NCERT Notes INDIA & WORLD GEOGRAPHY

CHAPTER
288 25

Population and
Human Settlement

Sources Class-VIII New NCERT Chap 6 (Population), Class-VIII Old NCERT Chap 18 (Human Resource),
Class-IX New NCERT Chap 6 (Population), Class-IX Old NCERT Chap 7 (Our Growing Population),
Class-XII New NCERT Chap 1 (Population), Chap 4 (Human Settlements)

Rural settlements in India can broadly be put into the

Human Settlement following four types:
A human settlement is defined as a place which Rural Settlements
is inhabited permanently. It means cluster of
dwellings of any type or size where human
beings live. (Clustered/Agglomerated/ (Semi-Clustered or (Hamleted Settlements)
There may be some settlements which are Nucleated/Settlements) Fragmented Settlements)
temporary and are occupied for short periods, or
for a season.
(Dispersed or Isolated Settlements)

Types of Settlements 1. Clustered Settlements

The different type of human settlements are as (Agglomerated or Nucleated)
follows :
The clustered rural settlement is a compact or closely built
Temporary settlements up area of houses.
Rural settlements (Countryside) In this type of village, the general living area is distinct and
Permanent settlements separated from the surrounding farms, barns and pastures.
Urban settlements (Towns and cities) The closely built-up area and its intervening streets present
some recognisable pattern or geometric shape
Rural Settlement Such settlements are generally found in fertile alluvial
Rural settlements are most closely and directly plains and in the North Eastern states. Sometimes they
related to land. They are dominated by primary develop along river valleys. Communities living in such
activities such as agriculture, animal husbandry, settlements are closely connected and share common
fishing etc. occupations.
The rural settlement size is relatively small. 2. Semi-Clustered (Fragmented) Settlements
Types of Rural Settlements Semi-clustered or fragmented settlements may result from
The sparsely located small settlements are called the tendency of clustering in a restricted area of dispersed
villages, specialising in agriculture or other settlement.
primary activities. More often such a pattern may also result from segregation
or fragmentation of a large compact village.
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Such settlements are widespread in the Gujarat Patterns of Rural Settlement

