Map of Iran
Iran is a country in Asia with its capital at Tehran, home to about 92.42 million people across 1.65M km². The interactive map below plots 63 cities and towns, 9 rivers, 2 lakes, 11 mountain summits and 18 ports recorded for Iran in YearMaps.
- Population
- 92.42 million
- Area
- 1.65M km²
- Capital
- Tehran
- Continent
- Asia
Interactive Map of Iran
Centred on Tehran at 35.6739° N, 51.4224° E. Use the layer panel to switch on rivers, dams, ports, peaks and historical borders.
Great Monument of Iran
Persepolis (Takht-e Jamshid) is marked on the map above. Click a pin or use "Show on map" to fly to it.
Persepolis (Takht-e Jamshid)
Achaemenid Persian Empire (Darius I & Xerxes) · Classical Antiquity
Persepolis or Parseh (Persian: پارسه, romanized: Pārseh; Old Persian: 𐎱𐎠𐎼𐎿, romanized: Pārsa), also known in modern Persian as Takht-e Jamshid (تخت جمشید, "Throne of Jamshid"), was the ceremonial capital of the Achaemenid Empire (c. 550–330 BC). It is situated in the plains of Marvdasht, encircled by the southern Zagros Mountains, in Fars province of Iran. It is one of the key Iranian cultural heritage sites and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979.
The earliest remains of Persepolis date back to 515 BC. The city, acting as a major centre of the empire, housed a palace complex and citadel designed to serve as the focal point for governance and ceremonial activities. It exemplifies the Achaemenid style of architecture. The complex was taken by the army of Alexander the Great in 330 BC, and soon after, its palaces were destroyed by fire. According to one account, Alexander deliberately set fire to Persepolis to avenge the destruction of Athens by the Persians; according to another, the fire was started at the urging of Thaïs, a courtesan, during a feast when Alexander was intoxicated.
The exact function of Persepolis remains unclear. It was not one of the largest cities in ancient Iran, let alone the rest of the empire, but appears to have been a grand ceremonial complex that was only occupied seasonally. The complex was raised high on a walled platform, with five "palaces" or halls of varying size, and grand entrances. It is still not entirely clear where the king's private quarters actually were. Until recently, most archaeologists held that it was primarily used for celebrating Nowruz, the Persian New Year, held at the spring equinox, which is still an important annual festivity in Iran. The Iranian nobility and the tributary parts of the empire came to present gifts to the king, as represented in the stairway reliefs. It is also unclear what permanent structures there were outside the palace complex; due to these factors, Persepolis is more often referred to as a complex rather than a "city" in the usual sense.
The exploration of Persepolis from the early 17th century led to the modern rediscovery of cuneiform writing and, from detailed studies of the trilingual Achaemenid royal inscriptions found on the ruins, the initial decipherment of cuneiform in the early 19th century.
Adapted from Wikipedia: Persepolis (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Built by
- Achaemenid Persian Empire (Darius I & Xerxes)
- Built
- 518 BCE
- Era
- Classical Antiquity
- Type
- Imperial Palace Complex
- Status
- UNESCO World Heritage Site
- Coordinates
- 29.9344° N, 52.8914° E
Architectural Significance
Hypostyle stone halls with cedar beams imported from Lebanon, supported by 20-meter-tall columns crowned with double-bull and griffin capitals.
Photos of Persepolis (Takht-e Jamshid)
Arashk rp2 · CC BY-SA 4.0 
درفش کاویانی · CC BY-SA 3.0 
Hamidparsaei · CC BY-SA 4.0
History & architecture of Persepolis (Takht-e Jamshid)
History
There are some indications that the site of Persepolis was already a government centre under Cyrus the Great and his son Cambyses II, but no archaeological traces of this older phase have been found. It was Darius I who created Persepolis as the splendid seat of the government of the Achaemenid Empire and as its centre for receptions and festivals. The earliest remains date back to 515 BC, and inscriptions on the buildings support the view that the terrace and the first palaces were built by Darius. Under his successors Xerxes I and Artaxerxes I the complex was extended in several building phases, and further buildings were added in the 4th century BC.
With Darius I, the sceptre passed to a new branch of the royal house. The administrative capitals of the empire were Susa, Babylon and Ecbatana. This may be why the Greeks were not acquainted with the city until Alexander the Great took and plundered it.
Darius I's construction of Persepolis was carried out parallel to that of the Palace of Susa. According to Gene R. Garthwaite, the Susa Palace served as Darius' model for Persepolis. Darius I ordered the construction of the Apadana and the Council Hall (Tripylon or the "Triple Gate"), as well as the main imperial Treasury and its surroundings. These were completed during the reign of his son, Xerxes I. Further construction of the buildings on the terrace continued until the downfall of the Achaemenid Empire.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Persepolis (CC BY-SA 4.0).
About Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and historically known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west; Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest; the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the northeast; Afghanistan to the east; Pakistan to the southeast; and the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf to the south. With a population of over 92 million, Iran ranks 17th globally in both geographic size and population. It is divided into five regions with 31 provinces. Tehran is the nation's capital and largest city and serves as its primary economic center.
