CHAPTER 1 The Land of Iran Iran is a land of snow-capped mountains high pasture and desert plains For thousands of years Iran has been home to one of the oldest civilizations in the world Modern Iranians are proud of their country’s long history and its culture Today Iran is a strong regional power that controls one of the most important locations on the globe Where is Iran Iran lies in the southwestern corner of Asia and is flanked by seven neighbors To the north Iran is bordered by Armenia Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan On its western side Iran shares a frontier with Iraq in the south and with Turkey in the north Iran’s eastern neighbors are Pakistan and Afghanistan COMPARING COUNTRIES HOW BIG IS IRAN Land area Iran 642,796 sq mi 1,648,195 sq km United States 3,832,386 sq mi 9,826,630 sq km France 214,890 sq mi 551,000sq km Germany 139,230 sq mi 357,000 sq km United Kingdom 94,380 sq mi 242,900sq km Source CIA World Factbook 2008 Water forms an important part of Iran’s border Almost 403 mi 650 km of Iran’s northern frontier runs along the shore of the Caspian Sea The unusual hills and dunes along Iran’s southeastern coast have been shaped by the baking sun and the monsoon rains The area here is sparsely populated Most people in this part of Iran live in a few small fishing villages and ports 6
THE LAND OF IRAN while almost all of Iran’s long southern border is made up of the waters of the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman Thanks to its size and location Iran is one of the most important countries in the area known as the Middle East Landscape Iran is a very mountainous country The Zagros Mountains cut across western Iran from north to south reaching heights of over 13,120 ft 4,000 m The pyramid peak of Mount Damavand rises in the northern chain of the Alborz Mountains above the Caspian coast At 18,400 ft 5,610 m this sleeping volcano is one of the highest mountains in Asia Broad basins or plateaus lie between the mountain peaks Much of central Iran is covered by a high plateau that sits at over 2,950 ft 900 m above sea level Many of Iran’s towns and Although covered in snow for much of the year the summit of Mount Damavand in northern Iran emits steam and volcanic gases such as sulfur dioxide The ancient Persians believed that a fire-breathing dragon lived within the volcanic peak villages have grown up around the more fertile areas in these basins To the east of the central plateau however lie two vast salt deserts which are largely uninhabited except for a few scattered oases Here the dry stony land is covered with sand and marked with outcrops of salt where the marshes have dried out in the sun There is little low-lying land in Iran However the small but heavily irrigated Khuzestan plain on Iran’s western border with Iraq is one of the most fertile areas in the Middle East There are also smaller plains in the narrow gap between the high Alborz peaks and the waters of the Caspian Sea 7
IRAN Climate Iran is an arid or dry land with little rain although it is more humid along the northern and southern coasts In the Zagros and Alborz mountains the winters are bitterly cold with temperatures often below 32ºF 0ºC and frequent snow on the higher slopes By high summer the snow has melted leaving the bare rock peaks exposed In central Iran summer temperatures can rise from the high 90s to 120ºF high 30s and 40s ºC Much of the country receives less than 10 inches 25 cm of rain each year falling to less than 4 inches 10 cm in the deserts In the hotter parts of Iran the streams and rivers are often seasonal 8 CASE STUDY IRAN’S SHRINKING LAKE Over 87 mi 140 km long and 40 mi 55 km wide Lake Urmia is Iran’s largest lake Although filled by snowmelt each spring Urmia has been shrinking for years because of evaporation in the summer heat Owing to the high salt levels in its water fish cannot live in the lake but humans have collected the salt and used it as a medicine for centuries A causeway across Urmia’s narrowest point was opened in 2008 and depend on snowmelt and spring rains from the mountains In summer these riverbeds often lie dry for months Iran’s largest permanent rivers such as the Karun the Karkeh and the Zayeandeh mostly flow through the western and southern regions of the country The wettest parts of Iran lie along the Caspian shore in the north Farm laborers separate grain from the chaff using traditional methods that have changed little in thousands of years Scenes like this have become rarer as farming in Iran has become more mechanized
ARMENIA AZERBAIJAN TURKEY Urmia Ardab l Tabr z M aneh Zanjan Qazv n Tehran Sanandaj Kermanshah Khorramabad Ilam IRAQ Dezful CASPIAN SEA Rasht Chalus TURKMENISTAN Bojnurd Gorgan Mashhad Arnol Key Capital city Cities over 1,000,000 people Cities between 100,000 and 1,000,000 people Cities under 100,000 people IRAN Esfahan Qa'en B rjand AFGHANISTAN Masjed-e Soleyman Yazd Zabol Ahvaz Yasuj Rafsanjan Kerman Zahedan KUWAIT SAUDI ARABIA Shiraz Sirjan Jahrom J roft Bandar-e Abbas PAKISTAN PERSIAN GULF QATAR UNITED ARAB EMIRATES OMAN 0 0 miles 200 kilometres 200 Above Ranges of mountains and hills define much of Iran’s border with its seven neighbors Most of the larger cities lie close to these ranges In the middle of the country lies the high and arid central plateau Land use in Iran Cultivated arable land 12 What animals are farmed in Iran Well suited to Iran’s mountainous landscapes sheep are by far the most important animal for Iranian farmers Nearer to the cities cattle play a part in Iran’s large dairy industry In rural areas goats are an important source of protein while donkeys buffaloes and even camels are bred to be worked as beasts of burden This pie chart shows that very little of Iran’s territory is suitable for growing crops Three-quarters of Iran is either unsuitable for farming or at best provides rough grazing for goats and sheep Other land use for settlement or unfit for farming 43 Grassland and rough grazing 32 Woodland and forest 13 Source Statistical Center of Iran 2007 9
