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Useful Information



Name :Iran
Official Name :The Islamic Republic of Iran
Former Name :Persia
Nationality :Iranian
Government :Islamic Republic
Capital City :Tehran
Major Cities :Karaj, Mashhad, Isfahan, Shiraz and Tabriz
Population :Over Seventy Million
Official Currency :Iranian Rial (IRR)
Official Language :Persian (Farsi)
Official Religion :Islam
Time Zone :GMT/UTC +3.5
International Calling Code :+98
Internet TLD :.ir

Geographical Location
A large country strategically located in the Middle East region, between the Gulf of Oman, the Persian Gulf, and the Caspian Sea; Iran is situated both in the northern hemisphere and east of Greenwich meridian on 25-40 degree lat and 43-63 degree long .
It is bordered by Iraq to the west, Turkey, Armenia, and Azerbaijan to the northwest, Turkmenistan to the northeast, Afghanistan and Pakistan to the southeast.
Tehran, the capital city of Iran, is located on the slopes of the Alborz Mountains at an elevation of about 1210 m (about 3960 ft) in northern Iran. It sits at the foot of the magnificent Mount Damavand Mt. the tallest mountain in Iran.
Surface Area
The 18th largest country in the world in terms of area at 1,648,000 sq km (land: 1.636 million sq km, water: 12,000 sq km), Iran is slightly larger than Alaska and about the size of United Kingdom, France, Spain and Germany combined.
Seasons
Iran is one of the few countries that have all four distinguished seasons. And at any time of the year, in each section of the country, one of the four seasons is visible. Iran's variety in terms of temperature, humidity and rainfall differs from place to place and season to season. Length of the seasons differs in different regions.
Natural Regions
One of the world's most mountainous countries, Iran contains two major ranges of mountains, the Alborz with the highest peak in Asia west of the Himalayas, Damavand (5671 m above sea level) and the Zagros that cuts across the country for more than 1,600 km extending from north west to the south east of the country. The peaks exceeding 2,300 m in these two ranges capture a considerable amount of moisture coming either from the Caspian Sea southward or the Mediterranean eastward.
Deserts of Iran
Iran is situated in a high-altitude plateau surrounded by connected ranges of mountains. The well-known deserts of Iran are at two major regions: 1) Dasht-e-Kavir, and 2) Kavir-e-Lut. They are both some of the most arid and maybe hottest areas of their kinds in the world.
Mountains of Iran
The whole area of Iran can be divided in to four parts: 1/2 mountains as one part, and 1/4 deserts and 1/4 fertile plains as the other part. There are two major ranges of mountains called the Alborz and the Zagros.
  • The Alborz have been extended all the way from Azerbaijan to Afghanistan passing through the southern part of the Caspian Sea.
  • The Zagros have covered a region from Azerbaijan to the west and SE of the country.
The highest peak of Iran (Middle East) called "Damavand", 5671m ASL. It is a burned-out volcano with a crater of 400m width. At times, sulfur gas ascends to the top and covers the peak like clouds.
Rivers of Iran
There is a vastly extended network of rivers in Iran most of which seasonally are filled with water. Some permanent rivers run from the Alborz or the Zagros to the Caspian Sea, Persian Gulf and Oman Sea. Some temporary rivers either run into a body of water or get dried before reaching any watershed.
Sea, Gulf and Lakes of Iran
Persian Gulf is situated at the south of Iran. It is almost 900km long from the Strait of Hormoz to Arvand Rud, the border river between Iran and Iraq. The Persian Gulf is one of the warmest bodies of water in the entire Middle East.
Oman Sea, situated at the south of Iran, connects the Persian Gulf to the Indian Ocean. With an approximate area of 903,000 km?, the Oman Sea is surrounded by Iran and Pakistan at the north, Deccan peninsula at the east and Arabia peninsula at the west.
With an area of approximately 371,000sq.km, Caspian Sea in the largest body of inland water all over the world, which is situated at the north of Iran. Its neighboring countries are Iran at the South, Turkmenistan at the SE, Kazakhstan at the NE and north, Russia at the NW and Azerbaijan at the SW.
There are permanent and temporary lakes in Iran depending on the amount of water in them in different seasons. Such as Uromiyeh Lake, Zaribar Lake, Hamun Lake, Parishan Lake and Maharlu Lake.
Hotels in Tehran
There are several hotels in Tehran. The following list is some of them which are located around Vanak square :
Hotel NameStarsAddressPhoneWebsite
Homa Hotel 5 Vanak Sq., Khodami St. (+9821)88797179 www.homahotels.com
Azadi Hotel 5 Chamran Highway, Near to Fair (+9821)22343430-99 www.azadihotel.com
Esteghlal Hotel 5 Parkway Cross, Near to Fair (+9821)22660011-25 www.esteghlalhotel.ir
Tehran Grand Hotel 4 Vali Asr St., Near to Motahari St. (+9821)88721656 www.tehrangrandhotel.com
Simorgh Hotel 4 Vali Asr St. , Near Saei Park (+9821)88719911 www.simorghhotel.ir
Kourosh Apartment Hotel 3 Mirdamad St. , Hessary Av. (+9821)22228772 www.koorosh-hotel.com
Niloo Apartment Hotel 3 Vanak Sq. , Niloo St. (+9821)88202018-9 www.hotelniloo.com
Taaj-Mahal Apartment Hotel 3 Sheikh Bahaei St. (+9821)88035444 www.tajmahalhotel.ir
Zafar Apartment Hotel 2 Zafar St. , No. 336 (+9821)88776172-5 www.zafarhotel.com
Vanak Apartment Hotel 1 Vanak Sq. , East Brazil St. (+9821)88773402
Pardis Apartment Hotel 1 Gandi St. , 14th Alley (+9821)88772596-7 www.pardisapthotel.com

More Info
There are various tourist attractions in Iran. You can find more detailed information through the following website:
http://www.irpedia.com
http://www.itto.org
http://www.iran-tourism.ir
More information can be accessible through the website of Iran Meteorological Organization :   http://www.irimet.net