Home to one of the world's oldest continuous major civilizations, the territory of present-day Iran was first unified under the Medes in the 7th century BC and reached its territorial height in the 6th century BC, when Cyrus the Great founded the Achaemenid Empire. Alexander the Great conquered the empire in the 4th century BC. An Iranian rebellion in the 3rd century BC established the Parthian Empire, which later liberated the country. In the 3rd century AD, the Parthians were succeeded by the Sasanian Empire, which oversaw a golden age in the history of Iranian civilization. Ancient Iran saw some of the earliest developments of writing, agriculture, urbanization, religion, and administration. Once a center for Zoroastrianism, Iran underwent Islamization following the 7th century Muslim conquest. Innovations in literature, philosophy, mathematics, medicine, astronomy and art were renewed during the Islamic Golden Age and Iranian Intermezzo, a period during which Iranian Muslim dynasties ended Arab rule and revived the Persian language. This era was followed by Seljuk and Khwarazmian rule, Mongol conquests and the Timurid Renaissance from the 11th to 14th centuries.
In the 16th century, the native Safavid dynasty re-established a unified Iranian state with Twelver Shia Islam as the official religion, laying the framework for the modern state of Iran. During the Afsharid Empire in the 18th century, Iran was a leading world power, but it lost this status after the Qajars took power in the 1790s. The early 20th century saw the Persian Constitutional Revolution and the establishment of the Pahlavi dynasty by Reza Shah, who ousted the last Qajar Shah in 1925. Following the Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran in 1941, his son Mohammad Reza Pahlavi rose to power. Attempts by Mohammad Mosaddegh to nationalize the oil industry led to the Anglo-American coup in 1953.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia: Iran (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Geography and Climate of Iran
Known as Persia until 1935, Iran became an Islamic republic in 1979 after the ruling monarchy was overthrown and Shah Mohammad Reza PAHLAVI was forced into exile. Conservative clerical forces led by Ayatollah Ruhollah KHOMEINI established a theocratic system of government with ultimate political authority vested in a religious scholar known as the Supreme Leader, who is accountable only to the Assembly of Experts -- an elected 88-member body of clerics. US-Iran relations became strained when Iranian students seized the US Embassy in Tehran in November 1979 and held embassy personnel hostage until mid-January 1981. The US cut off diplomatic relations with Iran in April 1980. From 1980 to 1988, Iran fought a bloody, indecisive war with Iraq that eventually expanded into the Persian Gulf and led to clashes between US Navy and Iranian military forces. Iran has been designated a state sponsor of terrorism since 1984. After the election of reformer Hojjat ol-Eslam Mohammad KHATAMI as president in 1997 and a reformist Majles (legislature) in 2000, a political reform campaign in response to popular dissatisfaction was initiated, but conservative politicians blocked reform measures while increasing repression. Municipal and legislative elections in 2003 and 2004 saw conservatives reestablish control over Iran's elected government institutions, culminating in the 2005 inauguration of hardliner Mahmud AHMADI-NEJAD as president. His reelection in 2009 sparked nationwide protests over allegations of electoral fraud, and the protests persisted until 2011. In 2013, Iranians elected to the presidency centrist cleric Dr. Hasan Fereidun RUHANI, a longtime senior regime member who promised to reform society and foreign policy. In 2019, Tehran's sudden decision to increase the gasoline price sparked nationwide protests, which the regime violently suppressed. Conservatives won the majority in Majles elections in 2020, and hardline cleric Ebrahim RAISI was elected president in 2021, resulting in a conservative monopoly across the regime's elected and unelected institutions. Iran continues to be subject to a range of international sanctions and export controls because of its involvement in terrorism, weapons proliferation, human rights abuses, and concerns over the nature of its nuclear program. Iran received nuclear-related sanctions relief in exchange for nuclear concessions under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action's (JCPOA) Implementation Day beginning in 2016. However, the US reimposed nuclear-related sanctions on Iran after it unilaterally terminated its JCPOA participation in 2018. In October 2023, the EU and the UK also decided to maintain nuclear-proliferation-related measures on Iran, as well as arms and missile embargoes, in response to Iran's non-compliance with its JCPOA commitments. As president, RAISI has concentrated on deepening Iran's foreign relations with anti-US states -- particularly China and Russia -- to weather US sanctions and diplomatic pressure, while supporting negotiations to restore a nuclear deal that began in 2021. RAISI contended with nationwide protests that began in September 2022 and persisted for over three months after the death of a Kurdish Iranian woman, Mahsa AMINI, in morality police custody. Young people and women led the protests, and demands focused on regime change.
- Location
- Middle East, bordering the Gulf of Oman, the Persian Gulf, and the Caspian Sea, between Iraq and Pakistan.
- Climate
- Mostly arid or semiarid, subtropical along Caspian coast.
- Terrain
- Rugged, mountainous rim; high, central basin with deserts, mountains; small, discontinuous plains along both coasts.
- Highest point
- Kuh-e Damavand 5,625 m.
- Lowest point
- Caspian Sea -28 m.