plain and some parts of Rajasthan.
The various patterns of rural settlements are as follows:
3. Hamleted Settlements Linear Pattern In such settlements houses are located
These units are locally called panna, para, palli, along a road, railway line, river, canal edge of a valley
nagla, dhani, in various parts of the country. or along a levee.
This segmentation of a large village is often Rectangular Pattern Such patterns of rural settlements
motivated by social and ethnic factors. are found in plain areas or wide intermontane valleys.
The roads are rectangular and cut each other at right
4. Dispersed (Isolated) Settlements angles.
Dispersed or isolated settlement patterns in India
Circular Pattern Circular villages develop around
appear in the form of isolated huts or hamlets of few
lakes, tanks and sometimes the village is planned in
huts in remote jungles or on small hills with farms
such a way that the central part remains open. It is used
or pasture on the slopes.
for keeping the animals to protect them from wild
Many areas of Meghalaya, Uttarakhand, Himachal animals.
Pradesh and Kerala have this type of settlement.
Star like pattern Where several roads converge, star
A cultural feature such as a place of worship or a shaped settlements develop by the houses built along
market, binds the settlement together. Factors the roads.
affecting the location of rural settlements areas
T-shaped, Y-shaped, Cross-shaped or Cruciform
follows:
settlements T-shaped settlements develop at
— Land People choose to settle near fertile lands
tri-junctions of the roads. Y-shaped settlements emerge
suitable for agriculture. as the places where two roads converge on the third one
— Upland Upland which is not prone to flooding was and houses are built along these roads. Cruciform
chosen to prevent damage to houses and loss of settlements develop on the cross-roads and houses
life. extend in all the four directions.
— Defense During the times of political instability, Double Village These settlements extend on both sides
war, hostility of neighboring groups villages were of a river where there is a bridge or a ferry.
built on defensive hills and Islands.
— Planned Settlements Sites that are not Problems of Rural Settlements
spontaneously chosen by villagers themselves, Rural settlements in the developing countries are large
planned settlements are constructed by in number and poorly equipped with infrastructure.
governments by providing shelter, water and other They represent a great challenge and opportunity for
infrastructures on acquired lands. planners.
— The scheme of villagisation in Ethiopia and the Supply of water to rural settlements in developing
canal colonies in the Indira Gandhi canal countries is not adequate. People in villages,
command area in India are some good examples. particularly in mountainous and arid areas have to walk
Water Supply Usually rural settlements are located long distances to fetch drinking water.
near water bodies such as rivers, lakes and springs Water borne diseases such as Cholera and Jaundice
where water can be easily obtained. Sometimes the tend to be a common problem.
need for water drives people to settle in otherwise The countries of South Asia face conditions of drought
disadvantaged sites such as Islands surrounded by and flood very often. Crop cultivation sequences, in the
swamps or low-lying river banks. absence of irrigation, also suffer.
Most water based ‘wet point’ settlements have many The general absence of toilet and garbage disposal
advantages such as water for drinking, cooking and facilities cause health related problems.
washing. Rivers and lakes can be used to irrigate farm
The houses made up of mud, wood and thatch, remain
land.
susceptible to damage during heavy rains and
Water bodies also have fish which can be caught for floods, and require proper maintenance every year.
diet and navigable rivers and lakes can be used for Most house designs are typically lack proper
transportation. ventilation.
Building Material The availability of building Unmetalled roads and lack of modern communication
materials- wood, stone near settlements is another networks creates a unique problem. During the rainy
advantage. Early villages were built in forest season, the settlements remain cut off and pose serious
clearings where wood was plentiful. difficulties in providing emergency services.
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It is also difficult to provide adequate health and After independence, a large number of towns have been
educational infrastructure for their large rural developed as administrative headquarters,
population. e.g., Chandigarh, Bhubaneswar, Gandhinagar, Dispur,
etc., and industrial centres, such as Durgapur, Bhilai,
Urban Settlements Sindri, Barauni.
Urban settlements are generally compact and larger Some old towns also developed as satellite towns
in size. They are engaged in a variety of around metropolitan cities, such as Ghaziabad, Rohtak,
non-agricultural, economic and administrative Gurugram around Delhi. With increasing investment in
functions. rural areas, a large number of medium and small towns
Cities are functionally linked to rural areas around have developed all over the country.
them. Thus, exchange of goods and services is
performed sometimes directly and sometimes Difference Between Rural and Urban Settlement
through a series of market towns and cities. n It is widely accepted that settlements can be
Cities are connected directly as well as indirectly differentiated in terms of rural and urban, but there is no
with the villages and also with each other consensus on what exactly defines a village or a town.
n Although population size is an important criterion, it is
Evolution of Towns in India not a universal criterion since, many villages in densely
