Situated in an area between West and Central Asia, Iran shares
its borders with Turkmenistan in the northeast, Azerbaijan and
Armenia in the northwest, Afghanistan and Pakistan in the east,
and Iraq in the west. As well, it borders on the Caspian Sea
in the north and the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman in the
south. Historically, ethnically, linguistically and in matters
of culture and religion, Iran has ties to Central, South, and
West Asian nations. It is truly a border state with ties to
areas throughout the Asian continent.
The interior of Iran is characterized by mountains and deserts.
For the most part, Iran is arid and semi-arid except in the
north near the Caspian Sea where a more temperate climate prevails.
Such a terrain exposes the country to natural hazards in the
form of droughts, sandstorms and dust storms. Thus agriculture
relies heavily on irrigation and ancient Iranians built karez
underground irrigation systems which can also be found through
Central Asia. In addition, Iran lies on a tectonic plate fault
line and earthquakes are frequent.
Iran experiences extreme weather in both the north and south.
In the winter, the north is subject to sub-polar weather as
cold winds blow in from Siberia. On the other hand, summer in
the south can see temperatures ranging upwards of 100 degrees
F. Rainfall is unevenly distributed with the north receiving
more than the arid and desert-like south.
The country is ringed by high mountains, with the tallest, Damavand,
reaching over 18, 000 feet. In the Caspian coastal region, the
land falls sharply to as low as 90 feet below sea level. In
the south, ranges of around 6000 feet fall down to a plateau
of 2000 feet which sweeps down in to the Persian Gulf and the
Gulf of Oman. Most of the interior is an average of 1500 feet
above sea level.
A major feature of the landscape is the Caspian Sea, which is
the largest landlocked body of water in the world. However,
its usefulness as a natural resource is limited owing to a lack
of natural harbors and dangerously inconsistent weather. The
Caspian Sea is shared Russia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, and
Kazakhstan and relations with these countries affect the use
made of the lake and its water.
Stretching inland from the northwest and across the southeast
border of Iran for over 400 miles are vast deserts, which cover
over 15 percent of the land. While these deserts affect travel
and agriculture negatively, they are an important source of
mineral wealth.
In spite of the mountains and deserts, transportation is well
developed with an extensive rail, road and air transport system
linking major cities and ports. The communications system is
not as well advanced developed but is in the process of being
modernized and extended into the rural areas.
The Iranian people, in terms of culture and beliefs, can be
divided into three categories: rural, nomadic and urban. More
than 50 percent of the country's population is urban and Teheran,
the nation's capital, is the largest city. Isfahan, Mashad,
Rasht, Shiraz, and Tabriz are some of the other large cities.
The population of these cities is much better educated, wealthier
and more progressive than the peasants and farmers in the rural
areas, many of whom live in traditional villages at a relatively
low economic level. Nomadic herdsmen still roam in Iran and
have their traditional summer and winter pastures for their
flocks, although few of them are true nomads any longer; most
have permanent houses in small villages.
Eighty nine percent of Iran is Shia Muslim, and in fact Iran
is officially a Shi'a Islamic state. About 9 percent of the
population are Sunni Muslims and the remaining 1% follow Zoroastrian,
Jewish, or Christian religions. Bahai, a religion created in
the 19th century by Iranians as an offshoot of Islam, is currently
persecuted as heretical in Iran and most of its practitioners
have fled the country. While the majority of Iranians are Persians,
and Farsi (Persian) is the official language, other ethnic groups
such as Azeris, Turks, Kurds, Arabs, and others live in particular
areas and speak their own languages as well as Farsi. The most
common of these languages are Turkic dialects spoken by about
26 percent of the people. Other languages include Kurdish, Luri,
Balochi and Arabic.
Iran has a mixed economy and a well developed three tired economic
system. The export of oil and gas has provided funds for the
modern industrial and technology industries. In addition, agriculture
plays an important role with the export of dried fruits and
nuts, especially pistachio nuts and almonds. Handicrafts, especially
hand woven carpets, which have been a major source of revenue
for centuries, continue to be popular exports. Iranian caviar,
which Iranians claim is far superior to the Russian variety,
is once again an item of export.
In the 80's, Iran fought a protracted, inconclusive war with
Iraq over disputed territory. This, along with a repressive
government led by the clergy has hampered the country from making
much economic progress, despite having significant oil and mineral
reserves. However, recent spurts in oil prices have eased the
fiscal situation, which had been badly hit by a major earthquake
in 2003.
For a good, printable map of Iran, please click on the following
site: http://www.mapquest.com/atlas
