Rank Size Rule Settlement

Learning outcomes  To understand what the rank Size rule is and the pattern that it tries to outline

Rank Size Rule  This is an attempt to find a numerical relationship between population size of settlements within an area such as a country or county  Settlements are ranked in descending order of population size, with the largest city first

Assumptions  The 2 nd ranked city will have 1/2 the population of the 1 st  The 3 rd ranked city will have 1/3 population of the 1st  The 4 th ranked city will have a ¼ population of the 1st ranked city

Example  The largest city has a population of 1,000,000  The 2 nd largest city: 1,000,000/2= 500,000  The 3 rd city: 1,000,000/3= 333,333  The 4 th city: 1,000,000/4= 250,000  And so on….

Formula  This allows us to express the rank size rule as:  Pn= Pl /n (or R)  Pn= The population of the City  Pl= The population of the largest city  N (or R)= The rank size of the city  See graph Page 404/405 Brazil e.g.

Variations from the Rank Size Rule  It is rare to find a close correlation between the city size of a country and the rank size rule

Primate City  This is found where the largest city (often the capital) completely dominates a country or region  The population size will be many times greater than that of the 2 nd or 3 rd city

Example of Primate City: Buenos Aires  Populations in thousands:  Buenos Aires: 10,990  Cordoba: 1198  Rosario: 1096  Mendoza: 775  La Plata: 640  San Miguel de Tucuman: 622

Binary Distribution  Occurs where there are 2 very large cities of almost equal size within the same country. One may be the capital and the other a major port or industrial centre  Examples: Spain- Barcelona and Madrid

Exceptions to the rule  Rank size rule is more likely to operate in a country that is developed or urbanised for a long time  Large in size  Stable economic and political organisation  Primate distribution is likely to occur in countries that are small, less developed and only recently urbanised