- Coastline
- 2,440 km.
- Land borders
- Total: 5,894 km; border countries: Afghanistan 921 km; Armenia 44 km; Azerbaijan 689 km; Iraq 1,599 km; Pakistan 959 km; Turkey 534 km; Turkmenistan 1,148 km.
- Major rivers
- Euphrates (shared with Turkey [s], Syria, and Iraq [m]) - 3,596 km; Tigris (shared with Turkey, Syria, and Iraq [m]) - 1,950 km; Helmand (shared with Afghanistan [s]) - 1,130 km note: [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth.
- Major lakes
- Salt water lake(s): Caspian Sea (shared with Russia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, and Kazakhstan) - 374,000 sq km; Lake Urmia - 5,200 sq km; Lake Namak - 750 sq km.
- Natural resources
- Petroleum, natural gas, coal, chromium, copper, iron ore, lead, manganese, zinc, sulfur.
- Land use
- Agricultural land: 29% (2023 est.); arable land: 9.7% (2023 est.); permanent crops: 1.2% (2023 est.); permanent pasture: 18.2% (2023 est.); forest: 6.6% (2023 est.); other: 64.4% (2023 est.)
- Natural hazards
- Periodic droughts, floods; dust storms, sandstorms; earthquakes.
- Geographic note
- Strategic location on the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz.
- Languages
- Persian Farsi (official), Azeri and other Turkic dialects, Kurdish, Gilaki and Mazandarani, Luri, Balochi, Arabic.
- Religions
- Muslim (official) 98.5%, Christian 0.7%, Baha'i 0.3%, agnostic 0.3%, other (includes Zoroastrian, Jewish, Hindu) 0.2% (2020 est.)
- Ethnic groups
- Persian, Azeri, Kurd, Lur, Baloch, Arab, Turkmen, and Turkic tribes.
- Economy
- Traditionally state-controlled economy but reforming state-owned financial entities; strong oil/gas, agricultural, and service sectors; recent massive inflation due to exchange rate depreciation, international sanctions, and investor uncertainty; increasing poverty.
From the CIA World Factbook (public domain), archived edition of 2026-01-22. The Factbook is no longer updated, so figures reflect that edition.
Iran in Numbers
- Population
- 92.42 million
- GDP
- US$362.7 billion
- GDP per person
- US$3,924
- Life expectancy
- 77.8 years
- Population growth
- 0.92% a year
- Population density
- 56 per km²
- Urban population
- 77.4%
- Surface area
- 1,745,150 km²
- Forest cover
- 6.6%
- Arable land
- 9.7%
- Access to electricity
- 100.0%
- Internet users
- 85.3%
Indicators from World Bank Open Data (CC BY 4.0). The year under each figure is its reference year.
Iran in Depth
History
The earliest known presence of hominins in Iran dates to around 800,000 years ago, in the Middle Paleolithic. Many Middle Paleolithic sites have been discovered, mainly in the Zagros Mountains in western Iran and some sites associated with Neanderthals. The Zarzian culture is documented in Iran during the Epipaleolithic (25,000–11,500 years ago). Agriculture first appeared in Iran some 12,000 years ago alongside better-documented settlements in the Fertile Crescent. The Chogha Golan site featured early domestication of emmer wheat. The contemporary site of Ganj Dareh also features the earliest known domestication of goats around 10,000 years ago.
Geography
Iran has an area of 1,648,195 km2 (636,372 mi2), making it is the sixth-largest country entirely in Asia and the second-largest in West Asia. It lies between latitudes 24° and 40° N and longitudes 44° and 64° E. It is bordered to the northwest by Armenia, the Azeri exclave of Nakhchivan, and the Republic of Azerbaijan; to the north by 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 Iraq and Turkey.
Iran is in a seismically active area. On average, an earthquake of magnitude 7.0 or higher occurs once every ten years. Most earthquakes are shallow-focus and can be very devastating, such as the 2003 Bam earthquake.
Economy
As of 2024, Iran has the world's 19th largest economy by PPP-adjusted GDP. It is a mixture of central planning, state ownership of oil and other large enterprises, village agriculture, and small-scale private trading and service ventures. Services contribute the largest percentage of GDP, followed by industry (mining and manufacturing) and agriculture. The economy is characterized by its hydrocarbon sector, manufacturing and financial services. With 10% of the world's oil reserves and 15% of gas reserves, Iran is an energy superpower. Over 40 industries are directly involved in the Tehran Stock Exchange.
Tehran is the economic powerhouse of Iran.
Demographics
Iran's population grew rapidly from about 19 million in 1956 to about 85 million by February 2023. Iran's fertility rate has dropped dramatically, from 6.5 children born per woman to about 1.7 two decades later, leading to a population growth rate of about 1.39% in 2018. Due to its young population, studies project that the growth will continue to slow until it stabilises at around 105 million by 2050.
