The THE MAIN DEMOGRAPHIC PROBLEMS OF CITIES IN THE LOWER REACHES OF THE KURA RIVER IN AZERBAIJAN

Abstract

Geo-demographic conditions and regulation of the development of an urban settlement in the lower reaches of the Kura River is a certain part of the sustainable socio-economic policy pursued in the Republic of Azerbaijan. There was a need to study the demographic conditions of cities for a more efficient territorial organization of production and population in the region. The article analyzes the formation and development of an urban settlement in the lower reaches of the Kura River, the dynamics of the level of urbanization in administrative districts. The creation and development of industrial zones in the lower reaches of the Kura River, the opening of new work places created conditions for the concentration of the population in cities along with regional centers, which in turn gave impetus to the development of cities. It was determined that more than 38% of the population, most of the industrial and socio- economic potential of the region are concentrated in 7 cities (Mingachevir, Yevlakh, Zardab, Sabirabad, Salyan, Shirvan, Neftchala). In 2021, the share of industry in the total volume of production in the main areas in the region increased to 25%. In the course of the research, the variability of the dynamics of the population of the cities for 1989-2021 was studied. As a result of the research, it was determined that the factor that played the most important role in the growth of the urban population in the cities of the region was natural growth. Thus, it was determined that 81.5% of the increase in the urban population of the region in the years under study was due to natural growth, and the rest - due to giving the settlement status to villages. The largest natural growth was noted in the cities of Sabirabad (165.12%) and Zardab (153.84%), where the main occupation is agriculture, and the smallest natural growth was in Mingachevir, the largest industrial city of the region (129.52%).  As a result, appropriate recommendations were given to resolve the problems of the demographic development of cities located in the lower reaches of the Kura River.