[ 摘要 ]
本文以高雄縣燕巢鄉的區域發展為研究主題，探討燕巢鄉各個時期的發展與變遷。
高雄縣燕巢地區地處平原與丘陵交界，屬開發的邊陲地帶。北部及東部為惡地及丘陵地形，曾為平埔族大傑顛社故地，不利開墾；西南部為平原地形，鄭氏時期為軍隊屯田墾區，屬點狀開發，入清之後則在官庄的基礎下，快速開發。政治上，南北區域分屬不同行政劃分，區域發展開始出現分割。北部平埔族土地不斷遭漢人移民侵墾買賣，土地逐漸流失於漢人，族群亦逐漸與漢人同化，只留下太祖公與石頭公等異於漢人的傳統信仰；南部因位於高雄與屏東平原的交通要衝而興起，形成街市，也常成為民變的起事地點。
燕巢地區素乏水源，農地多屬看天田，有水利灌溉的區域才有種植稻米，灌溉不便之地則以種植甘蔗為主。日治時期，燕巢大部分土地為日人經營的橋頭糖廠原料採收區，北部地區為臺灣人經營的改良式糖廍原料採收區，經濟產業上亦呈現分立發展。
戰後燕巢因農業從稻蔗轉型為芭樂與棗子而聞名，八十年代後燕巢南部因大專院校大量進駐，成為文教重地，再次呈現南北分區發展的現象，北部為在地型民生消費區，南部則屬於高雄市腹地擴張延伸下的文教區。

[ 英文摘要 ]
This study is to research the regional development of Yanchao, Kaohsiung County, trying to find out the social, economical, and industrial development and changes during different periods.
Located on the border of plain and hill regions, Yanchao was an outlying district. Here was once the land of Ping-Pu aborigines called Da-Jie-Dians, at this region in the prehistoric period. However, the Da-Jie-Dians moved out here with the military attacks by the Dutch rulers of Taiwan in 1635, only leaving some remnants, Jian-San tribe, at the northern region of Yanchao. Three forced armies arrived at the southern region for partial settlement later in the period of Koxinga of Ming Dynasty.
The farmland development sped up in the proceeding Ching Dynasty on the basis of “official villages”, the settlement of tenant farmers called up by the military officials here. As the increasing Hann immigrants, the land of Jian-San tribes was gradually owned by the Hann settlers. The Jian-San tribes had no other choices but to move or to be assimilated with the Hann people. At the same time, the southern Yanchao became important because of its location, which is between the Tainan Fu and the A-Li-Gang at Ping-Dong Plain. It was also a politically unstable region, many rebellions raised here.
The agriculture here was difficult, for the farmland here is usually called rain fed farmland because of the lack of water resource. Farmland here with water conservancy would be rice field, the other would be the hill rice or sugarcane. Most of the farmers here grew sugarcane to provide the sugar resource of the biggest sugar factory in Taiwan during the Japanese colonial period. The population, industry and commerce also grew slowly at this time.
After the 1970s, the agriculture here transited gradually from rice farming to cultivation of fruits, guava and date from Yanchao became the most famous products in Taiwan. However, there was a separated development in the southern Yanchao, because of the establishment of five colleges and universities.