9781422275740

The ruins of Persepolis, an ancient Persian capital, were constructed 2,500 years ago.

Iran at a Glance

Total Land Area

636,371 square miles

Climate

Mostly arid or semiarid; subtropical along Caspian coast

Natural Resources

Petroleum, natural gas, coal, chromium, copper, iron ore, lead, manganese, zinc, sulfur

Land Use

Agricultural land: 30.1 percent (10.8 percent arable land, 1.2 percent permanent crops, 18.1 percent permanent pasture); forest 6.8 percent; other 63.1 percent

Urban Population

74.9 percent of total population

Major Urban Areas

Tehran (8.896 million), Mashhad (3.097 million), Esfahan (2.041 million), Shiraz (1.605 million), Karaj (1.585 million), Tabriz (1.582 million) Middle East, bordering the Gulf of Oman, the Persian Gulf, and the Caspian Sea, between Iraq and Pakistan

Geography

6