Urbanization in India During the British Period (1857–1947) by Dipsikha Sahoo

Author:Dipsikha Sahoo [Sahoo, Dipsikha]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: History, General, World, Modern, Social History, Social Science, Sociology, Urban
ISBN: 9781000196368
Google: Ci74DwAAQBAJ
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 2020-10-14T16:15:52+00:00

4 Pattern of Urbanization in India During the British Period

The density of population in India in the nineteenth century varied according to the geographical setting of the region. Adna F. Weber (1899: 147) says, “India, Italy and Japan are densely populated countries but they have relatively small urban populations. On the other hand, the United States and Australia are thinly populated and still have relatively large urban populations”. Density was not perfectly correlated with urbanization. From the percentage of the population in cities of 10,000 and over, it was generalized that the western half was more urbanized than the eastern half, the reverse of the density pattern (Davis, 1951: 130–131). Excessive density of population was found in the valleys of the three provinces of Bengal (397), Oudh (468) and the North-West (378). According to the Census of India 1872, in western India, particularly in the Bombay Presidency, the density of population was 131 per square mile. The density of population throughout British India and the Feudatory States averaged 165 per square mile. In Punjab, the population density was 173. In South India, the density of population per square mile in Madras Presidency was 226 and 187 in Mysore. The provinces with a lower density of population such as British Burma (31), the Central Provinces (97) and Assam (99) experienced a lower rate of urbanization (Census of India, 1872). Fewer urban centres and population were found in the provinces of Burma, Assam and Baluchistan. The geographical setting was a determining factor in urbanization.

In 1941, the location of all cities of 50,000 or more suggests that 95 of these cities were scattered throughout the subcontinent but with some concentration in the Gangetic valley, northern Bombay and the extreme south.

The factors determining the location of the cities seem to be trade, industry, and political function, these in turn are related to transportation by water and rail, to natural resources, and to provincial and natural boundaries. The chief cities are on water routes, whether by sea or river. They are also, in most cases, provincial capitals.

(Davis, 1951: 131)

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