ABSTRACT
A region is not only a system of functionally diversified settlements but also a network of social, economic, and physical interactions. The processes of interaction are shaped by linkages among settlements. They are the means through which people living in rural areas and small villages obtain access to services, facilities, infrastructure and economic activities located in towns and cities. Through these linkages rural people receive many of the inputs needed to increase agricultural productivity and market the goods they produce. Therefore, regional planners and policy-makers must be concerned about the effectiveness of these processes of interaction and the degree to which settlements are linked to each other in ways that provide a maximum amount of access to people living in all parts of the region.
