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Village: the story on HearLore | HearLore
Village
A village is a human settlement or residential community that sits between a hamlet and a town, typically housing a few hundred to a few thousand people. While often located in rural areas, the concept extends to urban neighborhoods known as urban villages. These communities are normally permanent with fixed dwellings, yet transient villages can exist. The dwellings are fairly close to one another, distinguishing them from dispersed settlements. In the past, villages were the usual form of community for societies practicing subsistence agriculture and some non-agricultural societies. In Great Britain, a hamlet earned the right to be called a village when it built a church. Historically, homes were situated together for sociability and defense, with land surrounding the living quarters farmed. Traditional fishing villages were based on artisan fishing and located adjacent to fishing grounds. The Industrial Revolution attracted people in larger numbers to work in mills and factories, causing the concentration of people that enabled many villages to grow into towns and cities. This trend of urbanization continues but not always in connection with industrialization. In toponomastic terminology, the names of individual villages are called Comonyms, derived from the Ancient Greek words for village and name.
Global Settlement Patterns
Across Central and South Asia, the village serves as the mid-size settlement type in Afghan society, trumping the United States hamlet or qala, though smaller than the town or shār. In India, the soul of the nation lives in its villages, with 69% of Indians living in rural areas according to the 2011 census. There were 649,481 villages in India, with 236,004 having a population of fewer than 500 and 3,976 having over 10,000. Most villages have their own temple, mosque, or church depending on the local religious following. In Pakistan, about 64% of the population lives in rural areas, with village life marked by kinship and exchange relations. In Kazakhstan, 42.7% of citizens live in 8,172 different villages, where the word auyl is used alongside the Slavic word selo in Northern Kazakhstan. In East Asia, villages in mainland China and Taiwan are divisions under townships or towns, while in Japan, the village of Shirakawa-gō stands as a notable example of traditional architecture. In Southeast Asia, villages in Brunei are the third and lowest-level subdivisions, while in Indonesia, desa and kelurahan are administered according to traditions and customary law or modern principles respectively. The term kampung is used in Malaysia and Singapore, with the last surviving village on the mainland being Kampong Lorong Buangkok. In Vietnam, villages made up the basis of society, with villagers sharing the same bloodline and usually being rice farmers. The Vietnamese saying Custom rules the law reflects the importance of village customs over national law.
Common questions
What is the population range of a village?
A village typically houses a few hundred to a few thousand people. In India, there were 649,481 villages in 2011, with 236,004 having a population of fewer than 500 and 3,976 having over 10,000. In South Africa, villages vary in size from having a population of less than 500 to around 1,000.
When did the Industrial Revolution change village life?
The Industrial Revolution attracted people in larger numbers to work in mills and factories, causing the concentration of people that enabled many villages to grow into towns and cities. This trend of urbanization continues but not always in connection with industrialization. In the 1960s and 1970s, the depopulation of smaller villages was driven by central planners' drive to get farm workers out of smaller hamlets and into collective or state farms.
Where are the largest villages located in the United States?
In New York, Hempstead is the largest village with 55,000 residents. In Michigan, the largest village is Beverly Hills in Southfield Township, which had a population of 10,267 people as of the 2010 census. In Wisconsin, the largest village is Menomonee Falls, which has over 32,000 residents.
Why do villages in Great Britain historically require a church?
In Great Britain, a hamlet earned the right to be called a village when it built a church. The main historical distinction between a hamlet and a village was that the latter had a church. Historically, the formal indication of status was religious, with a city having a cathedral, a selo having a church, and a derevnya having neither.
How many villages are listed in the Les Plus Beaux Villages de France association?
An independent association named Les Plus Beaux Villages de France was created in 1982 to promote assets of small and picturesque villages. There are 172 villages listed as of July 2023. In Italy, the association I Borghi più belli d'Italia was created in 2001, with 361 villages listed as of November 2023.
