population center

シリアで活動を続けている国連の停戦監視団は、アサド政権側に虐殺されたとみられる１００人以上の遺体を確認しました。国連はただちに安全保証委員会を開き、この暴挙を強い調子で非難しました。

(CNN) -- The U.N. Security Council on Sunday condemned the weekend massacre of more than 100 civilians in Syria, with members casting blame on government forces for the deaths, while violence continued to rage on the ground.
U.N. military observers said the toll from the Friday assault on the village of Houla included dozens of women and children. After consultations Sunday afternoon, Security Council members condemned "attacks that involved a series of government artillery and tank shellings on a residential neighborhood," as well as the killings of civilians by close-range gunshots and "severe physical abuse."
"Such outrageous use of force against the civilian population constitutes a violation of applicable international law and of the commitments of the Syrian government under United Nations Security Council Resolutions 2042 and 2043 to cease violence in all its forms, including the cessation of use of heavy weapons in population centers," said Azerbaijan's Deputy Ambassador Tofig Musayev, who presided over the meeting. The members demanded that Syrian troops immediately pull its troops and heavy weapons back from cities in accordance with an April cease-fire.

http://edition.cnn.com/2012/05/27/world/meast/syria-unrest-un/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

population centersは人口学では「人口の重心、中心」という意味ですが、一般には「人口が集中地域」という意味で用いられます。（UG）