Towns flourished since prehistoric times in India. populated countries of India and China have populations
exceeding that of some towns of Western Europe and
Even at the time of Indus Valley civilisation, towns
United States.
like Harappa and Mohenjodaro were in existence.
On the basis of their evolution in different periods,
Indian towns may be classified as: Urbanisation in India
— Ancient Towns There are number of towns in The level of urbanisation is measured in terms of
India having historical background spanning over percentage of urban population to total population.
2000 years. Most of them developed as religious The level of urbanisation in India in 2011 was 31.16%,
and cultural centres. which is quite low in comparison to developed
— Varanasi is one of the important towns among countries.
these. Prayag (Allahabad), Pataliputra (Patna), Total urban population has increased eleven-fold
Madurai are some other examples of ancient during the twentieth century. Enlargement of urban
towns in the country. centres and emergence of new towns have played a
— Medieval Towns About 100 of the existing towns significant role in the growth of urban population and
have their roots in the medieval period. Most of urbanisation in the country.
them developed as headquarters of principalities But the growth rate of urbanisation has slowed down
and kingdoms. during last two decades.
— These are fort towns which came up on the ruins of
Trends of Urbanisation in India (1901-2011)
ancient towns. Important among them are Delhi,
Hyderabad, Jaipur, Lucknow, Agra and Nagpur. year Number Urban Population % of Total Decennial
of Towns (in thousands) Population Growth (%)
— Modern Towns The British and other Europeans
have developed a number of towns in India. 1901 1,827 2,58,51.9 10.84 —
Starting their foothold on coastal locations, they 1911 1,815 2,59,41.6 10.29 0.35
first developed some trading ports such as Surat,
1921 1,949 2,80,86.2 11.18 8.27
Daman, Goa, Pondicherry, etc.
1931 2,072 3,34,56.0 11.99 19.12
— The British later consolidated their hold around
three principal nodes – Mumbai (Bombay), 1941 2,250 4,41,53.3 13.86 31.97
Chennai (Madras) and Kolkata (Calcutta) – and 1951 2,843 6,24,43.7 17.29 41.42
built them in the British style.
1961 2,365 7,89,36.6 17.97 26.41
Rapidly extending their domination either directly
1971 2,590 1,09,114 19.91 38.23
or through control over the princely states, they
established their administrative centres, hilltowns as 1981 3,378 1,59,463 23.34 46.14
summer resorts, and added new civil administrative 1991 4,689 2,17,611 25.71 36.47
and military areas to them. Towns based on modern
2001 5,161 2,85,355 27.78 31.13
industries also evolved after 1850. Jamshedpur can
be cited as an example. 2011 6,166 3,77,000 31.16 31.08
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Classification of Towns on the basis of Industrial towns Industries constitute prime motive
Population Size force of these cities, such as Mumbai, Salem,
Coimbatore, Modinagar, Jamshedpur, Hugli,
Census of India classifies urban centres into six Bhilai, etc.
categories.
Transport Cities They may be ports primarily
Urban centre with population of more than one lakh is engaged in export and import activities such as
called a city or class I town. Kandla, Kochchi, Kozhikode, Vishakhapatnam, etc.,
Cities accommodating population size between one to or hubs of inland transport, such as Agra, Dhulia,
five million are called metropolitan cities and more Mughalsarai, Itarsi, Katni, etc.
than five million are mega cities. Majority of Commercial towns Towns and cities specialising in
metropolitan and mega cities are urban agglomerations. trade and commerce are kept in this class. Kolkata,
An urban agglomeration may consist of any one of the Saharanpur, Satna, etc., are some examples.
following three combinations: Mining towns These towns have developed in
(i) a town and its adjoining urban outgrowths mineral rich areas such as Raniganj, Jharia, Digboi,
(ii) two or more contiguous towns with or without their Ankaleshwar, Singrauli, etc.
outgrowths Garrison Cantonment towns These towns emerged
(iii) a city and one or more adjoining towns with their as garrison towns such as Ambala, Jalandhar, Mhow,
outgrowths together forming a contiguous spread. Babina, Udhampur, etc.
More than 60 % of urban population in India lives in Educational towns Starting as centres of education,
Class I towns. Out of 468 cities, 53 cities/ urban some of the towns have grown into major campus
agglomerations are metropolitan cities. Six of them towns, such as Roorkee, Varanasi, Aligarh, Pilani,
are mega cities with population over five million Allahabad, etc.
each. Religious and cultural towns Varanasi, Mathura,
More than one-fifth (21.0%) of urban population lives Amritsar, Madurai, Puri, Ajmer, Pushkar, Tirupati,
in these mega cities. Among them, Greater Mumbai is Kurukshetra, Haridwar, Ujjain came to prominence
the largest agglomeration with 18.4 million people. due to their religious/cultural significance.
Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad Tourist towns Nainital, Mussoorie, Shimla,
are other mega cities in the country. Pachmarhi, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Udagamandalam
(Ooty), Mount Abu are some of the tourist
Class-Wise Number of Towns and Cities and destinations. The cities are not static in their
their Population in India (2011) function.
Class Population Number Total Urban % of Total
Size of Cities Population (in Urban
thousand) Population Definitions of rural and Urban Areas
I. 1,00,000 and more 468 2,27,899 60.45
by Census of India
Rural Settlement
II. 50,000-99,999 474 41,328 10.96 n Population is less than 5000
III. 20,000-49,999 1,373 58,174 15.43 n Population density is less than 400 persons/Sq. km.

