Iran Geography Overview
Area
land
1,531,595 sq km
water
116,600 sq km
total
1,648,195 sq km
Climate
predominantly arid or semi-arid, with subtropical conditions along the Caspian coastline
Terrain
a rugged, mountainous perimeter; a high central basin featuring deserts and mountains; small, fragmented plains along both coastal regions
Land use
other
64.4% (2023 est.)
forest
6.6% (2023 est.)
agricultural land
29% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: arable land
arable land: 9.7% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent crops
permanent crops: 1.2% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent pasture
permanent pasture: 18.2% (2023 est.)
Location
Located in the Middle East, it shares borders with the Gulf of Oman, the Persian Gulf, and the Caspian Sea, situated between Iraq and Pakistan
Coastline
2,440 km
Elevation
lowest point
Caspian Sea -28 m
highest point
Kuh-e Damavand 5,625 m
mean elevation
1,305 m
Irrigated land
79,721 sq km (2020)
Map references
Middle East
Land boundaries
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
Maritime claims
contiguous zone
24 nm
territorial sea
12 nm
continental shelf
natural prolongation
exclusive economic zone
bilateral agreements or median lines in the Persian Gulf
Natural hazards
experiences periodic droughts and floods; prone to dust storms, sandstorms, and earthquakes
Geography - note
holds a strategic position near the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz
Natural resources
resources include petroleum, natural gas, coal, chromium, copper, iron ore, lead, manganese, zinc, and sulfur
Area - comparative
approximately 2.5 times larger than Texas; slightly smaller than Alaska
Geographic coordinates
32 00 N, 53 00 E
Population distribution
the population is primarily found in the northern, northwestern, and western regions, reflecting the presence of the Zagros and Elburz Mountains; the extensive dry areas in the central and eastern regions, around the Dasht-e Kavir and Dasht-e Lut deserts, exhibit a significantly lower population density
Major lakes (area sq km)
salt water lake(s)
Caspian Sea (jointly owned with Russia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, and Kazakhstan) - 374,000 sq km; Lake Urmia - 5,200 sq km; Lake Namak - 750 sq km
Major watersheds (area sq km)
Indian Ocean drainage
(Persian Gulf) Tigris and Euphrates (918,044 sq km)
Major rivers (by length in km)
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] indicates river source; [m] indicates river mouth after the country name