1 Iran Is a Land of Mountains and Deserts Iran is the second-largest country in the Middle East It is the eighteenth largest country in the world Its total area is 636,371 square miles 1,648,195 sq km Iran is nearly the size of the US state of Alaska Iran shares borders with Turkmenistan Afghanistan Pakistan Iraq Turkey Armenia and Azerbaijan The Caspian Sea is to the north The Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman are to the south Iran has rugged mountain chains and large deserts The Zagros Mountains stretch from the northwest to the southeast The Alborz Mountains run along the edge of the Caspian Sea Iran’s highest peak is Mount Damavand It rises 18,934 feet 5,771 m Mountain chains surround basins on a central plateau To the east of the plateau are large deserts The country also has dense forests rainforests and jungles Most of Iran’s people live in the north and west There the land is fertile and the temperatures are moderate The central and eastern parts of Iran are the least populated Mount Damavand is a volcano that last erupted about 7,300 years ago 4
The one road that crosses the Lut Desert is 180 miles 290 km long THE HOTTEST SPOT ON EARTH Iran’s Lut Desert has dunes dust storms and strange rock formations Almost nothing grows there But insects reptiles and desert foxes are seen One day in 2005 the ground temperature reached 159.3 degrees Fahrenheit 70 7 C It was recorded by a NASA satellite The Lut is not the hottest spot on Earth every year But that is still the hottest ground temperature on record 30,000 Size in square miles 77,600 sq km of Dasht-e Kavir Iran’s largest desert Iran has mountain ranges basins deserts and forests Mount Damavand is the highest point Most people live in the northern and western parts of the country 5
2 The Climate Is Diverse Much of Iran is hot and dry But the country is large and the climate varies Winter in the northwest is cold and snowy Temperatures drop to below freezing Summers in the south are very hot Daily temperatures can soar over 100 degrees Fahrenheit 38 C There is not much rain In most of the country the annual rainfall is only about 9 inches 228 mm More rain falls in the mountain valleys and along the coast of the Caspian Sea Most animals live in the wooded mountain regions and the central plateau Brown bears wild boars and wolves make their homes in the forests Deer gazelles and jackals are found on the plateau Many trees have been cut down for lumber and fuel Several animal and plant species are endangered The Asiatic cheetah is critically endangered The Persian leopard is endangered The Caspian tiger is extinct More than 2,000 plant species grow in the forested areas and the plateau In the spring wild shrubs and plants provide food for many animals Aquatic birds such as seagulls live near the coasts Hundreds of varieties of fish are found in the Persian Gulf Less than 7 percent of Iran is forest 6
The endangered Asiatic cheetah is known for the black tear marks in its fur LITTLE AFRICA Iran has many national parks and protected areas Kavir National Park in the north is one It is 1 million acres 404,685 hectares of protected ecological zone Only about 6 inches of rain 150 mm fall each year The park is known as Little Africa Much of its wildlife is similar to what you would see on safari Many animals in the park are endangered 7 40 Estimated number of Asiatic cheetahs in the wild in Iran as of 2016 Iran is a large country with a diverse climate Temperatures range from below freezing to above 100 degrees Fahrenheit 38 C Deforestation has destroyed some animal and plant habitats The coasts are home to many birds
