Functions of urban centres

Central place function market town Every town / city acts as a focus for its

surrounding area by providing services and goods to them

Services: retailing, legal, medical, education, banking, recreational…etc

Goods: industrial products, newspaper, books…etc

Transport function route focus Lyons, France Shanghai, China Osaka, Japan

Transport function ports Fishing ports: Grimsby, Sicily, Italy Commercial ports: Liverpool, Rotterdam Ferry ports: Dover, UK Naval ports: Portsmouth, UK

Industrial function industrial centre Major centres of population due to industrializ

ation Manchester, UK Essen, Germany

Industrial function mining town

Rhondda, South Wales

Cultural function centres of learning Oxford, UK Cambridge, UK Leuven, Belgium

Cultural function religious sites Santiago de Compostela, Spain Mecca,

Tourist function resort Seaside resort: Patay

a, Thailand Spa town: Hakodate

( 函館 ), Japan Winter sports resorts,

Zermatt, Switzerland

Military function defensive sites Aigues Mortes, France Valdivostok, Russia

Commercial function commercial / financial centre Hong Kong Singapore Tokyo

Administrative function administrative centre / capital city Canberra, Australia London, UK