IV. 10,000-19,999 1,683 31,866 8.45 n More than 75 % of people are engaged in

V. 5,000-9,999 7,749 15,883 4.21 Agricultural and associated primary activities

n Run by Gram-Panchayats.
VI. Less than 5,000 424 1,956 0.51
Urban Settlement
Functional Classification of Towns n Population is greater than 5000

n Population density is greater than 400 persons/Sq.

On the basis of dominant or specialised functions, Indian
km. or 1000 persons/Sq. Mile
cities and towns can be broadly classified as follows: n More than 75 % of people are engaged in

Administrative towns and cities Towns supporting Non-Agricultural activities

administrative headquarters of higher order are n Run by the Municipality, Cantonment Board,

administrative towns, such as Chandigarh, New Delhi, Corporation, etc.

Bhopal, Shillong, Guwahati, Imphal, Srinagar,
Gandhinagar, Jaipur, Chennai, etc.
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Schemes for Rural/Urban Development them better. For example, making areas less
vulnerable to disasters, using fewer resources and
Important schemes for rural/urban development as follows : providing cheaper services. The focus is on
Swachh Bharat Abhiyan sustainable and inclusive development.
Swachh Bharat Abhiyan was launched on 2nd October, Top Five States with Maximum Urban Population
2014 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
State Percentage (in %)
It is a national campaign to clean the streets, roads and
Goa 62.2
infrastructure of the country.
It covers 4,041 statutory towns. This campaign Mizoram 52.1
accomplished the vision of a Clean India by 2nd Tamil Nadu 48.4
October, 2019, the 150th birthday of Mahatma Gandhi. Kerala 47.7
The Union Government initiated the Swachhata Maharashtra 45.2
Udayami Yojana to achieve the overall goal of the
cleanliness campaign under the scheme. Nirmal Bharat Top Five States with Minimum Urban Population
Abhiyan was re-launched in name of Swachh Bharat
Abhiyan. State Percentage (in %)
Himachal Pradesh 10.0
Shyama Prasad Mukherji Rurban Mission
Bihar 11.3
(SPMRM)
Assam 14.1
The SPMRM is a new initiative from the Modi
government that aims to set up 300 rural clusters by Odisha 16.7
2020. It was formally launched on 16th August, 2015 by Meghalaya 20.1
the Union Cabinet. PM Narendra Modi launched this
scheme as National Rurban Mission on 22nd February, Top Five States with Maximum Urban Population
2016.
State Population
The scheme of Providing Urban Amenities in Rural Areas
(PURA) is merged with Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Maharashtra 50818259
Rurban Mission. Rurban development model of Uttar Pradesh 44495063
urbanisation of the rural areas, through which people Tamil Nadu 34917440
living in the rural areas can get efficient civic
infrastructure and associate services. It was proposed in West Bengal 29093002
the budget speech of 2014-15. Andhra Pradesh 28219075

Amrut
Top Four States with Minimum Urban Population
The Government has renewed the 10-year-old Jawaharlal
Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) and State Population
named it after the first BJP Prime Minister. Sikkim 153578
The renewed scheme is known as Atal Mission for Arunachal Pradesh 317369
Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT).
Nagaland 570966
AMRUT for 500 Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities was also
launched alongwith smart city project. The states have Mizoram 571771
been asked to recommend cities which can be included
under this scheme. for the selected cities, Central
Government will provide 30% of the overall cost, if the Population
city has a population of more than 10 lakh and 50% if Demographics refer to statistical data relating to
under 10 lakh. the population in a region. This covers various
factors like population growth rate, the percentage
Smart Cities Mission
of different age groups within the population, the
The objective of the Smart Cities Mission is to promote literacy rates, the sex ratio, urban-rural population
cities that provide core infrastructure, a clean and ratios, etc.
sustainable environment and give a decent quality of life
According to the 2011 Census, India has a 1.21
to its citizens.
billion population. It comprises 17.5% of the
One of the features of Smart Cities is to apply smart world’s population with 2.4 % of the world’s land
solutions to infrastructure and services in order to make area.
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In terms of population, India is the second-largest Growth of Population

