This MCQ module is based on: Urban Settlements — Hierarchy, Mega Cities, Functions
TOPIC 5 OF 27
Urban Settlements — Hierarchy, Mega Cities, Functions
🎓 Class 12
Social Science
CBSE
Theory
Chapter 2 — Human Settlements
⏱ ~25 min
🌐 Language: [gtranslate]
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Urban Settlements in India: Classification and Town Types
NCERT India: People and Economy — Unit II, Chapter 2
What Counts as an Urban Settlement?
Unlike rural settlements, urban settlements are generally compact, larger in size and engaged in a wide variety of non-agricultural, economic and administrative functions. Cities are functionally linked to the rural areas around them; the exchange of goods and services takes place sometimes directly and sometimes through a chain of market towns. Through this linkage, cities are connected directly to villages and indirectly to one another.
Census Definition (1991)
The Census of India defines an urban settlement as “all places which have a municipality, corporation, cantonment board or notified town area committee and have a minimum population of 5,000 persons, at least 75 per cent of male workers engaged in non-agricultural pursuits, and a density of at least 400 persons per square kilometre.”
Three things, then, decide whether a settlement is urban: a statutory status (governed by an urban local body), a population threshold (5,000 persons), an occupational profile (mostly non-agricultural) and a density floor (400 persons/sq km). All four conditions must be met together.
Evolution of Towns in India
Towns in India are not new. They have flourished since prehistoric times. Even at the time of the Indus Valley Civilisation, towns like Harappa? and Mohanjodaro were already in existence. The following period witnessed the evolution of towns — with periodic ups and downs — until the arrival of Europeans in the eighteenth century. On the basis of their evolution in different periods, Indian towns may be classified as Ancient towns, Medieval towns and Modern towns.
Fig 2.4 — Evolution of Indian Towns Through the Ages
c. 2500 BCE — Indus Valley
Mohenjodaro, Harappa, Lothal — planned cities with grids, drains, granaries.
Ancient (over 2,000 years)
Religious-cultural centres — Varanasi, Prayag (Prayagraj), Pataliputra (Patna), Madurai.
Medieval (~100 surviving towns)
Headquarters of principalities and kingdoms — fort towns built on the ruins of older sites: Delhi, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Lucknow, Agra, Nagpur.
Colonial / European (16th–19th c.)
Trading ports first — Surat, Daman, Goa, Pondicherry; then three British nodes — Mumbai (Bombay), Chennai (Madras), Kolkata (Calcutta); hill stations as summer resorts; civil and military areas added.
Industrial (post-1850)
Modern industrial towns evolve — Jamshedpur being the classic example.
Post-Independence (1947–)
Planned administrative capitals — Chandigarh, Bhubaneswar, Gandhinagar, Dispur; industrial towns — Durgapur, Bhilai, Sindri, Barauni; satellite towns — Ghaziabad, Rohtak, Gurugram around Delhi.
Ancient Towns
India has a number of towns with a historical background spanning over 2,000 years. Most of them developed as religious and cultural centres. Varanasi is one of the most important among these. Prayag (Prayagraj), Pataliputra (Patna) and Madurai are some other examples of ancient towns in the country.
Medieval Towns
About 100 of the existing towns have their roots in the medieval period. Most of them developed as headquarters of principalities and kingdoms. These are fort towns that came up on the ruins of ancient towns. Important among them are Delhi, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Lucknow, Agra and Nagpur.
Modern Towns
The British and other Europeans developed a number of towns in India. Starting with footholds on coastal locations, they first developed trading ports such as Surat, Daman, Goa and Pondicherry. The British later consolidated their hold around three principal nodes — Mumbai (Bombay), Chennai (Madras) and Kolkata (Calcutta) — and built them in the British style. As they extended their domination, either directly or through control over the princely states, they established their administrative centres, hill-towns as summer resorts, and added new civil and military areas.
