The site of a settlement is its exact physical location.
The situation of a settlement is its setting in relation to surrounding features.
Most settlements grew up in ancient times, before motorways and tourism. Early settlers would have considered the following factors:
Relief - settlers would choose an area that was high enough to be safe from flooding but low enough to be sheltered from winds.
Transport - settlers would choose a site near a fording or bridging point of a river, at a crossroads (originally tracks rather than roads) or near the coast as this made travel more easy.
Soil - settlers would choose areas with deeper and more fertile soil as this is better for agriculture.
Water supply - settlers would choose a site near a river, spring or well as they needed water for cooking, cleaning and drinking.
Wood - settlers would choose to settle near woodland as they used wood for building and fuel.
Defence - settlers would choose hilltops, marshes and meander beds as these sites were easier to defend.Â