Both natural factors and human factors are location factors that affect urban development. Natural factors mainly include topography, climate and rivers. Human factors include natural resources and transportation. Location factors refer to the causes or conditions that promote the formation and change of locational geographical characteristics and functions. These causes and conditions are also called location factors.

The location factors that affect cities include topography, climate, rivers, natural resources, transportation, politics and other aspects. When discussing the location factors of a city, we should first consider what factors attracted it to this location when it was just born; secondly, we should analyze what factors promoted and restricted its development. Only in this way can we find out the main location factors of a city.

(1) Topography and urban location

Cities in temperate and cold zones are mainly distributed in plains. Reasons: flat terrain, fertile soil, convenient for farming, and conducive to transportation links and saving construction investment. For example: my country's cities are mainly distributed on the third ladder, and the three major urban belts in the United States are located on plains. Tropical cities are distributed on plateaus. Reason: Tropical lowlands are hot and muggy, and living conditions are unfavorable. For example: Brazilian cities are mainly distributed on the Brazilian plateau, not on the Amazon Plain.

(2) Climate and urban location

Cities are distributed in coastal areas with moderate temperatures and precipitation in low and medium latitudes. Among my country's megacities, only Baotou, Lanzhou and Urumqi are located in the arid and semi-arid northwest regions with annual precipitation of less than 400 mm.

(3) Transportation and urban location

The locational factors of cities are different in different transportation eras. Ancient cities: most of them are located at the confluence of rivers in the south, and most of them are located at the confluence of avenues in the north, such as Handan; modern cities: cities are formed along railways and highways. Cities that have emerged as railway hubs include Shijiazhuang, Zhengzhou, Bengbu, Baoji, etc.

Extended information

Cities are advanced forms of settlements, a symbol of social progress, and the crystallization of human civilization. Although they are not large in area, as the center of human activities, they maintain close contact with the surrounding vast areas and have control, adjustment and service functions.

The factors that affect the specific location and distribution of a city are the location factors of the city. The formation and development of a city are affected by different factors. The location factors of the same city are different at different stages of development, but they all have their dominant location factors.