habitado

Habitado is an adjective used in Spanish (and in similar form in Portuguese) to denote that a place is occupied or populated by people. It serves as the past participle of habitar and is commonly applied to describe settlements, areas, or regions where human presence or activity is established. The term is frequently paired with phrases such as area habitada, zona habitada, or núcleo habitado to distinguish populated spaces from uninhabited ones.

In geography and demography, habitado indicates that residents or inhabitants are present, level of human activity, and the distribution of population within a territory. It is often contrasted with deshabitado or no habitado to mark places without permanent residents or with minimal or no human occupation. In urban planning, labeling an area as habitado helps guide decisions about infrastructure, services, housing development, and environmental management.

In archaeology and anthropology, a sitio habitado refers to a site with evidence of human occupation, as opposed to sites that are ceremonial, ritual, or naturally formed. The term thus functions across disciplines to reflect the presence or absence of human dwelling and use.

Etymologically, habitado derives from habitar, which comes from Latin habitare, meaning to dwell or reside. In modern usage, habitado also appears in Portuguese with a similar meaning, and the concept is broadly understood in Spanish-language and Lusophone contexts as describing inhabited or populated spaces.

See also: habitar, habitante, deshabitado, poblado, población.