. E.g. if there
Settlement Situation
are any other settlements
close by, or a river for
transportation.
Especially where climate was very dry, it was better for
Wet-point site
people to locate close to rivers and springs for a constant
supply of water.
Especially where the climate is very wet, areas close to the
river were avoided because they were very prone to
Dry-point site
flooding, and this was very dangerous. Therefore people
settled on dry land further away from rivers.
Page | 1
Exploring Malta (2)
Miss Clara
In the early ages, wood and stone were used for buildings.
Remember that transport was not yet developed, so they
Building material
had to settle down close to these materials because they
would be very heavy to carry a long way.
In the old times, people used to defend themselves against
Defence
other tribes and enemies, so they based their location on hill
tops to prevent attacks.
Since electricity was not yet developed,
it was very important for people to settle
Fuel supply
down close to wood supplies for cooking
and heating.
Early settlers needed fertile land to grow crops and rear
Food supply
animals.
Settlements were built where they could shelter from very
strong winds that could harm their buildings and fields. At
the same time, it was important that they got enough
Shelter and aspect
sunlight, both because they did not have light, so they had
to make use of the natural light, as well as for the growth of
crops.
Page | 2
Exploring Malta (2)
Miss Clara
Settlement Patterns
Due to human and physical characteristics of the area, the shape
Settlement patterns
of the settlement varies. These are called settlement patterns
In this type of settlement there are a few scattered houses that
are not built close to each other. Usually these are isolated
Dispersed Settlement
farmhouses that have large areas of farmland for agriculture and
rearing of animals. An example of these are at Pwales valley in
Malta
This type of settlement is clustered around a central point, such
Nucleated Settlement as a church. In Malta, we find many settlements that are
nucleated such as Rabat, Mosta and Dingli
In this type of settlement, we find buildings built along a route
Linear Settlement
way such as a road, or a river. In Malta we may find these in
Ħamrun, Floriana, Santa Venera and Fgura
Page | 3