Village

A village is a human settlement or a residential community. It is defined by its size and structure. A village is larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town. Most villages have populations ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand people.

While many villages are in rural areas, some are called urban villages. These are specific neighborhoods located within a city. Most villages are permanent settlements with fixed dwellings. However, transient villages also exist, which do not stay in one place.

In a village, dwellings are clustered fairly close to one another. This makes them different from a dispersed settlement, where homes are spread broadly over the landscape. Historically, people lived in close groups for sociability and defense. They often farmed the land immediately surrounding their living quarters.

Traditional fishing villages were also common. These were located adjacent to fishing grounds to support artisan fishing. In the past, villages were the main community type for societies practicing subsistence agriculture. This means they grew enough food to survive.

The way people live in villages changed during the Industrial Revolution. Before this time, towns and cities were few. Most of the population lived in small communities. The rise of mills and factories attracted many people to larger areas. This concentration of people caused many villages to grow into towns and cities.

This shift also allowed for the specialization of labor and crafts. People could focus on specific trades. Today, the trend of urbanization continues, though it is not always tied to industrialization.

Different cultures use specific terms to describe their villages. In Afghanistan, a village is called a deh. A deh is a mid-size settlement. It is larger than a qala, which is a hamlet, but smaller than a shār, or town. A shār includes governmental buildings and services like police stations or higher education.

In Kazakhstan, the word for village is auyl. In Northern Kazakhstan, people also use the Slavic word selo. In many Slavic-speaking countries, such as Serbia and Bulgaria, selo is the standard term. Some of these villages are even named Novo Selo, which means "New Village."

In South and Southeast Asia, villages have very specific cultural roles. In India, villages are vital to the nation's identity. According to the 2011 census, 69% of Indians lived in villages. This included about 833 million people across 649,481 villages.

These villages vary in size. Some have fewer than 500 people, while others have over 10,000. In Vietnam, the village is a symbol of agricultural production. These villages often feature bamboo hedges, a communal house, and a shared well.

In Indonesia, a desa is a rural village governed by customary law called adat. An urban village is called a kelurahan and follows modern administrative principles.

In Malaysia and Brunei, the term kampung is used for a village. In Malaysia, a kampung is defined as a locality with 10,000 or fewer people.

These villages often have houses on stilts and paddy fields. Villagers practice a culture of helping one another known as gotong royong. This is the "joint bearing of burdens." In Brunei, villages are the lowest level of administrative subdivision. They are led by a village head. These communities may include a primary school, a mosque, or a community center.

Village names also provide interesting linguistic clues. In toponomastic terminology, the names of individual villages are called comonyms. The word "village" comes from the Middle English village and Old French village. It ultimately traces back to the Latin word villa.

In Slovakia, the word dedina is used, which may relate to the verb dediť, meaning to inherit. This suggests a history of inheriting whole properties or villages. Whether through agriculture, fishing, or modern urban living, villages remain essential parts of human geography.