We explain what the countryside and the city are, the characteristics of each one and their importance. Also, what are their differences.
In cities, houses and buildings are built very close to each other.
What is the countryside and what is the city?
The countryside and the city are the two main physical spaces in which the population settles and that present great natural, social and economic differences between themselves that influence the lifestyle of the individuals who live in each of these environments.
On the one hand, the countryside or rural environment is made up of large areas of land that are home to a small number of inhabitants who live in a dispersed manner in a natural environment. On the other hand, Cities are settlements made up of a large number of people who live in houses or buildings that are built very close to each other (since land is the most scarce and, therefore, most expensive asset). Cities vary among themselves according to their number of inhabitants, which can be thousands or millions.
In the countryside there is a predominance of primary economic activitiesthat is, the production of raw materials (such as agriculture and livestock) to supply different industries; in cities, tertiary activities predominate, especially those that provide goods and services. In rural areas there are usually fewer facilities and services than in cities. Thus, for example, to carry out procedures, to pursue higher education or to obtain more specialized medical care, the rural population is forced to move to an urban center.
The words “field” and “city” are often used as concepts in opposition, although in reality They function as complementary and interdependent elementssince the rural area is responsible for supplying the high demand for agricultural products coming from the city and the city provides goods and services that the countryside needs.
See also: Industrialism
Field characteristics
In rural areas there are scattered settlements.
Some of the main characteristics of rural areas are:
- They have one low population densitywhich usually remains stable and can be: dispersed rural areas or nucleated rural areas.
- They can be divided in ranches, farms, estates, among others.
- These are areas where activities are carried out primary economic activities such as agriculture, livestock farming, forestry, fishing, beekeeping and animal husbandry such as chickens. This production can be used for self-consumption or to supply a large population.
- They have part of their cultivated territory or with grazing areas.
- There is few buildings.
- A predominates natural environmentwith native flora and fauna.
- Have low levels of environmental pollutionvisual and sound.
- They usually have a town or nearby city in which commerce and services activities are carried out.
- Its population usually has access to education in rural schools.
- Its population is in contact with nature and has a less sedentary lifestyle than in cities, due to the development of primary activities and the scarcity of means of transport.
- They have a culture and own traditions shared by the entire rural community.
- Have areas of socialization more limited.
- Distances between towns are often large. and they do not have a very developed transportation service that connects all points.
Characteristics of the city
There is an extensive transportation network in cities.
There are different types of cities that vary mainly due to their population density. Different countries establish their criteria to determine when a settlement is considered a city.
Some of the characteristics that most cities share are:
- They have a high level of population density that grows rapidly.
- Its population lives in buildings or houses that are built in a limited physical space.
- They have high rates of environmental pollutionvisual and sound.
- They offer a lifestyle that is recognized as unhealthydue to factors such as stress and permanent exposure to environmental pollutants.
- They are a great tourist attraction.
- They are centers of artistic and cultural development with offers of cinema, music and theatre.
- They have a wide commercial developmentwith stores that offer products of different types and for different areas
- They have a varied gastronomic offerwith bars and restaurants.
- They have important health and educational centers.
- They have a varied job offer with opportunities in many areas.
- They have facilities that contribute to human interaction and social life of their populations.
- Count on developed transportation services (such as buses, trains, subways and taxis) that connect all points of the city.
- They have a landscape in which the predominant concrete constructions and steel, asphalt and green areas. Some of the constructions are: houses, hospitals, schools, public offices, shopping centers, among others.
- They have a constant flow of peoplewhich makes them heterogeneous and cosmopolitan places.
- They offer a higher cost of living than that of rural areas.
- They can accommodate a large inequality among its populationwhich can be caused by poor management of resources that prevents all inhabitants from accessing basic needs.
Differences between the countryside and the city
The rural population is in contact with nature and has a less sedentary lifestyle.
Some of the main differences between cities and rural environments are:
- Population. The city has a very high average number of inhabitants per km², while in the countryside there are small settlements or homes scattered over a wide area of territory.
- LandscapeThe city has an artificial landscape generated by humans, where cement buildings and paved streets predominate. In the countryside, the landscape has not undergone many changes and is characterized by being a natural environment.
- Infrastructure. The city has a great building and infrastructure development that allows the coexistence of various types of activities and industries. The countryside, for its part, has the necessary infrastructure for the development of the activities typical of that area and with houses in which the residents of the rural community live.
- Economic activityThe city functions as a centre for carrying out various economic activities related to services and the production of goods from raw materials. In the countryside, primary activities are carried out related to obtaining materials from natural resources or from animals and plants.
- Transport. The city is usually connected through an extensive transport network involving various means of transport such as trains, cars, bicycles, subways and motorcycles. In the countryside, on the other hand, distances are long and vehicles such as trucks are often used to transport materials, as well as others suitable for driving on stone or dirt roads. In addition, means of transport with horse power are used, such as horses.
- Services. The city has a wide range of services, which can be basic, such as education or health, or others such as gastronomy, entertainment, courier services, hairdressers, supermarkets, among many others. In the rural area there are small settlements that provide some basic services but, sometimes, their residents must move to the city to, for example, perform some medical intervention or pursue university studies.
- Employment. The city has great economic development, so the job offer is wide and varied. For its part, in the countryside the work revolves around the activities typical of rural areas.
- Lifestyle. The city has an accelerated pace that, in many cases, threatens communication and harmony between its members and can generate imbalances, stress and anguish. The countryside, for its part, has a pace of life that is more connected to the natural environment, so its inhabitants tend to have a slower life.
- Growth and development. The city is experiencing a dynamic of rapid transformation, because the population is growing rapidly, which creates urgent needs in terms of housing and employment. In the countryside this is not perceived, because the population tends to remain stable.
Importance of the countryside and the city
The countryside and the city are places where people live and are structures that coexist and complement each other.
The importance of the countryside lies in its role as a producer of many of the raw materials which allow feeding a large portion of the world’s population. Through primary activities, the countryside obtains from nature the resources that are the basis of both the food industry and the textile, pharmaceutical and construction industries, among many others.
The countryside is usually essential in the economies of developing countries in which economic growth depends fundamentally on the export of raw materials such as grains.
For its part, the city, by bringing together a large number of people in the same physical space, allows fundamental links and relationships to be generated, both in the economic, social and cultural spheres. Artistic, cultural, religious, business and sports life takes place in the city. of a society and is home to schools, churches, universities and health centers, which allows the population to access their main needs.
More than half of the world’s population lives in cities, settling both in large cities (the most populated cities in the world exceed 20 million inhabitants) and in medium-sized cities or others with a few thousand inhabitants.
Cities are also a source of history, which is why many of them became important tourist destinations.
It may help you: Sustainable city