In Slavic-speaking countries, the word selo means village in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, North Macedonia, Russia, Serbia, and Ukraine. In Russia, 26.3% of the country's population lives in rural localities, with the two most common types being derevnya and selo. Historically, the formal indication of status was religious, with a city having a cathedral, a selo having a church, and a derevnya having neither. During the 1960s and 1970s, the depopulation of smaller villages was driven by central planners' drive to get farm workers out of smaller hamlets and into collective or state farms. In Ukraine, the khutir and stanitsa are no longer part of the administrative division, primarily due to collectivization. In Finland, a land register village was a cadastral unit used until February 2014. In France, an independent association named Les Plus Beaux Villages de France was created in 1982 to promote assets of small and picturesque villages, with 172 villages listed as of July 2023. In Germany, a Dorf usually consists of at least a few houses but can have up to a few thousand inhabitants. In Italy, no legal definition of village exists, but a settlement inhabited by less than 2,000 people is usually described as a village. The association I Borghi più belli d'Italia was created in 2001, with 361 villages listed as of November 2023. In Spain, a village refers to a small population unit, smaller than a town and a city, typically located in a rural environment. In the Netherlands, villages were traditionally built on low man-made hills called terpen before the introduction of regional dyke-systems.
The Ashkenazi Legacy and British Ideal
A shtetl was a small market town or village with a majority Jewish population in central and eastern Europe, first appearing in the 13th century. The word shtetl is Yiddish, derived from the word shtot with the suffix -l, a diminutive. Shtetlekh were characteristic aspects of Jewish life until the 1940s, when most were depopulated of their Jewish communities through mass deportations or liquidations during the Holocaust. Many are memorialized in yizkor books, written testimonies that describe the histories of Jewish communities destroyed during the Holocaust. In the United Kingdom, a village is a compact settlement of houses, smaller in size than a town, and generally based on agriculture or, in some areas, mining, quarrying, or sea fishing. The major factors in the type of settlement are the location of water sources, organization of agriculture and landholding, and likelihood of flooding. Some villages have disappeared, sometimes leaving behind a church or manor house and sometimes nothing but bumps in the fields. Clearances may have been to accommodate sheep or game estates, or enclosure, or may have resulted from depopulation, such as after the Black Death. In the UK, the main historical distinction between a hamlet and a village was that the latter had a church. The typical village had a pub or inn, shops, and a blacksmith, but many of these facilities are now gone. For many British people, the village represents an ideal of Great Britain, seen as being far from the bustle of modern life, represented as quiet and harmonious, if a little inward-looking. This concept of an unspoilt Arcadia is present in many popular representations of the village such as the radio serial The Archers or the best kept village competitions.
Americas and Oceania Structures
In contrast to the Old World, the concept of village in Canada and the United States today is largely disconnected from its rural and communal origins. The situation is different in Mexico because of its large bulk of indigenous population living in traditional villages. It is believed that the name Canada may be a transliteration of the Iroquoisan word for village, with Jacques Cartier being given directions to the Kanata of Kebec. In the United States, the term village refers to a specific form of incorporated municipal government in twenty states, similar to a city but with less authority and geographic scope. In New York, there is no population limit to villages, with Hempstead, the largest village, having 55,000 residents. In Michigan, a village is always legally part of a township, with the largest village being Beverly Hills in Southfield Township, which had a population of 10,267 people as of the 2010 census. In Wisconsin, the largest village is Menomonee Falls, which has over 32,000 residents. In many states, the term village is used to refer to a relatively small unincorporated community, similar to a hamlet in New York state. In New England, a village is a center of population or trade, including the town center, in an otherwise sparsely developed town or city. In Oceania, communities on Pacific islands were historically called villages by English speakers who traveled and settled in the area. The traditional Māori village was the pā, a fortified hill-top settlement. In Australia, the term village often is used in reference to small planned communities such as retirement communities or shopping districts, and tourist areas such as ski resorts.
