7.7 Settlement Type and Pattern

7.
7 settlement type and pattern

 Settlement are places where people have come to live in common where people carry out
varieties of activity such as agriculture, manufacturing, commerce …
 Settlement type mainly developed by the response of some physical and human factors
7.7.1 types of settlement

Based on dominant economic activity ,population density and availability of socio-economic and
infrastructural facility settlement can be rural or urban. urban centers have non-agricultural activities
as dominant , while the rural center have agriculture based activity.
 Rural settlement
 The majority of Ethiopian population lives in rural settlement consisting of
hamlets and villages
 It involves activities like farming ,minning,forestry, pastoralism etc.
 It can be temporary and permanent depending on frequent change in the site
of settlements
 Temoorary /mobile /settlement
The low land in most part of the rift valley are being genraly hot and dry characterized by pastorial
herding and mobile settlement . settlements are mobile because pastorialists have always been
searching for new site for water and pastor for livr stock
The major problem of mobile settlement are providing social service like water , hospital ,school etc
 Permanent settlement
Settlements are considered as permanent if there are no frequent changes in their locations.
Mostly permanent settlements are involved in rural high land areas where crop cultivation are
participated
It can be scattered (dispersed ) in which home steeds are separated by relatively long distance and can
be grouped settlement which is characterized by large concentration of home steed and house hold at
one place.
 7.7.2 Urban settlement and urbanization in Ethiopia

urbanization refers to the increase in the percentage of the population living in urban center.
The process of becoming urban, changing from agriculture to other pursuit of life are indicates of
urbanization.
Urbanization is crucial to sustain the pace of economic development and improve the qualities of life
for both urban and rural population in which the linkage between urban and rural foster agro
industrial development, However unemployment, housing shortage, infrastructural and service
shortage become communal unless urbanization is not managed properly.
The major criteria used to classify settlements as urban in Ethiopia are:

i. Minimum of 2,000 people;
ii. Two-thirds of the population engaged in non-agricultural activities;
iii. Chartered municipality;
iv. The presence of social services and amenities
The number of settlements meeting these criteria in 1984 was about 322. These settlements
had 10.23 percent of the total population of the country and this is one of the least urban
population sizes in the world. The number of settlements with greater than 2,000 people in
1994 had increased to 539. These have 12.8 percent of the country's population. In 2007, the
number further rose to 927. Today, the urban population is about 20 percent of the country‟s
population.
An over view of the history of urbanization in Ethiopia

Before the foundation of Addis Ababa as a capital city, the earliest capitals and other towns
did not have a permanent population exceeding 6000. These centers were not capable of
acting as centers of the rural hinterland in their years of existence. .

The only prominent urban centers were Axum, Lalibela and Gonder.
Modern urbanization in Ethiopia is associated with the establishment of Addis Ababa as a
capital by Emperor Menelik II in the late 19th century. Unlike earlier capitals, there had been
different factors that contributed to the growing and permanency of Addis Ababa as a capital
city that are indicated as follows.
 Introduction of the fast-growing Australian eucalyptus tree which satisfied the firewood
needs of the ever-growing urban population.
 Water supplies improved due to the introduction of wells and reservoirs.

 Introduction of modern schools, hospitals and health centres, hotels, cafes, bars,
bakeries,
butcher‟s shops, cinema, post office, modern cathedrals, telephone and telegraph system,
bank, printing press etc.
 The construction of roads that radiate from Addis Ababa; and the arrival of the Franco
Ethiopian railway at Addis Ababa in 1917.
 The Italian occupation had also intensified the establishment of small-scale industries and
institutions, road construction thereby contributing to the growth of the city.
However today, Addis Ababa is not only the capital of Ethiopia; rather the diplomatic capital of
Africa.
Numerous embassies and consular representatives cluster in the mountainous city where the
Organization of African Unity, now the African Union, and the UN Economic Commission for
Africa have their headquarters. Addis Ababa is geographically at the very heart of Ethiopia which has
congenial climatic condition.
For the past several decades, the country has experienced a very low level of urban development,
despite its high rate of urbanization. Ethiopia is a least urbanized country even by African
standards. In the words of some writers, Ethiopia is regarded as a „vast urban desert‟. The
country‟s low level of urbanization can be attributed to
 The self-sufficiency of agriculture which reinforced rural peasant life;

 Low level of industrialization, low level structural transformation and economic development
 The morphology of the country that hindered transportation and communication
 The continual warfare for centuries between kingdoms in to which the country is divided; and the
frequent changes of the royal residence
 Lack of employment, and housing shortage in urban areas that discourage in migration;
 Political instability, ethnic conflict and social unrest during the late 1970s and 1980s;
Derives of and opportunities for more urbanization in Ethiopia

These days, urbanization is proceeding at a much faster rate in Ethiopia. The urban
population is growing at about 5% a year, primarily driven by migration to urban areas. The
proportion of the urban population of Ethiopia in 2015 (20%) is projected to mount to 37%
by 2035.Some of the conditions which have been contributing to expansion of urban areas
are (drivers of urbanization):
 The establishment of Addis Ababa as a centre of expansion, and its permanency
thereof.
 The construction of the Ethio-Djibouti railway line along which many stations have
developed into important towns.
 The five-year Italian occupation which has contributed to road building, the
establishment of small-scale industries and service giving institutions.
 The integration of the provincial capitals and major administrative centres found in all
directions by all-weather roads radiating from Addis Ababa.
 Political decentralization and provision of administrative status of some urban
settlements
 Proximity to existing cities and main transportation corridors trigger new urban
development through agglomeration and metropolisation effects
 High Population density and growth rates in the populous highlands of Ethiopia
facilitate the emergence of towns
 Presence of new and large commercial farms, mining areas, and agro-industries such
as sugar factories; as well as mega projects like fertilizer factories, cement factories
that attract people
 Large infrastructure investments such as airports and highways, and dry ports that
attract investment and create jobs encourage urbanization
 Opening of Universities that support entrepreneurial activity and innovation in their
local economies
 Tourism assets and attractions such as parks, resort centres, and heritage cities and
sites contribute to urban expansion.
 Development of border towns with strengthened inter-country trade

7.7 Settlement Type and Pattern

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7.

7 settlement type and pattern

7.7.1 types of settlement

 7.7.2 Urban settlement and urbanization in Ethiopia

The major criteria used to classify settlements as urban in Ethiopia are:

An over view of the history of urbanization in Ethiopia

acting as centers of the rural hinterland in their years of existence. .

Modern urbanization in Ethiopia is associated with the establishment of Addis Ababa as a

city that are indicated as follows.

needs of the ever-growing urban population.

 Water supplies improved due to the introduction of wells and reservoirs.

bank, printing press etc.

Ethiopian railway at Addis Ababa in 1917.

institutions, road construction thereby contributing to the growth of the city.

country‟s low level of urbanization can be attributed to

 The self-sufficiency of agriculture which reinforced rural peasant life;

Derives of and opportunities for more urbanization in Ethiopia

 The establishment of Addis Ababa as a centre of expansion, and its permanency

developed into important towns.

establishment of small-scale industries and service giving institutions.

directions by all-weather roads radiating from Addis Ababa.

 Political decentralization and provision of administrative status of some urban

development through agglomeration and metropolisation effects

facilitate the emergence of towns

that attract people

sites contribute to urban expansion.

 Development of border towns with strengthened inter-country trade

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