Iran is located in the northern hemisphere in southwest Asia. It is situated in the Iranian plateau between 25 to 40 degrees northern latitude and 45 to 63 degrees eastern longitude. Its southern areas are situated in the equatorial region and its northern areas in the northern temperate zone. Iran's area is 1,648,195 square kilometers. Its northern neighbors are Turkmenistan, the Republic of Azerbaijan, and Armenia while the Caspian Sea is also located in its north.

Pakistan and Afghanistan are located in the east of Iran and Turkey and Iraq in the west. The Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman are situated in the southern parts of the country. parts of the country. parts of the country.
Iran's borders extend 7,774 km, some one-third of which are sea borders. Iran's borders in the southern coastal areas of the Caspian Sea and the northern coastal areas of the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman are 663 km and 1,952 km long respectively.Error processing SSI file

From a geographical point of view, no country in the Caspian Sea, Central Asia, and Caucasus Region has access to free water, except Iran. This is while the regional economies mainly depend on the production and export of oil and imports of various goods to the rest of the world.
Since the Caspian Sea is located among Iran, Russia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan, the regional trade activities can thrive meaningfully. Furthermore, these countries believe that their economic, cultural, and social progress is contingent upon their access to the international markets.

Iran is located in the meantime, the discovery of the regional energy reserves and resources motivated the major consumers of energy worldwide to actively seek a replacement for the energy-rich Persian Gulf region. Hence, the exploitation and transfer of the regional oil and gas became and economic and political priority for the major consumers of energy in the world.

Due to its unique geographical location and cultural as well as historical commonalities with the regional countries, Iran is the best venue for ensuring an international trade link in the region. Iran has the best transit facilities in the region; it has high security and is the shortest and least expensive route for the transport of regional energy. It also has access to the energy transport technology. Until 1998, the proven oil reserves of the region were estimated at 154.4 billion barrels while its proven gas reserves stood at 48.5 trillion cubic meters. These are Iran's indisputable economic advantages.

For some 4000 years, Iran has been the hub of trade and culture in the East. It has acted like a sturdy bridge connecting the East to the West. Two commercial roads of Silk and Adviyeh pass through Iran.
The countries in Central Asia and the Caucasus as well as Russia depend on Iran for access to the free waters of the world (North-South link). Iran is the land where the transfer of science and technology fromthe East to the West and vice versa has become a reality . Iran also has maintained its trade

security throughout the years. Interestingly enough, Marco Polo, the famous Venetian traveler and author, traveled to China via Iran.Error processing SSI file

industrial products. The regional countries' main source of revenue is oil and gas. Every day about 15 to 16 million barrels of oil are exported to different parts of the planet from the regional countries via the Strait of Hormoz alone. The U.S., Western European countries, and Japan procure some 30, 60, and 76 percents of their oil needs respectively through the Persian Gulf region. The total regional imports and exports amount to over 145 billion dollars, some 80 billion dollars of which are related to the exports of crude minerals, particularly oil and gas. Over eight million foreign skilled and semi-skilled laborers are employed in the regional countries. Error processing SSI file

Many edifices, aqueducts, caravansaries, bridges, mosques, traditional bathhouses and bazaars still remain in the mountainous and desert areas of the country marking the type of services that Iranians provided for globetrotters and businessmen throughout history. Two main highways of the Silk Road which played an important role in promoting cultural and commercial bonds between the East and the European countries, passed through Iran.

The first one which was known as the Road for trading Spices (Adviyeh) connected the Indian subcontinent to Europe via the central and southern cities and ports of the Sea of Oman and the Persian Gulf.
Iranian history and civilization are among its great tourism attractions. The Silk Road, since its birth in the second half of the second century B.C. until the early years of the 20^th century, passed through the Iranian territories.Iran's unique regional and global geopolitical situation has provided numerous opportunities for foreign businessmen and tourists of many countries. Throughout the years, Iran provided services to groups of tourists and businessmen who used its ports and islands in the Sea of Oman, the Persian Gulf, and the Caspian Sea as well as the Silk Road for cultural and economic interactions.Error processing SSI file

Iran is a mountainous country. Over one half of its area is made up of mountains and heights; some one-fourth of its territories are desert regions and the remaining one fourth is comprised of farmlands.
The other one was the main Silk Road which connected the cities in the northern areas of Iran, such as Kermanshah, Hamedan, Rey, Gorgan, Neyshabour, and Toos to Central Asia (Marv, Samarqand, and Bukhara), China, and Japan.

areas of the country all the way to the Aras River and the Ararat heights in northwestern Iran. Damavand is the highest volcanic peak of the country with 5671 meters high. Alamkouh is the most important glacier of the country. This peak is 4820 meters high and is located in Central Alborz.
The oss Range extends over all the western and southwestern areas of the country, ranging from the borders with Turkey all the way down to the vicinity of the Strait of Hormoz in the Persian Gulf.

These heights are mainly remnants of the sediments of the Mesozoic and cover almost half of Iran. The Zagross Range has perpetually protected the central government against tribal attacks. Two volcanic peaks, namely Sahand, which is 3710 meters high, and Sabalan, which is 4821 meters high, are located in this region

The Zagross Range ends to the Makran Mountains (along the shores of the Sea of Oman) in the south. The Makran Mountains extend all the way to the Iran-Pakistan borders. The only lowlands of the country are in the central and eastern regions, comprising the central pits, the area known as Loute and Nahbandan fissures.

Although Iran is situated in the northern temperate zone, it has diverse climatic conditions due to various reasons. The direction of its mountains, its being adjacent to the hot and arid Saudi Arabian deserts, and its distance from the seas is the most important reasons behind Iran's diverse climatic conditions.
One distinct climatic feature of Iran is the intense temperature gradients which at certain instances exceed 40 degrees centigrade (104 ^{o F}). The warmest areas of the country are the coastal regions of the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman as well as the pits in Loute and Sistan.
In the summertime, the temperature in these areas exceeds 45 degrees centigrade (113 ^{o F}). This is while the temperature in the northwestern and western parts of the country as well as the northern mountainous areas may reach over minus 30 degrees centigrade (-22 ^{o F}) in winters. It must also be noted that the annual precipitation level varies from zero to 2000 millimeters. The highest level of annual precipitation takes place in the Caspian Sea coastal areas as well as the northern and northwestern parts of the country. The lowest level of annual precipitation takes place in the southern and eastern parts of the country as well as the central desert region.Error processing SSI file

-Warm and Humid
Provinces of Gilan, Mazandaran, and Golestan

the less thick the forests become while the number of thorny plants and small trees increases.