Which concept explains that larger settlements provide services to more people who are willing to travel farther?

• A. Non-basic industries
• B. Gravity Model
• C. Public Services
• D. Central Place Theory

Answer: (D)

Central Place Theory explains how settlements organize to provide goods and services to surrounding areas. The idea is that bigger settlements offer a wider range of higher-order services that require a larger market, so people from distant places are willing to travel farther to access them. This creates larger catchment areas around cities, with smaller towns serving nearby residents by offering basic, lower-order services. In short, larger settlements draw in more people from farther away because they provide more diverse and specialized services that justify longer trips. The gravity model, while about how interaction declines with distance, focuses on flows between places rather than the structured hierarchy and service ranges of settlements.