Iran hosts one of the largest refugee populations, with almost one million, mostly from Afghanistan and Iraq. As of 2025, Iran was home to an estimated four million Afghan migrants and refugees.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Iran (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Iran: Key Facts
| Currency | Iranian rial |
|---|---|
| Official language | Persian |
| Head of state | Mojtaba Khamenei |
| Head of government | Masoud Pezeshkian |
| Form of government | Islamic Republic, unitary state |
| Calling code | +98 |
| Internet domain | .ir |
| Highest point | Damavand |
| Lowest point | Caspian Sea |
| Established | 1 April 1979 |
Facts from Wikidata Q794 (CC0).
History of Iran: Empires and States
The atlas records 63 polities whose mapped territory included part of Iran, from Akkadian Empire in 2250 BCE to 2024 CE. They are listed in the order they first appear.
| Polity | Period here | Extent |
|---|---|---|
| Akkadian Empire | 2250–2201 BCE | A small part |
| Elam | 2200–601 BCE | A small part |
| Gutian Dynasty | 2100–2001 BCE | A small part |
| Babylonia | 1750–601 BCE | A small part |
| Assyria | 1220–1201 BCE | A small part |
| Neo-Assyrian Empire | 800–601 BCE | A small part |
| Assyrian Egypt | 650–616 BCE | A small part |
| Median Kingdom | 615–551 BCE | Most |
| Neo-Babylonian Empire | 600–531 BCE | A small part |
| Achaemenid Persian Empire | 550–330 BCE | Nearly all |
| Achaemenid Empire | 550–327 BCE | Nearly all |
| Kingdom of Armenia | 326 BCE – 370 CE | A small part |
| The Macedonian Empire of Alexander | 323–308 BCE | Most |
| Seleucid Empire | 318–127 BCE | Most |
| Atropatene | 307–165 BCE | A small part |
| Parthian Empire | 239 BCE – 237 CE | Nearly all |
| Indo-Scythians | 110–92 BCE | A small part |
| The Roman Empire | 60–126 CE | A small part |
| The Sasanian Empire | 215–643 CE | Nearly all |
| Rashidun Caliphate | 644–665 CE | Most |
| Dabuyid Dynasty | 644–756 CE | A small part |
| The Umayyad Caliphate | 666–750 CE | Most |
| The Abbasid Caliphate | 750–969 CE | Nearly all |
| Zaydi Alid dynasties | 866–935 CE | A small part |
| Saffarid Dynasty | 875–899 CE | A large part |
| Samanid Empire | 900–999 CE | A large part |
| Ziyarid dynasty | 936–979 CE | A small part |
| Buyid Dynasty | 936–1045 CE | Most |
| Abbasid Caliphate/Buyid Dynasty | 947–969 CE | A large part |
| Hamdanid Emirates | 947–1249 CE | A small part |
| Ghaznavid Empire | 1000–1176 CE | Most |
| Seljuk Dynasty | 1034–1039 CE | A small part |
| Great Seljuk Empire | 1040–1201 CE | Nearly all |
| Ghurid Dynasty | 1177–1209 CE | A large part |
| Khwarezmid Empire | 1202–1235 CE | Nearly all |
| The Mongol Empire | 1227–1343 CE | Nearly all |
| Ilkhanate | 1294–1343 CE | Nearly all |
| Chobanids | 1344–1362 CE | A small part |
| Injuids | 1344–1362 CE | A small part |
| Kartids | 1344–1384 CE | A small part |
| Jalayirid Sultanate | 1344–1394 CE | A large part |
| Muzaffarids | 1344–1394 CE | A small part |
| Sarbadars | 1344–1394 CE | A small part |
| Qara Qoyunlu | 1375–1467 CE | A small part |
| Golden Horde | 1385–1394 CE | A small part |
Also recorded: Timurid Empire, Vassalage of Kingdom of Georgia to Timurid Empire, Vassalage of Qara Qoyunlu to Timurid Empire, Hashemite Arab Federation, Aq Qoyunlu, Safavid Dynasty, The Ottoman Empire, Hotaki Dynasty, The Russian Empire, Afsharid Iran, Zand Dynasty, Durrani Empire, Qajar Dynasty, British Colonial Empire, The British Empire, British Africa, Pahlavi Dynasty, Islamic Republic of Iran.
Historical Maps of Iran
Iran on the world map in each year one of these states held it:
Derived by testing mapped cities against dated territorial polygons. Dates are when the polygons cover this place, not the polity's whole lifespan, and polities absent from the source dataset are not listed.
Visiting Iran
Iran (Persian: ایران), formerly Persia, can be considered part of the Middle East or Central Asia; indeed the Persian Empire was the dominant Central Asian power for many centuries. The wellspring of one of the world's great civilizations, Iran is a country of striking natural beauty and gorgeous tiled mosques. Once the centre of a pro-Western monarchy, it became an Islamic Republic in 1979, a modern Islamic theocracy whose laws are based on Ja'fari Shia Islam, and since then, its history has been tumultuous.
Iran is a melting pot of different cultures, with Persians, Azerbaijanis, and Kurds constituting the largest ethnic groups. Shia Islam is the state religion, although there is a sizeable portion of Sunnis, as well as long-established Christian, Jewish and Zoroastrian minorities.
