Identify the key factors effective in creating regional disparities in Golestan Province

The population concentration and activities and spatial imbalance in using social facilities is one of the main characteristics of the developing countries. These characteristics can be found in Iran, both before the Revolution and after the Revolution. According to these characteristics, the main part of the facilities and population have been concentrated in one or some points and other regions act as marginal regions and makes the regional inequalities. The natural bed of the North Coastal Area near Mazandaran Sea and adjacent to Alborz Mountains has imposed a different and special shape pattern based on the spatial structure of this region. According to the homogenous structure of this region, the planning role is very crucial to eliminate the existing imbalances. Since in the east part of the North Coastal Area, the effective factors are obviously different from the west and middle areas, the identification of effective factors in making the regional differences of Golestan Province which, as the consequence of its natural structure and nature is neither a tourism destination nor a land business destination as Gilan and Mazandaran is very important. In this study, using the documentary and survey and Delphi technique, the effective factors in making the regional inequalities of Golestan Province were identified and cross-impact matrix have been completed to study the factors impact on each other. By using analytical techniques and MICMAC software, the most important factors in causing the inequalities of Golestan Province were identified which included: spatially one-dimensional development, ethnic convergence and divergence, environmental capabilities and migration. Finally, suitable solutions to reduce the regional imbalances of Golestan Province were presented.