Population Distribution Idexes and the Trend of Urbanization in Iran (1986-1996)

The distribution of citis and urban population is not identical in our country. This factor is dependent on historical background. We have used concensus data of 1986 and 1996 in URBINDEX software to estimat: urban distribution index, urbanization rates, in order to estimate urbanization speed, which measures differences in urbanization level by changes in urban population growth. We have established the correlation between urban and rural population growth.The theoretical framework for this research is based on Rank-order principle in which the experimental observations and historical studies in urban population is equal to its population divided by the population of the largest city having a K rank. The results of this study bring about a new index called urban distribution index (UDI).The estimated indexes of highly population urban areas have more application in environmental decision meaking particularly in the long run.