Answer:
Politics and economic factors seldom play a role in where people settle
Resources availability influences where people settle
Explanation:
In order for a settlement to be formed, it has to provide certain basic living conditions so that the humans can live there. This brings in the question of availability of resources such as water, food, fertile soil, minerals, raw materials.
More often than not, these resources are found along the rivers, especially the larger ones, so it is no wonder that the majority of the settlements around the world are along the rivers.
The political and economic factors too play a very big role in the settlement patterns. If the political conditions are good, the population feels safe, and it has good condition for development, than the settlements will grow and prosper, but if its the opposite, the people will move out and the settlements will seize to exist. The economic factors are crucial, as they are the ones that provide conditions for prosper and development of the settlements. With good economic conditions, the settlements will grow, with bad ones, the settlements will lose population or even stop to exist.