Travel notes adapted from Wikivoyage: Iran (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Largest Cities in Iran
63 cities recorded. Ranked by metropolitan population. A port city's harbour is written up on the page of its sea.
| # | Name | Population | Region | Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tehran | 7.87 million | Tehran | National capital |
| 2 | Mashhad | 2.47 million | Razavi Khorasan | Admin-1 capital |
| 3 | Isfahan | 1.63 million | Esfahan | Admin-1 capital |
| 4 | Karaj | 1.42 million | Tehran | Populated place |
| 5 | Tabriz | 1.41 million | East Azarbaijan | Admin-1 capital |
| 6 | Shiraz | 1.24 million | Fars | Admin-1 capital |
| 7 | Ahvaz | 996,000 | Khuzestan | Admin-1 capital |
| 8 | Qom | 973,000 | Qom | Admin-1 capital |
| 9 | Kermanshah | 828,313 | Kermanshah | Admin-1 capital |
| 10 | Zahedan | 598,887 | Sistan and Baluchestan | Admin-1 capital |
| 11 | Rasht | 594,590 | Gilan | Admin-1 capital |
| 12 | Kerman | 577,514 | Kerman | Admin-1 capital |
| 13 | Urmia | 577,307 | West Azarbaijan | Admin-1 capital |
| 14 | Hamadan | 528,256 | Hamadan | Admin-1 capital |
| 15 | Arak | 503,647 | Markazi | Admin-1 capital |
| 16 | Yazd | 477,905 | Yazd | Admin-1 capital |
| 17 | Qazvin | 464,551 | Qazvin | Admin-1 capital |
| 18 | Bandar-e-Abbas | 461,499 | Hormozgan | Admin-1 capital |
| 19 | Khomeini Shahr | 437,138 | Esfahan | Populated place |
| 20 | Ardabil | 414,603 | Ardebil | Admin-1 capital |
| 21 | Khorramabad | 375,198 | Lorestan | Admin-1 capital |
| 22 | Abadan | 370,180 | Khuzestan | Populated place |
| 23 | Zanjan | 357,471 | Zanjan | Admin-1 capital |
| 24 | Sanandaj | 349,176 | Kordestan | Admin-1 capital |
| 25 | Birjand | 324,703 | South Khorasan | Admin-1 capital |
The other 38 (population, region, role)
- Dezful · 315,482 · Khuzestan · Populated place
- Gorgan · 281,023 · Golestan · Admin-1 capital
- Sari · 271,467 · Mazandaran · Admin-1 capital
- Borujerd · 251,958 · Lorestan · Populated place
- Kashan · 250,000 · Esfahan · Populated place
- Zabol · 233,968 · Sistan and Baluchestan · Populated place
- Sabzewar · 226,183 · Razavi Khorasan · Populated place
- Neyshabur · 221,700 · Razavi Khorasan · Populated place
- Amol · 221,650 · Mazandaran · Populated place
- Bojnurd · 208,582 · North Khorasan · Admin-1 capital
- Khvoy · 202,728 · West Azarbaijan · Populated place
- Varamin · 179,603 · Tehran · Populated place
- Malayer · 176,573 · Hamadan · Populated place
- Saveh · 175,533 · Markazi · Populated place
- Sirjan · 175,000 · Kerman · Populated place
- Bandar-e Bushehr · 169,060 · Bushehr · Admin-1 capital
- Mahabad · 162,434 · West Azarbaijan · Populated place
- Gonbad-e Kavus · 159,982 · Golestan · Populated place
- Kashmar · 157,135 · Razavi Khorasan · Populated place
- Masjed Soleyman · 153,663 · Khuzestan · Populated place
- Ilam · 152,894 · Ilam · Admin-1 capital
- Maragheh · 151,385 · East Azarbaijan · Populated place
- Quchan · 145,531 · Razavi Khorasan · Populated place
- Shahrud · 131,889 · Semnan · Populated place
- Shar e Kord · 129,153 · Chahar Mahall and Bakhtiari · Admin-1 capital
- Marv Dasht · 125,000 · Fars · Populated place
- Semnan · 124,826 · Semnan · Admin-1 capital
- Fasa · 124,458 · Fars · Populated place
- Qomsheh · 118,301 · Esfahan · Populated place
- Torbat-e Jam · 104,578 · Razavi Khorasan · Populated place
- Ahar · 103,639 · East Azarbaijan · Populated place
- Bam · 99,268 · Kerman · Populated place
- Yasuj · 96,786 · Kohgiluyeh and Buyer Ahmad · Admin-1 capital
- Behbehan · 85,707 · Khuzestan · Populated place
- Chabahar · 65,801 · Sistan and Baluchestan · Populated place
- Bijar · 53,871 · Kordestan · Populated place
- Qasr-e Shirin · 11,202 · Kermanshah · Populated place
- Yazdan · 2,000 · South Khorasan · Populated place
Highest Mountains in Iran
11 mountains recorded. Ranked by summit elevation above sea level. A summit on a border is listed under both countries.