Towns based on modern industries also evolved after 1850. Jamshedpur can be cited as a leading example. After independence, a large number of towns have been developed as administrative headquarters — Chandigarh, Bhubaneswar, Gandhinagar, Dispur — and industrial centres such as Durgapur, Bhilai, Sindri and Barauni. Some old towns have also developed as satellite towns around metropolitan cities, such as Ghaziabad, Rohtak and Gurugram around Delhi. With increasing investment in rural areas, a large number of medium and small towns have appeared all over the country.
SOURCE — Three Periods, One City: Delhi
L4 Analyse
Delhi appears in different lists in this chapter — as a medieval fort city, as a colonial capital, and as a post-independence administrative headquarters. What does this layered identity tell you about how Indian cities accumulate functions through history?
Guidance
Delhi began as a fort town under successive medieval dynasties; was rebuilt as imperial New Delhi under the British; and today functions as a national administrative capital, a transport hub, an industrial belt and a major commercial centre. Each historical layer adds a new function rather than replacing the old, illustrating that cities accumulate functions over centuries and become highly multifunctional.
Urbanisation in India
The level of urbanisation? is measured as the percentage of urban population to total population. The level of urbanisation in India in 2011 was 31.16 per cent, which is quite low in comparison with developed countries. Total urban population has, however, increased eleven-fold during the twentieth century. Enlargement of existing urban centres and the emergence of new towns have together played a significant role in growth of urban population in India. The growth rate of urbanisation has slowed during the last two decades.
Fig 2.5 — India: Trends of Urbanisation, 1901–2011
Number of towns and urban population in India: 1,827 towns with 25.85 million people in 1901 grew to 6,171 towns with 377 million people in 2011 (Census of India, 2011).
| Year | No. of Towns / UAs | Urban Pop. (thousands) | % of Total Pop. | Decennial Growth (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1901 | 1,827 | 25,851.9 | 10.84 | — |
| 1911 | 1,815 | 25,941.6 | 10.29 | 0.35 |
| 1921 | 1,949 | 28,086.2 | 11.18 | 8.27 |
| 1931 | 2,072 | 33,456.0 | 11.99 | 19.12 |
| 1941 | 2,250 | 44,153.3 | 13.86 | 31.97 |
| 1951 | 2,843 | 62,443.7 | 17.29 | 41.42 |
| 1961 | 2,365 | 78,936.6 | 17.97 | 26.41 |
| 1971 | 2,590 | 1,09,114 | 19.91 | 38.23 |
| 1981 | 3,378 | 1,59,463 | 23.34 | 46.14 |
| 1991 | 4,689 | 2,17,611 | 25.71 | 36.47 |
| 2001 | 5,161 | 2,85,355 | 27.78 | 31.13 |
| 2011 | 6,171 | 3,77,000 | 31.16 | 31.08 |
Classification of Towns by Population Size
The Census of India classifies urban settlements into six size-based classes, depending on population.
| Class | Population Range | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Class I | 1,00,000 (1 lakh) and above | Cities |
| Class II | 50,000 – 99,999 | Large towns |
| Class III | 20,000 – 49,999 | Medium towns |
| Class IV | 10,000 – 19,999 | Small towns |
| Class V | 5,000 – 9,999 | Very small towns |
| Class VI | Less than 5,000 | Smallest urban units |
Fig 2.6 — The City-Size Hierarchy of India
The pyramid widens at the base — many small towns — and narrows sharply at the top, where only six mega cities sit.
Class I — Cities
Settlements of 1,00,000 (1 lakh) population and more are called cities. As per the 2011 Census, India had 468 Class I cities. Cities accommodate the largest share of the country's urban population.
Metropolitan Cities (10 lakh+)
Cities with population varying between one and five million (10 lakh to 50 lakh) are called metropolitan cities?. The 2011 Census records 53 metropolitan cities in India (also referred to as “Million-Plus” cities).
Mega Cities (50 lakh+)
Cities with a population of more than five million (50 lakh) are called mega cities?. As per the 2011 Census, India has six such cities: Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad. Most of the metropolitan cities and mega cities are urban agglomerations, meaning that they consist of a town together with its outgrowths or two or more contiguous towns and outgrowths.
Fig 2.7 — Locations of India's Six Mega Cities
All six mega cities are urban agglomerations exceeding 50 lakh people. Mumbai is the most populous urban agglomeration in the country.
