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 industrialization 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: Pataya, 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