What is a settlement?
A settlement is a place where people can live and work.
Settlements can vary in size. This depends on how many people live there and what services and facilities are provided.
Watch: Learn about different places to live in the UK
Discover more about living in the UK.
Charlie: Where would you like to live when you’re older?
My name’s Charlie, and I’ve always liked the idea of living in Holywood.
And here I am!
Not Hollywood in the USA, but Holywood in Northern Ireland, because today I’m investigating different places to live in the UK.
People often talk about finding somewhere to “settle down”, and places where houses have been built are called “settlements”. Different kinds of settlements have different names, depending on how big they are.
A hamlet is a tiny settlement, with only a few houses in a group, and no shops.
A village has more houses, a few shops, maybe a pub, a church - even a school. There might be bus or two that comes through the village, but only a few times a day.
A town like Holywood is much bigger. It has a lot of houses and shops, schools, cinemas, factories and offices, a regular bus service and a railway station.
Cities like Belfast are the biggest settlements. They have everything a town has, along with a university, maybe a sports stadium or a cathedral, a theatre - almost everything you could want.
People come to live in Holywood because it isn’t far from Belfast, but it’s also by the sea! So people can visit Belfast during the day, then get on a train and come home to Holywood.
Towns and cities are called “urban” areas… and the areas around them are called “suburban”. So Holywood is a suburban town of Belfast, and people here, “live in the suburbs”.
Further away from the urban and suburban areas you get “rural” areas - the countryside! And it’s here that you find villages and hamlets.
There aren’t so many jobs in rural areas, which is why they have smaller settlements. There are fewer shops, no cinemas, and maybe only one bus a day. But there’s more space and cleaner air.
So there are advantages and disadvantages, whether you live in a big town or a small village.
What sort of settlement do you live in? And are you in an urban, suburban or rural area?
If I could choose, I think I’d come and live in the suburbs - in Holywood!
This Holywood.
Types of settlements in the UK
Have a look at the following settlements below:
Image caption, Isolated house or farm
An area with one or two houses located away from other settlements.
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Smaller islands in the UK
The UK is also known as the British Isles.
As well as its two main islands, Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the UK also contains many smaller islands as well.
Take a look at the smaller islands that are in the UK.
Living on an island
Life on a smaller island is very different to living on the mainland.
Here are a few examples why:
Jobs
There are more jobs focused on tourism, as islands are seen as a great holiday destination for tourists.
Transport
Public transport is not as developed and the services are not as frequent in comparison to big cities such as London.
Flood risk
As islands are much smaller, homes and businesses are a lot closer to the coast. This means they are more at risk of flooding than living in the centre of England, for example.
Activities
Quiz: Living in the UK
Order it: Different settlements
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