Socio-spatial Analysis of Rural Settlement Types in Darjeeling District

Human Settlement means cluster of dwellings of any type or size where human beings live. For this purpose, people may erect houses and other structures and command some area or territory as their economic support-base. Thus, the process of settlement inherently involves grouping of people and apportioning of territory as their resource base. Settlements vary in size and type. Types of the settlement are determined by the extent of the built-up area and inter-house distance (NCERT). This can be determined by several quantitative techniques and applied methods of rural settlement Geography. As the Himalayas is the tallest, newest and most populated young fold mountain of the world. It always attracts researchers from various fields. Darjeeling is the hilly district of west Bengal (as of 2011 Census). The geographical aspects of the districts attracts the researchers to study over the several components. This paper aims to find out the types of rural settlement in Darjeeling district after Bernhard’s method 1931, analyze the social attributes of settlement classification, identification of primary economic function and the concentration of rural settlements in Darjeeling district.