Settlement area and communication in African towns and cities

The purpose of this chapter is to provide a broad comparative view of the settlement size of indigenous African towns and cities. The size of the settlements and their overall residential pattern are discussed in relation to issues of information management and the role of external economic influence. Generalized plans of the settlements are presented at standard scales to facilitate comparability. ¹ What will eventually be needed is a survey of the kind begun for towns and cities in the UK by Lobel (1969; 1974). In Africa, archaeology will be the crucial source for much of the information (Connah 1987, pp. 2–3, 14–15). The research on Mgungundlovu (Parkington & Cronin 1986), Begho (Posnansky n.d.), Benin (Connah 1975) and Jenne-jeno (McIntosh & McIntosh 1979; McIntosh & McIntosh 1980b; McIntosh & McIntosh, Ch. 37, this volume) illustrates the essential role of archaeology even for historically documented settlements.