African and Middle Eastern Dynamics
In Nigeria, villages vary significantly because of cultural and geographical differences. In the North, villages were under traditional rulers long before the Jihad of Shaikh Uthman Bin Fodio and after the Holy War. After Dan Fodio's Jihad in 1804, the political structure of the North became Islamic where emirs were the political, administrative and spiritual leaders of their people. Every Hausa village was reigned by Magaji, who was answerable to his Hakimi at the town level. In Southern Nigeria, village dwellers in the Southeastern region lived separately in clusters of huts belonging to the patrilinage. In South Africa, the majority of people in rural areas reside in villages, varying in size from having a population of less than 500 to around 1,000. In Lebanon, villages are usually located in remote mountainous areas, with the majority retaining their Aramaic names or being derivative of the Aramaic names. The district of Danniyeh consists of thirty-six small villages, including Almrah, Kfirchlan, and Kfirhbab. In Syria, villages vary in size and importance, including the ancient, historical and religious villages such as Ma'loula, Sednaya, and Brad. Villages in the south of Syria depend mostly on agriculture, mainly grain, vegetables, and fruits, while villages in the region of Damascus and Aleppo depend on trading. In Guyana, villages can still be found on river banks and communities off central roads. In Uruguay, a villa is one of the three levels at which the government classifies urbanizations, with a villa being the highest rank than a pueblo and lower than a city.
The Future of Village Life
The trend of urbanization continues but not always in connection with industrialization. In many cultures, towns and cities were few, with only a small proportion of the population living in them. The Industrial Revolution attracted people in larger numbers to work in mills and factories, causing the concentration of people that enabled many villages to grow into towns and cities. This also enabled specialization of labor and crafts and the development of many trades. In modern times, many villages are now predominantly dormitory locations and have suffered the loss of shops, churches and other facilities. In Russia, as prosperous urbanites purchase village houses for their second homes, Russian villages sometimes are transformed into dacha settlements, used mostly for seasonal residence. In the Netherlands, villages were traditionally built on low man-made hills called terpen before the introduction of regional dyke-systems. In the United States, villages in New York may not exceed 5 square miles in area, while in Michigan, villages can incorporate land in multiple townships and even multiple counties. In the Philippines, villages in urban areas most commonly refer to private subdivisions, especially gated communities, which emerged in the mid-20th century and were initially the domain of elite urban dwellers. In Malaysia, kampung villages were once aplenty in Singapore but there are almost no remaining kampung villages, with the very few to have survived until today being mostly on outlying islands surrounding mainland Singapore. In Vietnam, it is common for villagers to prefer to be buried in their village upon death, reflecting the deep connection to the land and community.
Cultural Identity and Preservation
In many cultures, the village represents an ideal of Great Britain, seen as being far from the bustle of modern life, represented as quiet and harmonious, if a little inward-looking. This concept of an unspoilt Arcadia is present in many popular representations of the village such as the radio serial The Archers or the best kept village competitions. In France, an independent association named Les Plus Beaux Villages de France was created in 1982 to promote assets of small and picturesque villages of quality heritage. In Italy, the association I Borghi più belli d'Italia was created in 2001, with 361 villages listed as of November 2023. The association organizes initiatives within the villages, such as festivals, exhibitions, fetes, conferences and concerts that highlight the cultural, historical, gastronomic and linguistic heritage, involving residents, schools, and local artists. In Bulgaria, it is popular to visit villages for the atmosphere, culture, crafts, hospitality of the people and the surrounding nature, a practice called selski turizam. In Lebanon, the district of Danniyeh consists of thirty-six small villages, with the largest town being Sir Al Dinniyeh. In Syria, villages in the south of Syria depend mostly on agriculture, mainly grain, vegetables, and fruits, while villages in the region of Damascus and Aleppo depend on trading. In the United States, villages in New York may not exceed 5 square miles in area, while in Michigan, villages can incorporate land in multiple townships and even multiple counties. In the Philippines, villages in urban areas most commonly refer to private subdivisions, especially gated communities, which emerged in the mid-20th century and were initially the domain of elite urban dwellers. In Malaysia, kampung villages were once aplenty in Singapore but there are almost no remaining kampung villages, with the very few to have survived until today being mostly on outlying islands surrounding mainland Singapore. In Vietnam, it is common for villagers to prefer to be buried in their village upon death, reflecting the deep connection to the land and community.