Iran is subdivided into thirty provinces (Persian: استان ostān, plural استانها ostānhā), each governed from a local center, usually the largest local city, which is called the capital (Persian: مرکز markaz) of that province. The provincial authority is headed by a Governor-General[1] (Persian: استاندار ostāndār), who is appointed by the Minister of the Interior subject to approval of the cabinet. [edit] History Until 1950, Iran was divided into twelve provinces: Ardalan, Azarbaijan, Baluchestan, Fars, Gilan, Araq-e Ajam, Khorasan, Khuzestan, Kerman, Larestan, Lorestan, and Mazandaran.[2] In 1950, Iran was reorganized to form ten numbered provinces with subordinate governorates: Gilan; Mazandaran; East Azarbaijan; West Azarbaijan; Kermanshah; Khuzestan; Fars; Kerman; Khorasan; Isfahan.[2] From 1960 to 1981 the governorates were raised to provincial status one by one. Since then several new provinces have been created, most recently in 2004 when the province of Khorasan was split into three new provinces. [3]
[edit] Information
| Province | Capital | Area[4] | Population[5] | Density
(population/km²) | Shahrestans (counties) | Notes | Map | | Ardabil | Ardabil | 17,800 km2 (6,900 sq mi) | 1,257,624 | 70.7 inhabitants per square kilometre (183 /sq mi) | 9 | Until 1993, Ardabil was part of East Azerbaijan province.[6] |  | | Azerbaijan, East | Tabriz | 45,650 km2 (17,630 sq mi) | 3,620,183 | 76.7 inhabitants per square kilometre (199 /sq mi) | 19 | |  | | Azerbaijan, West | Urmia | 37,437 km2 (14,455 sq mi) | 2,949,426 | 78.8 inhabitants per square kilometre (204 /sq mi) | 14 | During the Pahlavi Dynasty Urmia was known as Rezaiyeh.[7] |  | | Bushehr | Bushehr | 22,743 km2 (8,781 sq mi) | 887,115 | 35.9 inhabitants per square kilometre (93 /sq mi) | 9 | Originally part of Fars province. Until 1977, the province was known as Khalij-e Fars (Persian Gulf).[8] |  | | Chahar Mahaal and Bakhtiari | Shahrekord | 16,332 km2 (6,306 sq mi) | 842,002 | 51.6 inhabitants per square kilometre (134 /sq mi) | 6 | Until 1973 was part of Isfahan province.[9] |  | | Fars | Shiraz | 122,608 km2 (47,339 sq mi) | 4,385,869 | 35.8 inhabitants per square kilometre (93 /sq mi) | 23 | |  | | Gilan | Rasht | 14,042 km2 (5,422 sq mi) | 2,410,523 | 171.7 inhabitants per square kilometre (445 /sq mi) | 16 | |  | | Golestan | Gorgan | 20,195 km2 (7,797 sq mi) | 1,637,063 | 81.1 inhabitants per square kilometre (210 /sq mi) | 11 | On the 31 May 1997, the shahrestans of Aliabad, Gonbad-e-kavus, Gorgan, Kordkuy, Minudasht, and Torkaman were separated from Mazandaran province to form Golestan province. Gorgan was called Esteraba or Astarabad until 1937.[8] |  | | Hamadan | Hamadan | 19,368 km2 (7,478 sq mi) | 1,790,770 | 91 inhabitants per square kilometre (240 /sq mi) | 8 | Originally part of Kermanshah province.[8] |  | | Hormozgan | Bandar Abbas | 70,669 km2 (27,285 sq mi) | 1,410,667 | 18.6 inhabitants per square kilometre (48 /sq mi) | 11 | Originally part of Kerman province.[8] Until 1977, the province was known as Banader va Jazayer-e Bahr-e Oman (Ports and Islands of the Sea of Oman).[8] |  | | Ilam | Ilam | 20,133 km2 (7,773 sq mi) | 545,093 | 27.1 inhabitants per square kilometre (70 /sq mi) | 7 | Originally part of Kermanshah province.[8] |  | | Isfahan | Isfahan | 107,029 km2 (41,324 sq mi) | 4,590,595 | 41.6 inhabitants per square kilometre (108 /sq mi) | 21 | In 1986, some parts of Markazi province were transferred to Isfahan, Semnan, and Zanjan provinces.