country of the world and despite its growth rate
Population growth has two components namely;
declining, India continues to be a high-growth country.
natural and induced. While the natural growth is
Approximately one out of every six people in the world analysed by assessing the crude birth and death rates,
is from India. India’s population is almost equal to the induced components are explained by the volume
the combined population of the USA, Indonesia, of inward and outward movement of people in any
Brazil, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Japan together. given area.
India’s population is a little over twice the population The annual growth rate of India’s population is 1.64%
of Latin America and 1.2 times the population of the (2011).
whole of Africa. In terms of area, India stands
seventh, preceded by Russia, Canada, China, The India’s Population Growth Rates During 1951-2011
United States of America, Brazil and Australia. The growth rate of population in India over the last one
It can also be revealed from the fact that the total century has been caused by annual birth rate and death
population of North America, South America, and rate and rate of migration and thereby shows different
Australia added together is less than the population trends.
of India. There are four distinct phases of growth identified within
On top of it, we are adding over 17 million people this period:
each year. It is more than the total population of Phase I The period from 1901-1921 is referred to as a
Australia. In fact, the net addition to the Chinese period of stagnant or stationary phase of growth of
population each year is less than ours. India’s population, since in this period growth rate was
very low, even recording a negative growth rate during
Natural Growth of Population 1911-1921.
This is the population increase by difference between Both the birth rate and death rate were high keeping
births and deaths in a particular region between two the rate of increase low. Poor health and medical
points of time. services, illiteracy of people at large and inefficient
distribution system of food and other basic necessities
Natural Growth = Births − Deaths
were largely responsible for a high birth and death rates
Actual Growth of Population = Births − Deaths in this period.
+ In Migration − Out Migration Phase II The decades 1921-1951 are referred to as the
Positive Growth of Population This happens when period of steady population growth.
the birth rate is more than the death rate between two An overall improvement in health and sanitation
points of time or when people from other countries throughout the country brought down the mortality rate.
migrate permanently to a region. At the same time better transport and communication
Negative Growth of Population If the population system improved distribution system.
decreases between two points of time it is known as The crude birth rate remained high in this period
negative growth of population. It occurs when the leading to higher growth rate than the previous phase.
birth rate falls below the death rate or people migrate This is impressive at the backdrop of Great Economic
to other countries. Depression, 1920s and World War II.
Phase III The decades 1951-1981 are referred to as the
Crude Birth Rate and Death Rate period of population explosion in India, which was
n Crude Birth Rate (CBR) is expressed as the number of caused by a rapid fall in the mortality rate but a high
live births in a year per thousand of population. fertility rate of population in the country.
n Crude Death Rate (CDR) is the number of deaths in a The average annual growth rate was as high as 2.2%.
particular year per thousand of population in a
particular region.
In this period, developmental activities were
introduced through a centralised planning process and
economy started showing up ensuring the
Population in India improvement of living condition of people at large.
Population data are collected through Census Consequently, there was a high natural increase and
operations held every 10 years in our country. higher growth rate. Besides, increased international
The first population Census in India was conducted migration bringing in Tibetans, Bangladeshis, Nepalies
in 1872 but its first complete Census was conducted and even people from Pakistan contributed to the high
only in 1881. growth rate.
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Phase IV In the post 1981 till present, the growth On the other hand, states of Mizoram, Sikkim and
rate of country’s population though remained high, Nagaland follow Arunachal Pradesh in terms of least
has started slowing down gradually. A downward densely populated states. Excluding North-Eastern
trend of crude birth rate is held responsible for such states, Himachal Pradesh becomes the least populated
a population growth. state with population density of 123. Among Union
This was, in turn, affected by an increase in the mean Territories, Andaman and Nicobar islands have got
age at marriage, improved quality of life particularly least density of 46 persons per sq km.
education of females in the country.
Top Five States with Maximum Population Density
The growth rate of population is, however, still high
in the country, and it has been projected by the World State Population Density/sq km
Development Report that population of India will Bihar 1102
touch 1,350 million by 2025. West Bengal 1029
Kerala 859
Demographic Composition
Uttar Pradesh 829
The demographic composition of India’s population is
discussed below : Haryana 573

Density of Population Top Five States with Minimum Population Density

It is defined as the number of persons per sq km
State Population Density/sq km
area. It is an important index of population, which
shows concentration of population in a particular Arunachal Pradesh 17
area. Mizoram 52
In Indian topography, fertility of the soil and Sikkim 86
availability of water determine the extent of the
Nagaland 119
concentration of population. However, in
contemporary time the concentration of population Manipur 122
is also influenced by the migration factor.
Sex Composition
Density of Population According to Census
Distribution pattern of male and female in a population
As per the population totals of Census 2011,
affects relative roles and economic relationships. There
the population density of India has gone up to 382
are different tools to measure gender equity in a
persons per sq km from 325 persons per sq km
population.
in 2001.
Sex ratio is one such widely used tool for cross
Among the ten most populous countries of the world,
sectional analysis to measure gender balance. Sex ratio
only Bangladesh has a higher population density
is defined in the Census of India as the number of
compared to India. At the beginning of the 20th
females per 1000 males in the population. According to
century i.e. in 1901, the density of India was as low
Census 2011, out of a total population of 1,21,01,93,422
as 77 persons per sq km. This steadily increased in
persons, 62,37,24,248 are males and 58,64,69,174
each decade to reach 382 persons per sq km in 2011.
females.
It constitutes a 17.5% increase over 2001, but the rate
As per this, the sex ratio of India is 940 (But according
of increase has slowed down. Nagaland is the only
to census of India 2011 final, sex ratio of India’s
state, where density of population has decreased in
population is 943. The sex ratio at the national level has
2011 Census (119) from its 2001 census value (120).
risen by 10 points since the last Census in 2001. This is
The states and Union Territories of our country vary the highest since 1971.
widely in terms of their density due to differences in
The sex ratio in India has been unfavourable to
climatic conditions, geo-physical characteristics,
females. In the pre- independence period, the sex ratio
availability of resources, etc.
declined consistently upto 1951, when it rose
The National Capital Region (NCR) area of Delhi marginally.
possesses the highest of the population density in
In the post-Independence period, the trend continued
India having a statistics of 11,320 per sq km.
and the sex ratio slipped down for two consecutive
The state of Arunachal Pradesh has the lowest record decades 946 in 1951 to reach 930 in 1971.
of population density having just 17 per sq km as per
After 1971 Census, trends were not consistent, showing
the Census 2011.
increase in one decade and decline in the next.
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295

