The Effect of Population Density on Rural Communities of Kurdistan Region, Iraq

Abstract

The main objective of this paper is to clarify the effect of rural population density on socio-economic characteristics of the rural communities with a special focus on Shaqlaw, one of the major districts in Kurdistan, Iraq. This study try to find the particular significance of rural population density as an important variable in understanding the socioeconomic characteristics of settled rural communities, where spares and falling density here presents practical and theoretical problems for rural planners. Quantitative survey data were conducted and gathered within both high and low rural settlements within the Shaqlawa district involving samples of 330 rural households. The study reveals that rural density is found to be important descriptive variable in its own right.  Examining local rural population density, we have established that it is fairly strongly associated with a large series of imperative socioeconomic indicators once analysing the survey data. Out of 20 dependent variables that have been tested (p value < 0.05); rural density was not significantly correlated only to 6 of them. In discussing these outcomes, we have established that rural population density is a very imperative variable in describing, evaluating and categorizing rural communities. In shaqlwa, the consideration we illustrate here to the significance of rural population density, as variables of planning importance in their own right is confidently opportune.