Beautiful Iran ایرانِ زیباHighlights (North to South /2015) Part 1
Beautiful Iran ایرانِ زیباHighlights (
North to
South /
2015) Part 1:
Tabriz,
Kerman,Mahan,
Rayen,Bam,
Shahdad,Kelout
Desert,
Yazd,Chak Chak,
Iran:
Iran officially the
Islamic Republic of Iran, is a country in
Western Asia. It is bordered to the northwest by
Armenia, the de facto independent
Nagorno-Karabakh Republic and
Azerbaijan; with
Kazakhstan and
Russia across the
Caspian Sea; to the northeast by
Turkmenistan; to the east by
Afghanistan and Pakistan; to the south by the
Persian Gulf and the
Gulf of Oman; and to the west by
Turkey and
Iraq. Comprising a land area of 1,648,195 km2 (636,372 sq mi), it is the second-largest nation in the
Middle East and the 18th-largest in the world. With 78.4 million inhabitants, Iran is the world's 17th most populous nation. It is the only country that has both a Caspian Sea and an
Indian Ocean coastline. Iran has long been of geostrategic importance because of its central location in
Eurasia and Western Asia, and its proximity to the
Strait of Hormuz.
Geography:
Iran is the
18th largest country in the world, with an area of 1,648,195 km2 (636,372 sq mi). Its area roughly equals that of the
United Kingdom,
France,
Spain, and
Germany combined, or somewhat more than the
US state of
Alaska. Iran lies between latitudes 24° and 40° N, and longitudes 44° and 64° E. Its borders are with Azerbaijan (611 km (380 mi)) (with Azerbaijan-Naxcivan exclave (
179 km (
111 mi) )) and Armenia (35 km (22 mi)) to the north-west; the Caspian Sea to the north; Turkmenistan (992 km (616 mi)) to the north-east;
Pakistan (909 km (565 mi)) and
Afghanistan (
936 km (582 mi)) to the east; Turkey (499 km (
310 mi)) and Iraq (1,458 km (
906 mi)) to the west; and finally the waters of the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman to the south.
Mount Damavand, Iran's highest
point, is located in
Amol County,
Mazanderan.
Iran consists of the
Iranian Plateau with the exception of the coasts of the Caspian Sea and
Khuzestan Province. It is one of the world's most mountainous countries, its landscape dominated by rugged mountain ranges that separate various basins or plateaux from one another. The populous western part is the most mountainous, with ranges such as the
Caucasus,
Zagros and
Alborz Mountains; the last contains Iran's highest point, Mount Damavand at 5,
610 m (18,406 ft), which is also the highest mountain on the
Eurasian landmass west of the
Hindu Kush.
The northern part of Iran is covered by dense rain forests called
Shomal or the
Jungles of Iran. The eastern part consists mostly of desert basins such as the
Dasht-e Kavir, Iran's largest desert, in the north-central portion of the country, and the
Dasht-e Lut, in the east, as well as some salt lakes. This is because the mountain ranges are too high for rain clouds to reach these regions.
The only large plains are found along the coast of the Caspian Sea and at the northern end of the Persian Gulf, where Iran borders the mouth of the
Arvand river.
Smaller, discontinuous plains are found along the remaining coast of the Persian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman.
Iran's climate ranges from arid or semiarid, to subtropical along the
Caspian coast and the northern forests. On the northern edge of the country (the Caspian coastal plain) temperatures rarely fall below freezing and the area remains humid for the rest of the year.
Summer temperatures rarely exceed 29 °
C (84.2 °F).
Annual precipitation is 680 mm (26.8 in) in the eastern part of the plain and more than 1,700 mm (66.9 in) in the western part.
United Nations Resident Coordinator for Iran
Gary Lewis has said that "
Water scarcity poses the most severe human security challenge in Iran today"
To the west, settlements in the Zagros basin experience lower temperatures, severe winters with below zero average daily temperatures and heavy snowfall. The eastern and central basins are arid, with less than
200 mm (7.9 in) of rain, and have occasional deserts. Average summer temperatures exceed 38 °
C (100.4 °F). The coastal plains of the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman in southern Iran have mild winters, and very humid and hot summers. The annual precipitation ranges from 135 to 355 mm (5.3 to 14.0 in).