IRAN, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran is a large country with a population of 92 million located in the Middle East.

Iran, with an area of 1,648, 195 square kilometers, is a vast region in south-west Asia.
Iran has 7 land-sharing neighbors: Iraq, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.
Additionally, it shares maritime borders with 6 countries in the south: Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Emirates and Saudi Arabia.
The geographical environment of Iran has a great variety. The existence of the high Alborz Range in the north, the Zagros Range in the west and south-west and the eastern mountains of Iran, which surround the Iranian plateau, provide Iran with a ruggedly mountainous and spectacular terrain.
In both the north and the south of the country, there exist wide plains which produce the low coastal lands.

Mountains

The heights of some of the mountain peaks are over four thousand meters.
The most important of these peaks are:
1-Damavand in the north-east of Tehran,with a height of 5671 meters.
2-Alam-Kuh, which is located at the heart of Alborz mountain range with a height of 4850 meters.
3-Sabalan in the west of Ardabil with 4811 meters.

North and south Coasts

The northern shores of Iran, along the Caspian Sea are lush green lands covered with forests, and this land is 28 meters below the sea level.
This region, with its Mediterranean climate, is extensively under the cultivation of such crops as
rice, tobacco, cotton, tea, citrus fruits and oil seeds.
On its shores much fishing is carried out, including that of sturgeon, from which the finest caviar in the world is obtained.
The Caspian Shores with their sandy land and fine scenic views are some of the most popular regions for relaxation and tourism in Iran.

The southern shores of Iran stretch over 1800 kilometers along the Persian Gulf and Oman Sea.
The shores and islands of Iran have long possessed a commercial and portal importance. Today, too, the cities of Bandar Abbass, Bushehr and Chah-Bahar have such an importance.
Moreover, the islands of Hormoz, Kish and Geshm, with their natural views and historical monuments, have a great value for purposes of tourism.

Deserts

The central plateau of Iran has a limited agricultural activity on account of its climatic conditions, but it is extremely rich in its underground resources which are very valuable. The well-known deserts of Iran, namely Dasht-e-Kavir with an area of over 200,000 square kilometers and Dasht-e-Lut with over 166,000 square kilometers both having a very wide expanse are, still considered to be the unknown and unexplored regions of Iran.
These wide plains with their salt and sandy deserts were traversed in the past by great trade caravans carrying goods between the east and the west.