Patterns of Sex Ratio (2011) children. For the purposes of Census, a person aged
The patterns in sex ratio among the states and Union 7 and above, who can both read and write with
Territories are distinct. understanding in any language, is treated as literate.
The top three states recording the highest value of A person, who can only read, but cannot write, is not
overall sex ratio are neighbours located in the Southern literate.
part of India namely Kerala (1084), Tamil Nadu (996) The number of literates and illiterates aged 7 and
and Andhra Pradesh (993). above in India as per the population totals of Census
Among the UTs the top three are Puducherry (1037), 2011 is 77,84,54,120 and 27,29,50,015 respectively.
Lakshadweep (946) and the Andaman and Nicobar There has been a marked improvement in the
islands (878). proportion of literates in the last decade.
The lowest sex ratio among the states has been Top Five States with Maximum Literacy Rate
recorded in Haryana (879), Jammu and Kashmir (889)
and Sikkim (890). State Literacy Rate

Among the Union Terriotries, the lowest sex ratio has Kerala 94.0%
been registered in Daman and Diu (618), Dadra and Mizoram 91.3%
Nagar Haveli (774) and Chandigarh (818).
Goa 88.7%
Among the major states, Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir
and Gujarat have experienced a fall in the sex ratio. The Tripura 87.2%
other Union Territories registering decline in overall Himachal Pradesh 82.8%
sex ratio include Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and
Diu and Lakshadweep.
Top Five States with Minimum Literacy Rate
The states having historically low sex ratio such as
Punjab, Haryana, Delhi and Chandigarh have shown State Literacy Rate
appreciable increase in the sex ratio in Census 2011. Bihar 61.8%
Majority of the states identified as gender critical for
special attention and intervention as part of the Census Arunachal Pradesh 65.40%
2011, have shown increasing trend in the sex ratio as Rajasthan 66.1%
per the provisional results.
Jharkhand 66.4%
Top Five States with Maximum Sex Ratio Andhra Pradesh 67.0%
State Sex Ratio (Per 1000 male female)
Kerala 1084 Ethnic Composition
Tamil Nadu 995 India is a country with huge racial and ethnic diversity.
Andhra Pradesh 992 Indian people can be divided into six main ethnic groups.
Chhattisgarh 991 These include :
Meghalaya 986 Negritos They are originally from Africa. They were
the earliest people to have come to India. They have
Top Five States with Minimum Sex Ratio survived in their original habitat in Andaman and
Nicobar Islands.
State Sex Ratio (Per 1000 male female)
Austrics They laid the foundation of Indian
Haryana 877 civilisation. They cultivated rice and vegetables and
Jammu and Kashmir 883 made sugar from sugarcane.
Sikkim 889 Now these people are found in some parts of India,
Myanmar and the islands of South-East Asia. Their
Punjab 893
languages have survived in the central and Eastern
Uttar Pradesh 912 India.
Mongoloids They are found in the North-Eastern
Literacy part of India.
Literacy rate and educational development are Mediterranean or Dravidians They are the people of
considered to be key variables in improving quality of South India. They have been believed to come before
life. They directly relate to life expectancy, infant the Aryans. They are reputed to have built up the
mortality, learning levels and nutritional levels of city civilisation of the Indus valley.
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Western Brachycephalics They include the broad On the other hand, there are pull factors which
headed people living mainly on the Western side of the attract people from rural areas to cities. The most
country such as the Ganga valley. important pull factor for the majority of the rural
Nordics These were the last one to immigrate to India. migrants to urban areas is the better opportunities,
They came to India somewhere between 2000 and 1500 availability of regular work and relatively higher
BC. They are now mainly found in the Northern and wages.
Central part of India. Better opportunities for education, better health
facilities and sources of entertainment, etc are also
Linguistic Composition quite important pull factors.
India is a land of linguistic diversity. There are around It can be seen that the reasons for migration of males
179 languages and as many as 544 dialects spoken in and females are different. For example, work and
the country. In the context of modern India, there are employment have remained the main cause for male
about 22 scheduled languages and a number of migration 38% while it is only 3% for the females.
non-scheduled languages. Contrary to this, about 65% of females move out from
Among the scheduled languages, the speakers of Hindi their parental houses following their marriage.
have the highest percentage (40.42). The smallest This is the most important cause in the rural areas of
language groups are Kashmiri and Sanskrit speakers India except in Meghalaya where reverse is the case.
(0.01% each).
The major families are Indo-European or Aryan and
Consequences of Migration
Dravidian with 73% speakers and 20% speakers Migration is a response to the uneven distribution of
respectively, whereas Austric and Sino-Tibetan opportunities over space. People tend to move from a
constitute the other major families. place of low opportunity and low safety to a place of
higher opportunity and better safety.
Migration This in turn, creates both benefits and problems for the
Migration is the movement of people in and out of an areas people migrate from and migrate to. Consequences
area. Actually migration was recorded beginning from can be observed in economic, social, cultural, political
the first Census of India conducted in 1881. This data and demographic terms.
was recorded on the basis of place of birth. Economic Consequences A major benefit for the
However, the first major modification was introduced source region is the remittance sent by migrants.
in the 1961 Census by bringing in two additional Remittances from international migrants are one of
components viz; place of birth i.e., village or town and the major sources of foreign exchange.
duration of residence (if born elsewhere). Demographic Consequences Migration leads to the
Migration is another way by which population size redistribution of the population within a country.
changes. People may move within a country or Rural urban migration is one of the important factors
between countries. Emigrants are people who leave a contributing to the population growth of cities.
country; Immigrants are those who arrive in a country. Age and skill selective migration from the rural area
Causes of Migration have adverse effect on the rural demographic
People, generally, are emotionally attached to their structure.
place of birth. But millions of people leave their places Social Consequences Migrants act as agents of social
of birth and residence. There could be a variety of change. The new ideas related to new technologies,
reasons of it. family planning, girl's education, etc. get diffused
These reasons can be put into two broad categories- from urban to rural areas through them. Migration
push factors, which cause people to leave their place leads to intermixing of people from diverse cultures.
of residence of origin; pull factors, which attract Environmental Consequences Overcrowding of
people from different places. people due to rural-urban migration has put pressure
In India people migrate from rural to urban areas on the existing social and physical infrastructure in
mainly due to poverty, high population pressure on the the urban areas. This ultimately leads to unplanned
land, lack of basic infrastructural facilities like health growth of urban settlement and formation of slums
care, education, etc. shanty colonies.
Apart from these factors, natural disasters such as, Apart from this, due to over-exploitation of natural
flood, drought, cyclonic storms, earthquake, tsunami, resources, cities are facing the acute problem of
wars and local conflicts also give extra push to migrate. depletion of groundwater, air pollution, disposal of
sewage and management of solid wastes.
 NCERT Notes INDIA & WORLD GEOGRAPHY
297

