Iran is located in Central Asia, bordering Pakistan, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Turkey, Iraq and other countries, with a total area of about 1.645 million square kilometers and a population of about 82 million. Iran is one of the major powers in the West Asian region, rich in oil and gas resources, and is the world's major oil and gas exporter.
Most countries in The West Asian region have a desert climate, and there are vast deserts in the territory, such as Saudi Arabia, which belongs to the large countries of Western Asia like Iran, but the desert is vast and the fresh water mainly depends on desalination. So what is the geographical environment of Iran as a major West Asian country?
First of all, from the topographic point of view, most of Iran belongs to the Iranian plateau. The Iranian plateau is located in the western part of Asia, west to Asia Minor, east to Central Asia and the Pamir Plateau region, bordering the Caspian Sea, the Persian Gulf, and the Gulf of Oman. The Iranian plateau is vast, spanning about 2,500 kilometers from east to west and about 1,500 kilometers from north to south.
The average altitude of the Iranian plateau is about 1500 meters, the main mountain ranges are the Erbbrz Mountains, the Kiltar Mountains, the Zagros Mountains, the Mokran Mountains, etc., and the highest peak is the main peak of the Erbor Mountains, Damawand Mountain, at an altitude of 5671 meters.
The terrain of the Iranian plateau is complex and diverse, there are high-altitude peaks, there are also low-altitude valleys, the Iranian plateau has an arid climate, most of the region belongs to the subtropical arid and semi-arid climate, precipitation is scarce, and deserts are widespread. The Iranian plateau mainly has three deserts, Cavell, Lute and Registan, which are completely uninhabitable to humans, but many valley areas have more precipitation and lower altitudes, and many Iranians live in livable valley areas.
Many large cities in Iran are distributed in the valleys of the Iranian plateau, such as the Iranian capital Tehran, which belongs to a typical highland city, the climate is continental semi-arid climate, there are Urban Mountains in the north, desert in the south, Tehran is located in a relatively flat area of the mountains, with a population of 8.5 million, is one of the major cities in West Asia.
In addition to Tehran, there are many cities in the Iranian plateau region, such as Abadan, Tabriz, Isfahan and so on. Although iran's terrain is dominated by plateaus, there are also a small number of plains, namely the Caspian Sea Coastal Plain, the Lower Shatt al-Shatt al-Arab River Plain, and the Persian Gulf Coastal Plain. These plains are also the main agricultural and populated areas of Iran.
Secondly, Iran's climate is mainly divided into three types, the most typical climate is desert arid and semi-arid climate, this type of climate covers most of the Iranian plateau, so the Iranian plateau precipitation is scarce, the climate is dry, and many areas are covered by desert. The second largest type of climate is the mountain climate, which is mainly distributed in the surrounding areas of the plateau and the inter-mountain valleys, and compared with the desert climate zone, the mountain climate zone has more precipitation, with an annual precipitation of about 500 mm. Iran's mountain climate zone, the vegetation is mainly mountain grassland, suitable for the development of animal husbandry.
The third is the caspian sea coastal climate, mainly distributed in the caspian sea coastal area, the Caspian sea is the largest lake in the world, Iran is located in the southern part of the Caspian Sea, there is a narrow strip in the southern part of the Caspian Sea, the terrain is flat, the land is fertile, the annual precipitation reaches 500 to 2000 mm, is the most abundant precipitation in Iran, and the geographical environment is also very superior. This land is the main livable place in Iran, with a large population, and iran's main agricultural production areas are concentrated in the plains of the Caspian Sea and the Persian Gulf coast. Therefore, on the whole, Iran's climate is relatively arid, most of the area is water-scarce, the terrain is dominated by mountainous plateaus, the plain area is narrow, and the geographical environment is not superior. However, through their own efforts, iranians have also built Iran into one of the major powers in West Asia.