URBANISATION AND URBAN SYSTEMS IN HARYANA - A GEOGRAPHICAL

Abstract

Rural or urban distribution is an important attribute of any population because the characteristics associated with rural distribution are entirely different from the personality of an urban area. The term ‘urban population’ has been defined differently in different countries depending on the local conditions and criteria. With 27.81 per cent urban population, India is at a low level of urbanization as compared with the more developed countries. However, there exist large regional variations in different parts of the country as far as level of urbanization is concerned. The present paper is an attempt to analyse the process of urbanization and urban systems in a north-western state of Haryana from a geographical perspective. The state of Haryana is slightly above the national average (28.9 per cent) in terms of level of urbanization and plays a significant role in the country’s economy due to its strategic location around the national capital of Delhi and an important connection between the other north-western states and the national capital.