Hamlet (settlement)

A hamlet is a human settlement that is smaller than a town or village. Its size relative to a parish can depend on the administration and region. A hamlet may be considered to be a smaller settlement or subdivision or satellite entity to a larger settlement.

The word and concept of a hamlet has roots in the Anglo-Norman settlement of England, where the old French ' came to apply to small human settlements.

Etymology

The word comes from Anglo-Norman ', corresponding to Old French ', the diminutive of Old French ' meaning a little village. This, in turn, is a diminutive of Old French ', possibly borrowed from (West Germanic) Franconian languages. Compare with modern French ', Dutch ', Frisian ', German ', Old English ' and Modern English ''home''.

By country

Afghanistan

In Afghanistan, the counterpart of the hamlet is the qala (Dari: قلعه, Pashto: کلي) meaning "fort" or "hamlet". The Afghan ''qala'' is a fortified group of houses, generally with its own community building such as a mosque, but without its own marketplace. The qala is the smallest type of settlement in Afghan society, outsized by the village (Dari/Pashto: ده), which is larger and includes a commercial area.

Canada

In Canada's three territories, hamlets are officially designated municipalities. As of January 1, 2010:

* Northwest Territories had 11 hamlets, each of which had a population of less than 900 people as of the 2016 census;
* Nunavut had 24 hamlets, with populations ranging from 129 to 2,842 as of the 2016 census; and
* Yukon had two hamlets, both of which had a population of less than 450 people as of the 2016 census.

In Canada's provinces, hamlets are usually small unincorporated communities within a larger municipality (similar to civil townships in the United States), such as many communities within the single-tier municipalities of Ontario or within Alberta's specialized and rural municipalities.

Canada's two largest hamlets—Fort McMurray (formerly incorporated as a city) and Sherwood Park—are located in Alberta. They each have populations, within their main urban area, in excess of 60,000—well in excess of the 10,000-person threshold that can choose to incorporate as a city in Alberta. The designation of these urban areas as a "hamlet" is simply to enable their residents to participate in the politics of their surrounding counties. As such, these two hamlets have been further designated by the Province of Alberta as urban service areas. An urban service area is recognized as equivalent to a city for the purposes of provincial and federal program delivery and grant eligibility.

France

A hamlet, french: hameau, is a group of rural dwellings, usually too small to be considered a village. The term is also applied to hamlets, but this can also refer to non-inhabited localities.

During the 18th century, for rich or noble people, it was fashionable to create their own ' in their gardens. These were a group of houses or farms with rustic appearance, but in fact were very comfortable. The best known is the ''Hameau de la Reine'' built by the queen Marie-Antoinette in the park of the '; also the ''Hameau de Chantilly'' built by Louis Joseph, Prince of Condé in .

Germany

The German word for hamlet is ' (). A ''Weiler'' has, compared to a ''Dorf'' (village), no infrastructure (i.e. no inn, no school, no store). There are hamlets with churches, these are called "Kirchweiler" (church hamlet). The houses and farms of a ''Weiler'' can be grouped (in the hills and the mountains) or scattered (in the plains). In North West Germany, a group of scattered farms is called ''Bauerschaft''. In a Weiler there are no street names, the houses are just numbered.

India

In different states of India, there are different words for hamlet. In Haryana and Rajasthan it is called ''" dhani"'' ( hi, ढाणी ') or ''"Thok"''.Ashutosh Goyal, 2015
"RBS Visitors Guide India - Rajasthan: Rajasthan Travel guide".
Data & Expo India Pvt Ltd, .Rann Singh Mann, K. Mann, 1989
"Tribal Cultures and Change".
pp. 23.S. H. M. Rizvi, 198
"Mina, the ruling tribe of Rajasthan: socio-biological appraisal".
pp. 34. In Gujarat a hamlet is called a ''"nesada"'', which are more prevalent in the Gir forest. In Maharashtra it's called a ''"pada"''. In southern Bihar, especially in the Magadh division, a hamlet is called a ''"bigha"''. In state of Karnataka, Hamlet (place of human settlement) is known by different names like Palya, Hadi(Haadi),Keri and Padi(Paadi). In olden days the human population of hamlet was less than Halli(Village) or Ooru(Uru). But in 20th century with tremendous increase in population, some of these hamlets have become villages, towns, cities or merged with them.

Indonesia

All over Indonesia, hamlets are translated as "small village", or '. They are known as ' in Central Java and East Java, ' in Bali, ' or ' in West Sumatra.

Netherlands

The Dutch words for hamlet are ' or '. A ''gehucht'' or ''buurtschap'' has, compared to a ''dorp'' (village), no infrastructure (i.e. no inn, no school, no store) and contains often only one street, bearing the same name. The houses and farms of a ''gehucht'' or a ''buurtschap'' can be scattered. Though there are strong similarities between a ''gehucht'' and ''buurtschap'', the words are not interchangeable. A ''gehucht'' officially counts as an independent place of residence (e.g. Wateren), while a ''buurtschap'' officially is a part of an other place (e.g. Bartlehiem, part of Wyns).

Pakistan

In Pakistan a hamlet is called a ''gaaon'' گاؤں or mauza موضع in Urdu

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