Social formation and settlement network in Greece

Social geography needs to obtain a coherent theoretical framework of a sociological nature. Using such a framework derived from historical materialism, this article defines a series of concepts and indices for the study of the regional space and the settlement network of Greece since the foundation of the modern state in 1827. The article finds that as Greek society passes from feudalism to capitalism, there is a continuous increase in the complexity and hierarchical organization of the national settlement network and a sharpening of spatial polarization, as a consequence of the economic development of the country. A similar phenomenon is repeated today in the contemporary regional structure of the country. Our study thus shows that spatial organization derives from the socio-economic structure of society.