The process of land use change and urban sprawl has been considered as a prominent characteristic of urban development. This
study aims to investigate urban growth process in Bandar Abbas city, Iran, focusing on urban sprawl and land use change during
1956–2012. To calculate urban sprawl and land use changes, aerial photos and satellite images are utilized in different time spans.
The results demonstrate that urban region area has changed from 403.77 to 4959.59 hectares between 1956 and 2012. Moreover,
the population has increased more than 30 times in last six decades. The major part of population growth is related to migration
from other parts the country to Bandar Abbas city. Considering the speed of urban sprawl growth rate, the scale and the role of
the city have changed from medium and regional to large scale and transregional. Due to natural and structural limitations, more
than 80% of barren lands, stone cliffs, beach zone, and agricultural lands are occupied by built-up areas. Our results revealed that
the irregular expansion of Bandar Abbas city must be controlled so that sustainable development could be achieved.