| # | Name | Elevation | Feet | Region |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mount Damavand | 5,610 m | 18,406 ft | Asia |
| 2 | Sabalon Kuh | 4,814 m | 15,794 ft | Asia |
| 3 | Zard Kuh | 4,548 m | 14,921 ft | Asia |
| 4 | Kuh-e Hezar | 4,465 m | 14,649 ft | Asia |
| 5 | Kuh-e Dinar | 4,409 m | 14,465 ft | Asia |
| 6 | Kuh-e Taftan | 3,941 m | 12,930 ft | Asia |
| 7 | Kuh-e Garin | 3,630 m | 11,909 ft | Asia |
| 8 | Cheekha Dar | 3,611 m | 11,847 ft | Asia |
| 9 | Kuh-e Siah Khvani | 3,314 m | 10,873 ft | Asia |
| 10 | Kuh-e Fareghan | 3,240 m | 10,630 ft | Asia |
Largest Lakes in Iran
2 lakes recorded. Ranked by mapped surface area. A lake on a border is listed under each country it lies in, with the area of the whole lake.
| # | Name | Surface Area | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Caspian Sea | 425,231 km² | Inland Sea / Endorheic Lake |
| 2 | Lake Urmia | 4,382 km² | Alkaline Lake |
Caspian Sea
Inland Sea / Endorheic Lake · 425,231 km²
Caspian Sea is a inland sea / endorheic lake in Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Iran, Russia and Azerbaijan, with a mapped surface area of about 425,231 km². World's largest inland body of water by surface area (371,000 km²) and volume..
The Caspian Sea is the world's largest inland body of water, also described as the world's largest lake and usually referred to as a full-fledged sea. An endorheic basin, it is situated in both Europe and Asia: east of the Caucasus, west of the broad steppe of Central Asia, south of the fertile plains of Southern Russia in Eastern Europe, and north of the mountainous Iranian Plateau. It covers a surface area of 371,000 km2 (143,244 sq mi) (excluding the highly saline lagoon of Garabogazköl to its east), an area similar to Japan, with a volume of 78,200 km3 (19,000 cu mi). It has a salinity of approximately 1.2% (12 g/L), about a third of the salinity of average seawater. It is bounded by Kazakhstan to the northeast, Russia to the northwest, Azerbaijan to the southwest, Iran to the south, and Turkmenistan to the southeast. The name of the Caspian Sea is derived from the ancient Iranic Caspi people.
The lake stretches 1,200 km (750 mi) from north to south, with an average width of 320 km (200 mi). Its gross coverage is 386,400 km2 (149,200 sq mi) and the surface is about 27 m (89 ft) below sea level.
Adapted from Wikipedia: Caspian Sea (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Surface area
- 425,231 km²
- Area rank
- #1 of 756 indexed
- Type
- Inland Sea / Endorheic Lake
- Countries
- Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Iran, Russia, Azerbaijan
- Coordinates
- 44.1562°, 50.2358°
Among the 756 water bodies with a mapped extent in YearMaps, Caspian Sea ranks #1 by surface area, ahead of Lake Superior (84,920 km²). Areas are computed from the mapped outline and are approximate.
- Other water nearby:
- Lake Urmia (4,382 km²)
More about Caspian Sea
History
The main geologic history locally had two stages. The first is the Miocene, determined by tectonic events that correlate with the closing of the Tethys Sea. The second is the Pleistocene noted for its glaciation cycles and the full run of the present Volga. During the first stage, the Tethys Sea had evolved into the Sarmatian Lake, that was created from the modern Black Sea and south Caspian, when the collision of the Arabian peninsula with West Asia pushed up the Kopet Dag and Caucasus Mountains, making lasting south and west limits to the basin. This orogenic movement was continuous, while the Caspian was regularly disconnected from the Black Sea.
Economy
Countries in the Caspian region, particularly Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan, have high-value natural-resource-based economies, where the oil and gas compose more than 10 percent of their GDP and 40 percent of their exports. All the Caspian region economies are highly dependent on this type of mineral wealth. The world energy markets were influenced by Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan, as they became strategically crucial in this sphere, thus attracting the largest share of foreign direct investment (FDI).
All of the countries are rich in solar energy and harnessing potential, with the highest rainfall much less than the mountains of central Europe in the mountains of the west, which are also rich in hydroelectricity sources.
Iran has high fossil fuel energy potential.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Caspian Sea (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Caspian Sea: Key Facts
| Surface area | 386,400 km² |
|---|---|
| Maximum depth | 1,025 m |
| Volume | 78,700 km³ |
| Surface elevation | -28 m |
| Inflows | Astarachay, Atrek River, Volga, Gorganrud, Kuma, Kura |
| Drainage system | Caspian Sea Basin |
Facts from Wikidata Q5484 (CC0).
Lake Urmia
Alkaline Lake · 4,382 km²
Lake Urmia is a alkaline lake in Iran, with a mapped surface area of about 4,382 km².
