The Land

Iran (officially The Islamic Republic of Iran) is a vast country in southwest Asia. Covering a surface area of 1,648, 195 square kilo meters, it is bordered by Iraq ( 1,609 km) on the west, Turkey ( 486 km) on the northwest, the Republics of Armenia. Azarbaijan, Turkmanistan, as well as the Caspian Sea (2,670 km) on the north, Afghanistan (945 km) on the east, Pakistan (978 km) on the southeast, the Persian Gulf ( 1,259 km) and the Sea of Oman (784 km) on the south. The Persian Gulf is the shallow marginal part of the Indian Ocean that lies between the Arabian Peninsula and the southwest Iran. The sea has an area of 240,000 square kilometers from the Arvand Rud (Shatt ol-Arab) delta to the Strait of Hormoz, which links it with the Sea of Oman. Its linear length is 900 km, and its width varies from a maximum of 338 km to a minimum of 55 km in the Strait of Hormoz. It is bordered on the north, northeast and east by Iran, on the north- west by Iraq and Kuwait, on the west and southwest by Saudi Arabia and Qatar, and on the south and the southeast by the United Arab Emirates and partly by Oman.
The Sea of Oman opens into the Arabian Sea. It was generally thought that the gulf extended farther north and that sediment dropped by the Tigris, Euphrates, Karun, and Karkheh rivers filled the northern part of the gulf to create a great delta. But geologic investigation now indicates that the coastline has not moved and that the marshlands of the delta represent a sinking of the earth's crust as the Arabian land block Dush..s Imrler Iran

The Islands

Regardless of Bahrain as the largest island which belonged to Iran until the early second half of the 20th century. Iran has the largest number of islands in the Persian Gulf, the most important of which are as follows: Minoo, Kharg (Iranian oil terminal, 6 km long, 3 km wide, site of one of the world's largest deep-water oil ports, and linked to the mainland by a 40-km pipeline), Sheikh Sa'ad, Sheikh Sho'ayb, Hendurabi, Kish (largest island of Iran in the Strait of Hormoz, 1,300 sq km), Farur, Siri, Abu Mussa, the Greater and Lesser Tumbs, Qeshm, Hengam, Larak, Farsi, Hormoz, and Lavan. The most significant Iranian ports on the Persian -Gulf are Abadan, Khorramshahr, Bandar-e Imam Khomeini (former Shahpur), -Mahshahr, Deilam, Genaveh, Rig, Bushehr, Bandar-e Lengeh. and Bandar-e Abbas.

The Rivers

Several rivers are flowing inside Iranian mainland, the only navigable one of which is the Karun (920 km long). Other large rivers are: The Atrak (535 km) in Golestan province and along Iran- Turkmenistan border line, Bampur (275 km), Dalki (285 km), Dez (515 km), Halil Rud (387 km), Hendijan (488 km), Jovein (440 km), Jarahi (or Marun, 438 km), Karkheh (755 km), Mehran (382 km), Mond (685 km), and Sarbaz (313 km) in southern Iran, Qara Chai (540 km), Sefid Rud (795 km) in northwestern Iran, Zarrineh Rud (302 km) and Qara Su (255 km) in western Iran, and the Zayandeh Rud (405 km) in central Iran.
During the summertime, there is little water flowing in the mainland rivers. However, water flows underground, finding its outlets in subterranean water canals (locally called qanats), springs, and tapped by wells.

The Mountains

The high Alborz range in the north, the Zagros range in the west and southwest as well as the eastern mountains of Iran. which surround the Iranian Plateau, provide Iran with a ruggedly mountainous terrain.
Some of the highest mountains of Iran are as follows: Allah Akbar (Quchan, 2,804 m), Alamkuh (Kalardasht, 4,850 m), Alvand (Hamadan, 3,580 m), Ardahal (3,463 m, west of Kashan), Bagh Bala (Kerman, 3, 775 m), Bahr Asseman (Jiroft, 3,886 m), Damavand (East of Tehran, 5,671 m), Hezar Masjed (Mashhad, 3,040 m), Jebal Barez (Jiroft, 3, 741 m), Jupar (Kerman, 4,135 m), Oshtorankuh (Ama, 4,050 m), Palan Gardan (Gachsar, 4,375), Taftan (Khash, 3,941 m), Sabalan (Ardabil, 4,811 m), Sahand (Tabriz, 3,707 m), Shirkuh (Yazd, 4,055 m), Takht Soleiman (Kalardasht, 4,643 m), Tochal (Tehran, 3,933 m), Zardkuh Bakhtiari (Shahr Kurd, 4,221 m), (see also Iran and the Iranians).