rural environment
an environment characterized by open land, sparse settlement, some distance from cities and towns, and an economy that is usually agriculturally based but that may be based on other types of economic activity, such as logging, mining, oil and gas exploration, or tourism. In environmental psychology, the rural environment is often used as a basis for comparison with the urban (city) environment with respect to air-pollution levels, crowding, crime, and other physical and social stressors. See also urban behavior.