Which statements describe settlement patterns?
(a) land use is affected by settlement patterns.
(b) politics and economic factors seldom play a role in where people settle.
(c) settlement patterns provide information about the people living in specific areas.
(d) resource availability influences where people settle.

The correct answer is D. Resource availability influences where people settle.

Explanation:

Settlement patterns have historically been linked to the presence or absence of exploitable resources for human consumption in a given territory. While it is true that there are other issues that influence the determination of a human group with respect to settling or not in a place (such as the climate of a given region), the truth is that resources play a fundamental role in the development of human settlements.

Resources are those goods that can be consumed by humans for their survival. They are indispensable for human life, so their absence puts a total limit on the development of communities. A clear example of lack of resources and how this influences the development of human settlements can be seen in the Sahara Desert, where the absence of resources for human consumption is almost total, as is the human population in the place. Moreover, the only places where there are population settlements in that desert is in the oases, which are small territories with available resources in the middle of the desert. As it can be seen, the presence of resources enables the territories to be populated.