The Relationship between Civilization and Crime in Libya from a Geographical Perspective

Abstract

This study examines the relationship between civilization and crime in Libya, especially after its transformation into a developing oil state. Researchers differ in their opinions regarding this relationship, as some consider crime to be closely linked to civilization and a product of urban society. However, others argue that crime is not necessarily a result of urban society. Therefore, some advocate for studying rural crime alongside urban crime. The study aims to answer the question of whether there is a relationship between civilization and crime in Libya and the strength or weakness of that relationship, if it exists. The study relied on crime reports in Libya for the years 1995 and 2006, and used the results of the population census for the same years to obtain information about civilization in different regions of Libya. The data was analyzed using the SPSS statistical program to test the study's hypotheses. The study revealed the following results: a statistical correlation between urban population size and the size of crime in each region, a correlation between urban growth and crime growth, a correlation between the number of urban settlements and the size of crime, a correlation between urban labor force and crime, and a correlation between the size of the main city and the size of crime in each region.