Energy production (lumber and petroleum products) construction and transportation are other important areas, each continuing a steady progress.

Apart from these dominating sectors, there are other basic branches offering production of either goods or services. The beverages and food sector is leading with beer, wine and foodstuffs production.

Traditional streets are narrow and filled with stones on the surface. Generally there is a sloping downward from both sides to meet in the middle, to keep the rain water away from the walls of the houses. The large eaves of the roofs serve the same purpose. In the traditional streets residents could fill their pitchers or passers by could drink from the street fountains built into one of the walls and sometimes located in a cul-de-sac (blind alley). The old miniatures and pictures show that the houses were painted white, indigo, pale pink, light yellow and green.

Towns range from simple settlements around marketplaces to large population centers offering a variety of goods, services and facilities as well as serving the basic economic and political functions. In general, the towns where the primary function is economic tend to be small, conservative and rural in character. In small towns, where occupational groups are few and weak, relations among residents tend to be more personal, non-institutionalized and informal.

The small-town merchant, trader or artisan identifies himself with the community. Whereas when the political function has joined or overridden the economic function, towns tend to be larger, progressive and urban. However rural a town may appear to the outsider, there is a distinct difference between a town and the surrounding villages.