Others Consequences Migration of ‘women’ either Southern Zone This region comprises the Nilgiris
for education or employment enhances their together with the adjoining hilly regions in Andhra
autonomy and role in the economy but also increases Pradesh and Karnataka, which are the home land of
their vulnerability. If remittances are the major probably the smallest, the most backward and the
benefits of migration from the point of view of the most isolated tribal communities on the mainland.
source region, the loss of human resources Among the prominent tribes of this zone are the Toda,
particularly highly skilled people is the most serious Koya, Chenchu and Allars.
cost. Eastern Zone This zone includes West Bengal,
The market for advanced skills has become truly a Odisha and tribes such as Paraja, Kondhs, Bondas,
global market and the most dynamic industrial Bhumij, Gadabas, Bhutias and Saoras.
economies are admitting and recruiting significant Western Zone This zone includes Rajasthan and
proportions of the highly trained professionals from Gujarat and tribes such as the Bhils, Garasiya and
poor regions. Consequently, the existing under Meenas. The Bhils are regarded as a violent tribe.
development in the source region gets reinforced.
The Meenas are a very advanced and well educated
tribe and they have entered in the main stream of the
Tribes of India society.
India is the home to large number of indigenous Island Region This zone includes Andaman and
people, who are still untouched by the lifestyle of the Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep and Daman and Diu.
modern world with more than 104.2 million. India has The tribes include the great Andamanese, Sentinelese,
the largest population of the tribal people in the Jarawas, Onges, Nicobaris and Shompen.
world.
States/UTs with Maximum Scheduled Tribe Population
These tribal people are also known as the Adivasi and
some of them are still dependent on hunting, State Population Percentage (%)
agriculture and fishing. Some of the major tribal Madhya Pradesh 1,53,16,784 21.1
groups in India include Gonds, Santhals, Khasis,
Maharashtra 1,05,10,213 9.4
Angamis, Bhils, Bhutias and great Andamanese.
All these tribal people have their own culture, Odisha 95,90,756 22.8
tradition, language and lifestyle. Rajasthan 92,38,534 13.5

