Spatial Pattern Analysis on the Gilan Province s Settlement System in Relation with Environmental Factors

Settlements physical and functional affecting from the natural environment is obvious and undeniable. In this regard numerous factors play a role and by that location, building, physical development, population absorption and … in human settlements formed differently. This study aimed to analyze the spatial pattern of settlement in Gilan Province, has been formed under the influence of natural factors. In this way the main questions facing the study, is the effect of natural factors on the spatial pattern of settlement in the province. Gilan settlement system based on the last census has 2990 points, that all of them were considered in this research. The research method is descriptive- analytic and in it the documentary and spatial statistical analysis in geographic information system with the spatial autocorrelation analysis based on Moran's I index were used. The results indicate that although the settlements of Gilan province in terms of population is not concentrated but from all variables point of view (height, slope, slope aspect, precipitation, temperature, evapotranspiration, distance from surface water and natural vegetation) high clustering were observed in the distribution of the settlements in the province and spatial correlation of all the variables with the spatial distribution pattern were statistically significant