Lake Urmia is an endorheic salt lake in Iran. The lake is located in the Iranian region of Azerbaijan, near the Armenian border and south of the Caspian Sea. At its greatest extent, it was the largest lake in West Asia. It was once the sixth-largest saltwater lake on Earth, with a surface area of approximately 6,000 km2 (2,300 sq mi), a length of 140 km (87 mi), a width of 70 km (43 mi), and a maximum depth of 20 m (66 ft).
By late 2017, the lake had shrunk to 10% of its former size (and 1/60 of water volume in 1998) due to persistent general drought in Iran, but also the damming of the rivers that flow into it, and the pumping of groundwater from the surrounding area. This dry spell was broken in 2019 and the lake began filling up once again, due to both increased rain and water diversion from the Zab River under the Urmia Lake Research Programme. The trend reversed again in early 2020s, and a combination of drought and administrative mismanagement caused a renewed acute drop in water levels. Based on NASA's satellite imagery, the lake had almost entirely dried up by September 2025.
Adapted from Wikipedia: Lake Urmia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Surface area
- 4,382 km²
- Area rank
- #45 of 756 indexed
- Type
- Alkaline Lake
- Country
- Iran
- Coordinates
- 37.6014°, 45.4448°
Among the 756 water bodies with a mapped extent in YearMaps, Lake Urmia ranks #45 by surface area, after Qinghai Hu (4,457 km²) and ahead of Vilyuy Reservoir (4,352 km²). Areas are computed from the mapped outline and are approximate.
- Watercourses:
- Aras (River), Qezel Owzan (River)
- Other water nearby:
- Lake Van (3,503 km²), Lake Sevan (1,377 km²)
More about Lake Urmia
Archaeology and history
Yanik Tepe is a prehistoric site on the east shore of Lake Urmia, that has been excavated in the 1950s and 1960s by C. A. Burney. This area has been settled as far back as 6000 BC. There's a large group of sites south of Lake Urmia that have been excavated. They include Dalma Tepe, Teppe Hasanlu, and Geoy Tepe. Hajji Firuz Tepe may have been the earliest of these sites.
Se Girdan kurgans are located on the south shore of Lake Urmia. Some of them were excavated in 1968 and 1970 by O. Muscarella. They have now been redated to the second half of the 4th millennium, although originally they were thought to be much younger.
One of the early mentions of Lake Urmia is from Assyrian records of the 9th century BCE.
Ecology
Based on the latest checklists of biodiversity at Lake Urmia in 2014 and 2016, it is home to 62 species of archaebacteria and bacteria, 42 species of microfungi, 20 species of phytoplankton, 311 species of plants, five species of mollusca, 226 species of birds, 27 species of amphibians and reptiles and 24 species of mammals (47 fossils have been recorded in the area).
Lake Urmia is an internationally registered protected area as both a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and a Ramsar site. The Iranian Department of Environment has designated most of the lake as a national park.
A recent drought has significantly decreased the annual amount of water the lake receives.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Lake Urmia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Lake Urmia: Key Facts
| Surface area | 5,200 km² |
|---|---|
| Maximum depth | 15 m |
| Volume | 45 km³ |
| Surface elevation | 1,270 m |
| Inflows | Zarrineh River, Simineh River, Talkheh River, Baranduz River, Zola River, Gadar River |
| Drainage system | Urmia basin |
Facts from Wikidata Q199551 (CC0).
Rivers in Iran
9 rivers recorded. Listed alphabetically. A river is listed where its mapped reach lies, so long rivers appear under more than one country.
| Name | Type | Also Flows Through |
|---|---|---|
| Aras | River | Azerbaijan, Turkey, Armenia |
| Atrek | River | Turkmenistan |
| Harirud | River | Afghanistan, Turkmenistan |
| Helmand | River | Afghanistan |
| Karkheh | River | Iraq |
| Qezel Owzan | River | — |
| Sefid | River | — |
| Shatt al Arab | River | Iraq |
| Talkeh | River | — |
Ports in Iran
18 ports recorded. Ranked by approach channel depth, the figure that limits which ships can call. Harbours link to their write-up on the page of the sea or coast they lie on.