Fig 2.8 — Population of India's Six Mega Cities (Census 2011)
Population in approximate crores (urban agglomeration totals).
LET'S EXPLORE — Million-Plus Cities State-wise
L3 Apply
List the urban agglomerations and cities of India state-wise (use the Million-Plus list). For each state, count the number of metropolitan cities and identify which state contributes the most. The NCERT textbook prompts: “list the urban agglomerations / cities state-wise and see the state-wise population under this category of cities.”
Guidance
Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat each host several Million-Plus cities; Maharashtra has the highest count, anchored by Greater Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Nashik and Aurangabad. Tamil Nadu (Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai) and Karnataka (Bengaluru, Mysuru) follow. The exercise reveals that metropolitanisation is concentrated in industrially advanced states.
Functional Classification of Towns
Apart from their role as central or nodal places, many towns and cities perform specialised services. Some are known for specific activities, products or services. However, every town performs a number of functions; classification is by the dominant or specialised function. Indian cities and towns can broadly be classified as follows.
Administrative Towns
Towns supporting administrative headquarters of higher order: Chandigarh, New Delhi, Bhopal, Shillong, Guwahati, Imphal, Srinagar, Gandhinagar, Jaipur, Chennai.
Industrial Towns
Industries are the prime motive force: Mumbai, Salem, Coimbatore, Modinagar, Jamshedpur, Hugli, Bhilai.
Transport Cities
May be ports engaged in export-import (Kandla, Cochin, Kozhikode, Vishakhapatnam) or hubs of inland transport (Agra, Dhulia, Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Nagar, Itarsi, Katni).
Commercial Towns
Specialise in trade and commerce: Kolkata, Saharanpur, Satna.
Mining Towns
Developed in mineral-rich areas: Raniganj, Jharia, Digboi, Ankaleshwar, Singrauli.
Garrison / Cantonment Towns
Emerged as garrison towns: Ambala, Jalandhar, Mhow, Babina, Udhampur.
Educational Towns
Started as educational centres and grew into major campus towns: Roorkee, Varanasi, Aligarh, Pilani, Prayagraj.
Religious / Cultural Towns
Came to prominence due to religious-cultural significance: Varanasi, Mathura, Amritsar, Madurai, Puri, Ajmer, Pushkar, Tirupati, Kurukshetra, Haridwar, Ujjain.
Tourist Towns
Tourist destinations: Nainital, Mussoorie, Shimla, Pachmarhi, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Udagamandalam (Ooty), Mount Abu.
Important Idea
Cities are not static in their function. Functions change over time. Even highly specialised cities, as they grow into metropolises, become multifunctional — with industry, business, administration and transport all becoming important. The functions become so intertwined that the city can no longer be placed in a single functional class.
THINK ABOUT IT — The Multifunctional Metropolis
L5 Evaluate
Mumbai began as a colonial port (transport function), grew rich on cotton textiles (industrial function), today hosts the country's biggest stock exchange (commercial function), is the seat of the Maharashtra government (administrative function) and produces almost the entire Hindi film industry (cultural function). What does this teach us about the difficulty of classifying a city by a single dominant function?
Guidance
Mumbai illustrates that as cities grow they become multifunctional. A single classification (e.g. “industrial city”) fits early on, but loses meaning once the city accumulates layers — finance, government, films, services. NCERT itself notes that mature metropolises cannot be slotted into one class; their functions are too intertwined.
MAP ACTIVITY — Plotting Functional Cities
L3 Apply
On an outline map of India, mark the following cities and label each with its functional category from the eight types you have studied:
Chandigarh, Jamshedpur, Visakhapatnam, Raniganj, Ambala, Roorkee, Varanasi, Shimla, Kolkata, Mumbai, Bhilai, Tirupati, Gandhinagar, Ooty.
Guidance
Administrative: Chandigarh, Gandhinagar. Industrial: Jamshedpur, Bhilai, Mumbai. Transport (port): Visakhapatnam. Mining: Raniganj. Garrison: Ambala. Educational: Roorkee. Religious: Varanasi, Tirupati. Commercial: Kolkata. Tourist / Hill: Shimla, Ooty. Mumbai will fit several categories — reinforcing the multifunctional nature of metropolises.
