A Geographical Analysis of Population Distribution and Change in the City of Al-Zubair for the Period 1997–2023

Abstract

      One of the definitions of geography describes it as the science of distributions and the study of the locations of phenomena, making it a true lens through which we can observe how populations are dispersed over a given geographical area. Populations may cluster in specific focal points and locations within this area, forming various shapes and patterns of distribution, most of which differ in density depending on location, the character of geographic regions, and their impact on populations, varying over time and space. This leads us to the conclusion that the geographical distribution of populations constitutes the link between the number of people and the land they depend on, in accordance with the factors of attraction or repulsion that either draw them in or prevent their settlement.

The study aims to examine how the population is distributed across the neighborhoods of the city of Al-Zubair according to their size, and to determine the relative share of each neighborhood within the city. It also seeks to identify the reasons underlying this relative and numerical variation in population at the neighborhood level, the patterns of population distribution and concentration, as well as the temporal and spatial changes that have occurred in the city during the period (1997–2023).