Analysis of the Spatial Distribution Pattern of Cities on the Northern and Southern Coasts of Iran

Human and natural factors are effective in the distribution of cities and urbanization. In Iran, the role of the human factor is greater, and this has been due to the implementation of development policies and programs. This factor has led to regional inequality and geographical imbalances, including on the north and south coasts which is well reflected in the distribution pattern of cities. In the present article, we try to compare the distribution patterns of cities on the north and south coasts, which have a common feature, being adjacent to the sea. So, the question is what is the pattern of spatial distribution of cities on the north and south coasts of the country? The research method is descriptive-inferential and using the model of the nearest neighborhood and Moran coefficient, the location of the studied cities have been compared with each other. The results show that the spatial distribution of cities in the northern coastal basin is more concentrated than the spatial distribution of cities in the southern coastal basin except Khuzestan plain. Northern cities have favorable natural conditions, traction poles, transit routes, and anti-deprivation policies, and therefore they are more spatially correlated with each other. The spatial distribution of cities in the southern coastal basin is clustered in the western part and the spatial auto-correlation is positive, but to the east, the density of cities and their spatial cohesion is reduced. For this reason, the density and spatial cohesion of cities on the east of the southern coast is minimized.