Landscape and Settlements
Three main types of land in Pakistan
Mountains, Plains and Deserts.
Mountain regions are area of high lands.
Pakistan has the highest mountain ranges in the world.
Himalaya
Karakoram
Hindu Kush
The mountains are much colder than other areas.
People live in valleys in between where soil is better for growing crops.
Plains are areas of flat land.
In Pakistan, most of the plains have rivers flowing across them.
The soil in these plains is very good for crops.
Deserts are areas of little or no rain.
In Pakistan, the deserts are hot and sandy
Little food can be grown there.
Fishing Settlements in Pakistan
Abdul Rehman Goth is a small fishing village not far from Karachi.
The village is very close to the shore so the fishermen don’t have far to go each day to work.
Many of the houses are wooden and some are made of mud bricks.
The village has a fuel station, an ice house, a school, and a mosque.
Every morning the fishermen drag their boats down to the water.
They help each other because the boats are heavy.
The men tie fishing lines to the backs of the boats and move the lines back and forth in the water.
Some fishermen also use gill nets, which are large nets dragged along the sea bed to catch fish.
Most of the fishing boats have motors rather than sails.
Fishermen’s Catch and Activities
The fishermen catch red snapper, mackerel, barramundi, pomfret, sua fish, and mullet.
They return to the village in the afternoon to store their fish in ice and to mend their boats and nets.
Some of the fishermen also fish from the beach.
They use small casting nets.
The fishermen keep some of the fish to eat themselves.
They sell the rest in the local markets.
It’s a Fact! (Legend of Karachi)
- According to legend, Karachi started as a fishing settlement too.
- A fisherwoman, Mai Kolachi, settled there and started a family.
Tanji, Gambia, Africa
- Tanji is a small fishing village in Gambia, Africa.
- Gambia is the smallest country in Africa.
- Tanji has about 3000 people.
- There is a mosque, a primary school, a mixed-fuel station, a fisheries centre, shops, a museum, and a market.
- The village is very close to the sea.
- Many of the people work as fishermen.
- They live in large houses of 20–40 people.
- The household includes the head of the family, his brothers, and their wives and children.
- Most houses are made of mud brick with roofs made of straw.
- Newer homes are made of cement blocks with roofs made of wavy metal sheets.
- .
General Context
- Most people in Pakistan live on farms and in villages and towns rather than in cities.
- This is changing, as more people are starting to leave the countryside and move to the city.
Reasons for Moving to the City
1. Economic / Work Opportunities
- “I left my farm to work in a factory in the city.”
- “I now earn more money for my family.”
2. Education and Career
- “I left my town to go to university in the city.”
- “I hope to get a good job when I graduate.”
- “Our family left our village so we could go to a better school in the city.”
3. Healthcare and Housing
- “We moved to the city to get better hospital treatment and a newer house.”
4. Entertainment and Lifestyle
- “I was happy to move to the city because there is more to do there than in my village.”
- “I can now go to the cinema and to restaurants at the weekend.”
Problems of City Life
- Lack of Job Success: Not everyone who moves to the city can get a job, despite more jobs being available than in the countryside.
- Poor Living Conditions: People hoping for a better life often end up in poorer conditions.
- Slum Dwelling (Unproper Housing): Many end up living in slums (informal settlements).
- Lack of Basic Amenities: Slums lack proper houses, clean water, or electricity.
- Personal Struggles (Example 1): One man states he can’t find any work, his family has no proper house or clean water, and he doesn’t know what to do.
- Child Labor/No Education (Example 2): A child shares they don’t go to school and instead find old bottles and sell them to make money for the family.
Karachi Fact
- Karachi is the biggest city in Pakistan.
- Approximately 15 million people live there.
BOOK QUESTIONS
Name two places near the border with Afghanistan:
→ Chaman and Torkham
Name three places near the border with India:
→ Lahore, Sialkot, and Kasur
Name four places near the Indus River:
→ Sukkur, Hyderabad, Dera Ghazi Khan, and Multan
Find Karachi. Name the city to the north-east:
→ Hyderabad
Find Sargodha. Name a city to the south-east:
→ Faisalabad
Find Qila Saifullah. Which country is close to this place?
→ Iran
Find Gujranwala. Name the city to the south of this place:
→ Lahore
Which city is very near to Rawalpindi?
→ Islamabad
Name three places on the southern coast:
→ Karachi, Gwadar, and Pasni
Name two places in the far north of Pakistan:
→ Gilgit and Skardu
I’d be glad to help you solve this! Here are the answers and reasoning, presented in a clear, easy-to-read format suitable for a junior student. 🧑🏫
Part A: True or False?
- A town is a larger settlement than a village. TRUE
- In Pakistan, cities are settlements with over 100,000 people. TRUE
- All settlements must be near a supply of fresh water. TRUE
- Settlements do not develop in mining areas because it is too dirty for people to live there. FALSE
- In the past, people often built fort settlements on high land to protect themselves from enemies. TRUE
Part B: Where Would You Build a New Town?
You have two choices for building a new town:
- a. near a river, with good soil but it sometimes floods
- b. on higher land above the river, with poorer soil
My Choice: b
Reasons for the Choice
Building the new town on higher land (b) is the better choice for these reasons:
- Safety from Floods: The biggest reason is safety. If you build the town where it sometimes floods (a), houses, roads, and people’s belongings will be washed away and damaged. Building on high ground keeps everyone safe and dry.
- Long-Term Security: A town is a permanent place. While good soil (a) is great for farming outside the town, the town itself needs to be secure. The risk of flooding is too great to risk the entire town.
- Still Close to Water: The higher land is still above the river, meaning people can easily walk down to the river for water, or pipes can be installed to bring the water up to the town. You get the benefit of the water without the danger of the flood!
Book Page : 32