Fig 2.9 — Approximate Distribution of Urban Population by Class Size (2011)
Class I cities account for the bulk of India's urban population, despite making up a small share of the number of towns.
📝 Competency-Based Questions (CBQ)
Scenario: The 2011 Census records 6,171 towns and urban agglomerations in India, including 468 Class I cities, 53 Million-Plus metropolitan cities and 6 mega cities (Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad). Each town can be classified by size or by dominant function.
Q1. Which one of the following is NOT part of the definition of a town as per the Census of India?
L1 Remember
Q2. Which one of the following towns is NOT located on a river bank?
L2 Understand
Q3. The 2011 Census records 53 metropolitan cities and 6 mega cities. Distinguish between the two categories and explain why most of them are described as “urban agglomerations”.
L4 Analyse
Q4. “Cities are not static in their function.” Justify this statement using two examples from the chapter.
L5 Evaluate
HOT Q. Imagine a small Class IV town (population about 15,000) entirely dependent on a single coal mine. The mine is set to close in five years. Suggest two strategies that could re-classify the town into a different functional category and prevent its decline.
L6 Create
✍ Assertion-Reason Questions
Assertion (A): Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata grew into major Indian cities during the colonial period.
Reason (R): The British consolidated their hold around three principal coastal nodes and built them in the British style as administrative and trading centres.
Reason (R): The British consolidated their hold around three principal coastal nodes and built them in the British style as administrative and trading centres.
Assertion (A): India has only six mega cities according to the 2011 Census.
Reason (R): A mega city in India is defined as an urban agglomeration with a population of less than five million.
Reason (R): A mega city in India is defined as an urban agglomeration with a population of less than five million.
Assertion (A): A small Class IV town with a population of 15,000 cannot be classified as urban under the Census of India.
Reason (R): The minimum population threshold for an urban settlement under the Census definition is 5,000 persons.
Reason (R): The minimum population threshold for an urban settlement under the Census definition is 5,000 persons.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is an urban settlement defined in India?
In India, an urban settlement (Census definition) is either (a) a place with a municipality, corporation, cantonment board or notified town area committee — a statutory town; or (b) a place that meets three criteria: minimum population of 5,000, at least 75% of male main workers in non-agricultural activity, and density of at least 400 persons per sq km — a census town.
What are the six classes of urban settlements in India?
India's urban settlements are grouped into six size classes: Class I (100,000 and above), Class II (50,000–99,999), Class III (20,000–49,999), Class IV (10,000–19,999), Class V (5,000–9,999) and Class VI (less than 5,000).
What is a metropolitan city?
A metropolitan city in India is an urban agglomeration with more than 1 million (10 lakh) people. A ‘mega city’ has more than 5 million people. India had 53 million-plus cities in 2011, of which Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata are the largest.
What is the difference between a town and a village in India?
A village in India is mainly agricultural, with low population density. A town meets the Census criteria of urbanisation: a population of 5,000+, density of at least 400 per sq km, and at least 75% non-agricultural male workforce, OR has a statutory urban local body.
How are towns classified by their function?
Indian towns are classified by dominant function into: administrative towns (Delhi, Bhopal), industrial towns (Jamshedpur, Bhilai), transport towns (Kandla, Mughalsarai), commercial towns (Kolkata, Saharanpur), mining towns (Raniganj, Dhanbad), garrison towns (Ambala, Mhow), educational towns (Aligarh, Roorkee), religious towns (Varanasi, Tirupati), tourist towns (Shimla, Mussoorie), etc.
What was India's urban population in 2011?
India's urban population in 2011 was 377 million, or 31.16 per cent of the total. The country had 7,935 towns and 53 million-plus cities, with Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata as the three largest urban agglomerations.
What is an urban agglomeration?
An urban agglomeration is a continuous urban spread that includes a town and its adjoining outgrowths, or two or more contiguous towns with their outgrowths, treated as a single integrated urban area.
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