Synopsis The theoretical aspects of rural settlement geography have been regimented for the study of Indian villages which have passed through the change of environmental scenario. Its rural population of over 600 million witness thousands of rural settlements washed away in the furry of floods and bear the agonies of drought and breakout of fire annually. The inhabitants display a remarkable resilience in the process of settlement and resettlement characterised by great regional variations in the form, type and patterns of rural settlements and housing conditions. These situations have changed as witnessed the habitat year of 1987 and the world strategy of shelter. The rural service centers and central places form the nucleus of settlement growth. The major contributors in the field of rural settlements, models and the size and spacing have also been delineated.