Major Tribal Groups in India (Zone-Wise) Gujarat 89,17,174 14.8

From the point of view of distribution and diversity of the

tribal population, India can be divided into seven zones States/UTs with Maximum Scheduled Tribe Percentage
North Zone This zone covers Himachal Pradesh, State Percentage (%)
Punjab, Uttarakhand, Sub-Himalayan Uttar Pradesh Lakshadweep 94.8
and Bihar. The prominent tribes here are Khasi,
Tharu, Bhoksa, Bhutias and Gujjars. The major Mizoram 94.4
problems of the tribes of this zone are inaccessibility, Nagaland 86.5
lack of communication, poverty, illiteracy and land Meghalaya 86.1
alienation.
Arunachal Pradesh 68.8
North-Eastern Zone This zone includes the seven
Manipur 35.1
North-Eastern states and the major tribal groups here
are Nagas, Khasi, Garo, Mishmi, Miri, Karbi and the
Apatanis. States/UTs with Minimum Scheduled Tribe Percentage
These tribes mainly belong to the Mongoloid stock State Percentage (%)
which gives them a distinct ethnic identity. These
Uttar Pradesh 0.6
tribes have a very high rate of literacy and conversions
to Christianity, mainly because of the missionary Tamil Nadu 1.1
activities during the colonial rule. Bihar 1.3
Central Zone This zone, which has the maximum Kerala 1.5
tribal concentration, stretches from Southern Madhya
Pradesh to South Bihar across Northern Odisha. Uttarakhand 2.9
 NCERT Notes INDIA & WORLD GEOGRAPHY
298

Major Tribes of India Tribe States Major Trade

Miri Arunachal Pradesh Agriculture
Tribe States Major Trade
Mishing Assam Agriculture
Adi, Apatami Arunachal Pradesh Cultivation
Muria Madhya Pradesh Agriculture
Angami, Ao Nagaland Cultivation
Mikir Assam Slash and burn
Badaga Tamil Nadu Cultivation
cultivation
Baiga Madhya Pradesh, Cultivation
Munda Jharkhand Cultivation
Rajasthan and
Gujarat Oaron Jharkhand, Odisha Tea cultivation
Bhil Madhya Pradesh, Cultivation Onge Little Andamans Hunters and
Gujarat and gatherers
Rajasthan
Rabha Assam Agriculture
Bhotia Uttarakhand Shepherding, goat
herding and farming Rengma Nagaland Jhum cultivation

Bhutia Sikkim Cultivation Santhal West Bengal, Hunting, gathering

Jharkhand and cultivation
Birhor Jharkhand Cultivation
Naga Nagaland Cultivation
Bodo Assam Sericulture
Tiwa or Lalung Assam Cultivation
Chenchu Andhra Pradesh, Hunting
Odisha Khamti Assam Agriculture

Chutia Assam Agriculture Dimasas Assam Agriculture

Gaddi Himachal Pradesh Shepherding Sentinelese Andaman and Hunters and gatherers
Nicobar Island
Garo Meghalaya Cultivation
Shompen Great Nicobar Hunters and gatherers
Gond Madhya Pradesh, Cultivation Island
Odisha, Jharkhand
and Andhra Tagin Arunachal Pradesh Weaving
Pradesh Toda Tamil Nadu Cattle herding and
Great Andamanese Andaman Islands Nomadic hunting, dairy work
fishing and gathering Urali Kerala Agriculture
Irula Tamil Nadu Nomadic gathering Zeliang Nagaland Weaving
Jaintia Meghalaya Agriculture Agaria Madhya Pradesh Agriculture
Jarawa Little Andamans Nomadic hunting, Saharia Rajasthan and Forest gathering and
fishing and gathering Madhya Pradesh wood cutting
Kanis Kerala Handicraft Limbu Sikkim Agriculture
Kacharis, Karbi Assam Agriculture Dongria Kondh Niyamgiri hills of Forest gathering
Khamti Arunachal Pradesh Cultivation Odisha

Khasi Meghalaya, Assam Jhum cultivation Bonda Odisha Agriculture

Khond Odisha Agriculture Changpa Jammu and Animal rearing

Kashmir
Kol Madhya Pradesh Farming and forestry
Mishmi Arunachal Pradesh Agriculture
Kota Tamil Nadu, Artisans
Karnataka Kotwalia Gujarat Bamboo handicraft

Kuki Manipur, Assam Agriculture Hmar Meghalaya, Handicraft

Mizoram,
Lepcha or Rongpa Sikkim Hunting and fishing Assam,Tripura
Meena Rajasthan Agriculture Pawi Mizoram Cultivation