Iran's Rugged Landscape: Mountains, Oil, and Geopolitical Significance

The Geography of Iran

Key Statistics and Defining Features

• Iran is the 17th largest country in the world, covering 1,684,000 sq km.
• It is the 16th most populous country globally, with approximately 70 million inhabitants.

Iran is defined, above all, by its mountains, which largely form its frontiers.

Physical Geography and Borders

Major Mountain Ranges

The most important mountain range is the Zagros Mountains. This range stretches approximately 900 miles, adjoining Turkey and Armenia in the northwest and extending southeast toward Bandar Abbas on the Strait of Hormuz.

Along the Caspian Sea to the east are the Elburz Mountains. These mountains serve as a crucial bridge connecting the Caucasus-Zagros range with the Afghan mountains.

International Borders

Iran's frontiers are extensive:

• Northern Border: Borders what were previously Soviet republics: Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Turkmenistan.
• Western Borders: Shared with Turkey in the north and Iraq in the south, ending at the Shatt al-Arab River (which Iranians call Arvand Rud).

The capital city is Tehran.

To the east of the Shatt al-Arab is the Iranian province of Khuzestan, populated by ethnic Arabs, not Persians. Given the swampy nature of the ground, this region is easily defended and provides Iran a buffer against any force from the west seeking to move along the coastal plain of Iran on the Persian Gulf.

Seas and Coastline

Iran is bordered by significant bodies of water:

• North: Caspian Sea.
• South: Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman.

Iran possesses 800 miles of coastline along its southern borders. The most important port is Bandar Abbas, located on the Strait of Hormuz. Despite its coastline, Iran is primarily a land power, not a major maritime power.

Central Deserts

The center of Iran consists of two vast, uninhabitable desert regions:

• The Dasht-e Kavir (Great Salt Desert), which stretches from Qom in the northwest nearly to the Afghan border, characterized by a layer of salt.
• The Dasht-e Lut (Emptiness Desert), which extends south.

Population Distribution and Urban Centers

Iran’s population is heavily concentrated in its mountains because its lowlands, with the exception of the southwest and the southeast (regions populated by non-Persians), are largely uninhabitable.

Even Iran's biggest city, Tehran, is situated in the foothills of towering mountains.

The majority of the population resides in a belt stretching through the Zagros and Elburz mountains, running on a line from the eastern shore of the Caspian Sea to the Strait of Hormuz.

There is a secondary concentration of people to the northeast, centered on Mashhad. The rest of the country is lightly inhabited and almost impassable because of the salt-mud flats.

Strategic Importance and Resources

Historically, Iran serves as the route connecting the Indian subcontinent to the Mediterranean Sea. However, because of its size and rugged geography, Iran is not a country that can be easily traversed, much less conquered.

Oil Reserves and Production

Oil remains Iran's most important and strategic export. Oil deposits are found in three primary locations:

1. The southwest (major region).
2. Lesser deposits along the Iraqi border in the north.
3. One deposit near Qom.

Iran holds the third largest oil reserves in the world and is the world’s fourth largest producer.

Economic Challenges

Despite massive oil wealth, Iran is not one of the wealthiest countries in the world. This is largely due to a geographic problem: Iran has a huge population mostly located in rugged mountains. Mountainous regions are rarely prosperous because the high cost of transportation makes the development of industry difficult.