Using complete sentences, explain how geographers compare and rank human settlements.

Sample response:

Geographers look at two main factors when they rank human settlements. First, they consider a city’s population, or the number of people living in the settlement. Is it a small city, a metropolis, or a megacity? Next, they consider the city’s impact on the region. How important is the settlement, and how does the settlement affect its neighbors? Is it a lower-order settlement? Perhaps it’s a primate city.