| # | Name | Channel Depth | Class | Sea | Max Vessel |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chah Bahar | 49.4 m | Very Small | Persian Gulf & Gulf of Oman | medium vessels |
| 2 | Jazireh-Ye Hormoz | 45.7 m | Very Small | Persian Gulf & Gulf of Oman | point_of_interest |
| 3 | Bushehr | 45.7 m | Minor | Persian Gulf & Gulf of Oman | medium vessels |
| 4 | Bandar Abbas | 42.1 m | Minor | Persian Gulf & Gulf of Oman | medium vessels |
| 5 | Khorramshahr | 42.1 m | Minor | Persian Gulf & Gulf of Oman | medium vessels |
| 6 | Abadan | 38.4 m | Minor | Persian Gulf & Gulf of Oman | medium vessels |
| 7 | Bandar-E Mahshahr | 34.7 m | Small | Persian Gulf & Gulf of Oman | medium vessels |
| 8 | Khosrowabad | 34.7 m | Very Small | Persian Gulf & Gulf of Oman | medium vessels |
| 9 | Bandar-E Shahid Reajie | 31.1 m | Small | Persian Gulf & Gulf of Oman | medium vessels |
| 10 | Bandar Khomeyni | 23.8 m | Small | Persian Gulf & Gulf of Oman | large vessels |
The other 8 (channel depth, class, sea, max vessel)
- Barkan Oil-Loading Terminal · 20.1 m · Very Small · Persian Gulf & Gulf of Oman · medium vessels
- Kharg Island Oil Terminal · 5.5 m · Small · Persian Gulf & Gulf of Oman · medium vessels
- Sirus Oil Terminal · 5.5 m · Small · Persian Gulf & Gulf of Oman · large vessels
- Jask · 5.5 m · Very Small · Persian Gulf & Gulf of Oman · point_of_interest
- Bandar-E Pars Terminal · Very Small · Persian Gulf & Gulf of Oman · medium vessels
- Bandar Taheri Offshore Terminal · Very Small · Persian Gulf & Gulf of Oman · large vessels
- Jazireh-Ye Lavan Oil Terminal · Very Small · Persian Gulf & Gulf of Oman · medium vessels
- Jazireh-Ye Sirri · Small · Persian Gulf & Gulf of Oman · medium vessels
UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Iran
27 World Heritage Sites recorded. Listed by year of inscription, earliest first. Sites shared with another country appear under each.
| # | Name | Inscribed | Type | Criteria |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chogha Zanbil | 1979 | Cultural | (iii) (iv) |
| 2 | Naqsh-e Jahan Square | 1979 | Cultural | (i) (v) (vi) |
| 3 | Persepolis | 1979 | Cultural | (i) (iii) (vi) |
| 4 | Takht-e Soleyman | 2003 | Cultural | (i) (ii) (iii) (iv) (vi) |
| 5 | Bam Citadel | 2004 | Cultural | (ii) (iii) (iv) (v) |
| 6 | Pasargadae | 2004 | Cultural | (i) (ii) (iii) (iv) |
| 7 | Soltaniyeh | 2005 | Cultural | (ii) (iii) (iv) |
| 8 | Behistun | 2006 | Cultural | (ii) (iii) |
| 9 | Armenian Monastic Ensembles of Iran | 2008 | Cultural | (ii) (iii) (vi) |
| 10 | Shushtar Historical Hydraulic System | 2009 | Cultural | (i) (ii) (v) |
Mountain Ranges, Deserts and Landforms of Iran
9 mountain ranges, deserts and other landforms recorded. Ranked by mapped area. Covers mountain ranges, deserts, plateaus, named glaciers, plains, basins, peninsulas and capes. One that crosses a border is listed under every country it lies in, with the area of the whole feature.
| # | Name | Area | Type | Region |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Asia | 46.28M km² | Continent | Asia |
| 2 | Baluchistan | 394,613 km² | Geoarea | Asia |
| 3 | Zagros Mountains | 243,578 km² | Range/mtn | Asia |
| 4 | Lut Desert | 79,247 km² | Desert | Asia |
| 5 | Kuh Rud Mountains | 66,110 km² | Range/mtn | Asia |
| 6 | ELBURZ Mountains | 58,561 km² | Range/mtn | Asia |
| 7 | Kavir Desert | 43,948 km² | Desert | Asia |
| 8 | Central Makran | 42,655 km² | Range/mtn | Asia |
| 9 | Kopet Dag Mountains | 40,042 km² | Range/mtn | Asia |
States and Provinces of Iran
3 first-level divisions with their own map.
Countries Bordering Iran
Land and maritime neighbours.
- Turkey map85.88 million
- Azerbaijan map10.25 million
- Bahrain map1.60 million
- Armenia map3.09 million
- Iraq map47.02 million
- Kuwait map4.87 million
- Oman map5.49 million
- Pakistan map255.22 million
- Qatar map2.97 million
- Saudi Arabia map36.97 million
- Turkmenistan map7.62 million
- United Arab Emirates map11.51 million
- Afghanistan map43.84 million
More Maps in Asia
Iran: Quick Answers
- What is the capital of Iran?
- The capital of Iran is Tehran.
- What is the population of Iran?
- Iran has a population of about 92.42 million, the #17 largest of 225 countries in YearMaps. Source: World Bank, 2025.
- How big is Iran?
- Iran covers 1.65M km², ranking #19 by area, with about 56 people per square kilometre.
- Which continent is Iran in?
- Iran is in Asia.
- Which countries border Iran?
- Iran shares a land or maritime border with Turkey, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Armenia, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, Afghanistan.
- What is the largest city in Iran?
- Tehran is the largest city in Iran, with a metropolitan population of about 7.87 million.
- What is the highest mountain in Iran?
- The highest summit recorded for Iran in YearMaps is Mount Damavand at 5,610 m (18,406 ft). Summits on a border are counted for both countries.
- What is the largest lake in Iran?
- The largest lake recorded in or bordering Iran is Caspian Sea, at roughly 425,231 km².
- What are the famous wonders and monuments of Iran?
- Iran's great monuments in YearMaps are Persepolis (Takht-e Jamshid). Each is written up on this page with photographs and its history.