Dispersed Mountain Settlements: An Evaluation of High Mountain of Settlement of Har ki Dun

Abstract

The dispersed habitat and scattered settlements are the most significant element of the mountainous landscape. As the landscape and ecological factors in the mountainous areas, restrict the concentration of population, dispersed settlements are basic adaptations to the mountainous landscape. The purpose of this paper is to provide a geographical account of the dispersed mountain settlements. Employing a case study, it attempts to map the geography of these scattered settlements. The analysis shows different arrangements of these scattered settlements in the high mountain region of Har ki Dun. The evaluation of the spatial distribution of settlement of Har ki Dun is a means to analyse the adaptations of the mountain inhabitants to their environment. In mountainous areas, the dispersed settlements are the product of land and land use diversity. The areas of scattered settlements are an expansion of sedentary life and extension of agriculture and animal husbandry over the diverse mountainous landscape. The scattered location of settlements exist due to less favourable topography, less suitable climatic conditions and restricted availability of soil for agricultural production. It is also a product of the attempts to use every available arable land and grassland. The end product of this extensification is the diversity or the richness of the (agri)cultural landscape and diversity of settlements. This study also presents the spatial distribution of these scattered settlements.