NCERT Solutions for Class 8th Social Science Chapter 14 India’s Urban Landscape
Updated on 2026-09-19
About this chapter
A city is an area with a concentration of population, many kinds of businesses and occupations, government institutions and elaborate transport and communication systems, run by elected local bodies ; a village has fewer people, more agriculture-based work and is governed by a gram panchayat . Where the line is drawn differs everywhere: a place is urban above 220 people in Denmark, 5,000 in India and 50,000 in Japan. Population density = total population of a region ÷ area of the region (in sq km) . It is what separates the satellite image of Asadpur Khera village from that of Gurugram city (Fig. 7.3) — same state, same land, very different number of people on each square kilometre. Cities become economic centres through location (rivers, coasts, trade routes), raw materials (Sakchi’s iron
- Chapter opener
- Introduction
- Population Density in Cities
- How do Cities Become Centres of Economic Activities?
- Cities as Cultural Hubs
- Challenges Faced by Cities
- End of the chapter
Quick revision
| Term | What it means | Where it appears in the chapter | The chapter’s own example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population density | Total population of a region divided by its area in square kilometres | Population Density in Cities, p. 193 | Singapore has over 8,000 people per sq km (p. 207) |
| Demographer | People who study the characteristics of populations — size, age structure, geographic distribution and so on | Margin note, p. 193 | Demographers are the experts who work out density figures |
| Satellite view | A top-down view or visual data of the earth’s surface captured by satellites orbiting the Earth | Margin note, p. 193 | Fig. 7.3 — Asadpur Khera village beside Gurugram city |
| Urbanisation | Population shift from rural to urban areas and the corresponding decrease in the proportion of people living in rural areas | Margin note, p. 197 | India: 17% urban in 1951 to about 40% in 2025 (p. 194) |
| Metropolitan area | What a city expands into as it grows outwards and absorbs the settlements around it | Fig. 7.6, p. 196; Delhi, p. 200 | The NCR was created to include NOIDA and Ghaziabad; Gurugram grew from the 1990s |
| Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) | A company hiring another service provider to do specific business functions or processes for it, cutting costs and bringing in expert professionals | Margin note, p. 200 | Gurugram became a major IT and BPO hub, drawing global companies |
| Air Quality Index (AQI) | A numerical scale that folds data on pollutants such as PM2.5, PM10, carbon monoxide and sulfur dioxide into one easy-to-understand value | Margin note, p. 203 | The NCR frequently records levels over 400, against a safe limit of 50 |
| Slum | An overcrowded city settlement with poor housing and limited water, sanitation and other municipal services | Challenges Faced by Cities, p. 203 | They grow on vacant land near a city’s periphery, railway tracks and industrial areas |
| Heat island | The rise in temperature a built-up area creates within itself | Challenges Faced by Cities, p. 203 | Listed with narrow roads, unplanned colonies and more vehicles as urban problems |
| Urban planner | A person who plans and designs how land in cities and towns is used, to optimise infrastructure and the overall quality of life for residents | Margin note, p. 206 | Vidyadhar Bhattacharya, chief architect and planner of Jaipur, 1727 |
| Master Plan | A long-term planning document that provides a conceptual layout to guide future growth and development | Margin note, p. 207 | Singapore updates its Master Plan every 5 years; its Concept Plan looks 40 years ahead |
| Blue zone | A city or region where people live significantly longer, healthier lives — often reaching 90 or 100 — with low rates of chronic disease | Margin note, p. 209 | Singapore; and Okinawa in Japan |
Exercises
- Chapter opener — The Big Questions Page 191
- Introduction — LET’S EXPLORE Page 192
- Population Density in Cities — THINK ABOUT IT Page 193
- How do Cities Become Centres of Economic Activities? — LET’S EXPLORE Page 194 – 195
- How do Cities Become Centres of Economic Activities? — LET’S REMEMBER Page 198
- Cities as Cultural Hubs — LET’S EXPLORE Page 203
- Challenges Faced by Cities — THINK ABOUT IT Page 203
- End of the chapter — Questions and activities Page 212 – 214