Analysis of the spatial interaction between the Iranian southern ports and the regional hinterland cities

Ports in most parts of the world have a great role to play in creating an integrity between the prosperous of the regions and the balancing of the supply chain (production, distribution, and consumption). The article is to analyze the spatial interaction between southern ports of Iran and local-regional hinterlands and to explain the role of ports in shaping the spatial structure. For this purpose, the method of network analysis of commodity flows is used during the period of 1996, 2006, 2015. The findings of the research indicate that southern Iran's ports are often the importer of consumer goods in the population centers located in regional hinterlands and, at best, have been exporting energy sources and raw materials. While urban centers located in local hinterlands do not play an effective role in the production and delivery of goods to ports, they are often dependent on the regional center (Shiraz) to meet their consumption needs. Although the process of spatial inequality has been moving towards greater balance over the past two decades, the development of medium-sized ports and local nodes in the contiguous hinterlands and forelands, led to a balanced monocentric spatial structure in this region.