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Difficulty: MediumPopulation Distribution, Density, and Settlement Patterns in Nigeria

In the rural agricultural areas of the Benue Valley in central Nigeria, homesteads are characteristically scattered across individual farm holdings rather than clustered together in central villages. Which factor is primarily responsible for this dispersed settlement pattern?

  1. The practice of extensive farming on family-owned landholdings requiring farmers to live directly on their agricultural plotsAnswer
  2. B
    The historical requirement for collective defense around centralized royal palaces and walled fortresses
  3. C
    Favorable pull factors along river banks that draw rural populations toward dense, ribbon-like waterfront settlements
  4. D
    High demographic dependency ratios forcing non-working populations to migrate into compact suburban nucleations

Answer

The practice of extensive farming on family-owned landholdings requiring farmers to live directly on their agricultural plots is the primary factor responsible for the dispersed settlement pattern in the Benue Valley.
In agricultural regions such as the Benue Valley of central Nigeria, dispersed rural settlement patterns develop primarily due to land tenure systems and extensive crop farming. Farmers build family compounds directly on their cultivated plots to reduce distance between home and fields and protect agricultural holdings.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the settlement morphology described in the stem.
The stem describes isolated homesteads scattered over agricultural land in central Nigeria, defining a dispersed settlement pattern.
Recognizing the settlement pattern type is essential for isolating its underlying physical or socio-economic causes.
2
Analyze the geographic factors governing rural settlement distribution in the Middle Belt of Nigeria.
In agricultural areas like Tivland in the Benue Valley, land tenure systems and extensive farming practices lead individual households to reside on their farmland to minimize travel time to fields and secure land tenure.
Farm placement directly dictates living arrangements when agricultural activities are extensive and family-based.

Key Concept

Factors shaping rural settlement morphology (dispersed vs. nucleated patterns) in Nigeria
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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Topics

Population Distribution, Density, and Settlement Patterns in Nigeria

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