Geographical and Regional Position of Iran

To have a better understanding of Iran, you must know how large the country is. 

With 1,648,000 Km2 (636,000 mile2) Iran is actually one of the broad countries. It is the second largest country in the Middle East and the 17th in the world.

State Borders

When you check the map of Iran, you will find it as an actual semi cat shaped. The country is surrounded by the Caspian Sea in the north, the Oman Sea and the Persian Gulf in the south. It also has shared borders with Afghanistan and Pakistan to the east, Turkmenistan to the northeast, Iraq, and Turkey in the west and Azerbaijan and Armenia in the northwest. Aras River is the border between Iran and Azerbaijan.

Geography

The country has so many mountains, deserts, jungles, and lakes inside. So there could be found different types of nature, climate, and altitude. As an instance, you can climb up to the altitude of 5610 meters on the peak of Mount Damavand, in contrast, you can find seacoast boundaries with sea level altitudes.

Iran plateau is located in the center of the country with boundaries to the Alborz Mountains in the north, and the Zagros Mountains in the west. Alborz mountain stretches from the border of Azerbaijan to the southern coast of the Caspian Sea and merges into the Aladagh Mountains in the northern parts of Khorasan in the northeast part of Iran. The Zagros Mountain is a series of parallel ridges that bisect the country from northwest to southeast. Many peaks in the Zagros exceed 3,000 meters (9,843 ft.) above sea level, and in the south-central region of it, there are at least five peaks that are over 4,000 meters.

Beside all these mountainous lands, there are remarkable flatlands of the Lut and Kavir deserts (also called “Kavīr-e Lūt” and “Dasht-e Kavir”) lay down in the central part of the Iran plateau.

Climate

Generally speaking, Iran a four-season country. When you travel to Iran, you may find all the different seasons at once. However, it is always colder in the northwest part of the country, with cold and heavy winters, mild spring, and hot summers. In contrast, in the south, you will find mild winters and very hot summers. Annual precipitation in the country is about average 250 millimeters (9.8 in).

History

Iran has one of the oldest civilizations in the world. According to the historical evidence, it is believed that Iran has a history of about four thousand years. The country reached its most extension and development during the time of Cyrus the Great, the empire of Achaemenid in sixth century BC.

Iran also has a rich cultural heritage. If you travel to Iran, you will find World Heritage Sites in every corner of the country. Actually, Iran has 21 cultural and 1 natural property that is inscribed on the World Heritage List of UNESCO by 2018.

Energy

As in 2016, by a report from the Investopedia, “with $27.3 trillion in natural resources, Iran is the fifth country on the list. The country's main natural resources are oil and natural gas. Iran has about 10% of the world's oil supply and 16% of the world's natural gas supply, which is about the same size as Alaska”.