Geography Of Industry in Nabuls Governorate

Industry is considered both a means of progress and an end by itself due to its vital and key role which can create significant changes that transform communities from weakness, primitive into development, self-sufficiency and improvement. Palestine , as any other developing country , has an urgent need to improve the industrial sector for the sake of development stability and social security for its people .Therefore , this geographical study of the industries in Nablus Governorate tries to shed light on the industrial sector regarding its components , structure problems so that some solutions can be suggested. This study consists of six chapters .The first one, deals with the introduction, the problem of the study , its importance , the aims ,rationale, questions , methodology , tools of the research , the study population , the difficulties , the geographical historical and social background , previous literature, concepts and terminology . The second chapter tackles the components of the industries , the industrial location and the factors that determine its choice in Nablus Governorate . The third chapter deals with the historical development of the industries during the Ottoman Rule , the British Mandate , the Jordanian Rule , the Israeli Occupation and finally the Palestinian Authority Reign which marks the outset of the end of the Israeli Occupation . Chapter four approaches kinds of industries , industrial production , its geographical distribution , the structure of industries and the problems faced . The fifth chapter deals with industrial planning , the present and proposed industrial zones , the effects resulted from industrial activity and the industrial future of industries in the governorate . The sixth chapter , the last one , presents conclusions and recommendations of the study . The researcher , in order to achieve the aims of the study , has comprehensively listed all the working factories and industrial plants in Nablus Governorate , then he haphazardly chose a hierarchical sample at a rate of 5 % distributed all over Nablus Governorate . The sample consists of( 131) industrial plants out of( 2621) . The researcher has designed a questionnaire meeting the aims of the study The data were collected through personal interviews , then they were carefully examined and processed using (SPSS ) program for data analysis . The conclusions indicate the availability of most of the industrial requirements and the possibility of the growth in the areas studied through direct import of particular raw materials .The conclusion also show the importance of industries in Nablus Governorate compared with the other Palestinians governorates hence Nablus came second in most industries after Gaza Governorate besides being the first governorate at the "West Bank " level . Here are some statistics that explain this fact . 1. Regarding the number of the industrial plants , Nablus Governorate has 18.1 % of the working plants in Palestine being the second governorate after Gaza . The third Governorate is Hebron , then Governorates of Ramallah , Tulkarin , Jenin , Bethlehem , Qalqeelia and finally Jericho . 2. Regarding the number of employees in the industrial sector Nablus has 16.6 % of the total number in Palestine and so being the second governorate after Gaza . The third governorate is Hebron then came the governorates of Ramallah , Tulkarm etc. ( The same order of item I above ) 3. The results of the study also indicate that the income brought in through the industrial sector amounts to 17.2 % of the total income of the industrial activity in Palestine and so it occupies the second position after Gaza . I Hebron Governorate is in the third position , then there are the Governorates of Ramallah , Tulkarm , Jenin , Bethlehm , Qalgeelia and inally Jericho . 4. Nablus has 16.8 % Idle transformational industries in Palestine ranking second after Hebron Governorate . Gaza is in the third position. The rates of the other governorates have decreased sharply . The study has a variety of recommendations. The most important are : a. Quick implementation of the industrial organization that Nablus Municipality is conducting coordinating with the Ministry of Industry b. Amendment of the economic protocols achieved between the PNA and Israel is essential so as to build more and wider economic links with Arab and Islamic countries. c. The necessity for dealing with the effects of the industrial pollution through the rapid construction of the water purification plants suggested which Nablus Municipality has already finished their final plans. Unfortunately, al-Agra Uprising has delayed the construction of those plants.