[8] |  | | Kerman | Kerman | 180,836 km2 (69,821 sq mi) | 2,660,927 | 13.5 inhabitants per square kilometre (35 /sq mi) | 14 | |  | | Kermanshah | Kermanshah | 24,998 km2 (9,652 sq mi) | 1,938,060 | 77.5 inhabitants per square kilometre (201 /sq mi) | 13 | Between 1950 and 1979, both Kermanshah province and city were known as Kermanshahan and between 1979 and 1995 were known as Bakhtaran.[8] |  | | Khorasan, North | Bojnourd | 28,434 km2 (10,978 sq mi) | 820,918 | 27.7 inhabitants per square kilometre (72 /sq mi) | 6 | On 29 September 2004, Khorasan was divided into three provinces. North Khorasan; Razavi Khorasan; South Khorasan.[3] |  | | Khorasan, Razavi | Mashhad | 144,681 km2 (55,862 sq mi) | 5,620,770 | 36.0 inhabitants per square kilometre (93 /sq mi) | 19 | On 29 September 2004, Khorasan was divided into three provinces. North Khorasan; Razavi Khorasan; South Khorasan.[3] |  | | Khorasan, South | Birjand | 69,555 km2 (26,855 sq mi) | 640,218 | 7.3 inhabitants per square kilometre (19 /sq mi) | 4 | On 29 September 2004, Khorasan was divided into three provinces. North Khorasan; Razavi Khorasan; South Khorasan.[3] |  | | Khuzestan | Ahvaz | 64,055 km2 (24,732 sq mi) | 4,345,607 | 67.8 inhabitants per square kilometre (176 /sq mi) | 18 | |  | | Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad | Yasuj | 15,504 km2 (5,986 sq mi) | 695,099 | 44.8 inhabitants per square kilometre (116 /sq mi) | 5 | Originally part of Khuzestan province. Until 1990, the province was known as Bovir Ahmadi and Kohkiluyeh.[8] |  | | Kurdistan | Sanandaj | 29,137 km2 (11,250 sq mi) | 1,574,118 | 54.0 inhabitants per square kilometre (140 /sq mi) | 9 | Originally part of Gilan province.[8] |  | | Lorestan | Khorramabad | 28,294 km2 (10,924 sq mi) | 1,758,628 | 62.2 inhabitants per square kilometre (161 /sq mi) | 9 | Originally part of Khuzestan province.[8] |  | | Markazi | Arak | 29,130 km2 (11,250 sq mi) | 1,361,394 | 46.7 inhabitants per square kilometre (121 /sq mi) | 10 | Originally part of Mazandaran province.[8] In 1986, some parts of Markazi province were transferred to Isfahan, Semnan, and Zanjan provinces.[8] |  | | Mazandaran | Sari | 23,701 km2 (9,151 sq mi) | 2,940,831 | 118.9 inhabitants per square kilometre (308 /sq mi) | 15 | |  | | Qazvin | Qazvin | 15,549 km2 (6,004 sq mi) | 1,166,861 | 75.0 inhabitants per square kilometre (194 /sq mi) | 5 | On 31 December 1996, the shahrestans of Qazvin and Takestan were separated from Zanjan province to form the province of Qazvin.[8] |  | | Qom | Qom | 11,526 km2 (4,450 sq mi) | 1,064,456 | 92.4 inhabitants per square kilometre (239 /sq mi) | 1 | Until 1995, Qom was a shahrestan of Tehran province.[8] |  | | Semnan | Semnan | 97,491 km2 (37,641 sq mi) | 590,512 | 6.0 inhabitants per square kilometre (16 /sq mi) | 4 | Originally part of Mazandaran province.[8] In 1986, some parts of Markazi province were transferred to Isfahan, Semnan, and Zanjan provinces.[8] |  | | Sistan and Baluchistan | Zahedan | 181,785 km2 (70,188 sq mi) | 2,410,076 | 12.6 inhabitants per square kilometre (33 /sq mi) | 8 | Until 1986, the province was known as Baluchestan and Sistan.[8] |  | | Tehran | Tehran | 18,814 km2 (7,264 sq mi) | 13,530,742 | 645.8 inhabitants per square kilometre (1,673 /sq mi) | 13 | Until 1986, Tehran was part of Markazi province. |  | | Yazd | Yazd | 129,285 km2 (49,917 sq mi) | 992,318 | 7.4 inhabitants per square kilometre (19 /sq mi) | 10 | Originally part of Isfahan province.[9] In 1986, part of Kerman province was transferred to Yazd province. In 2002, Tabas shahrestan (area: 55,344 km²) was transferred from Khorasan province to Yazd.[8] |  | | Zanjan | Zanjan | 21,773 km2 (8,407 sq mi) | 970,946 | 44.6 inhabitants per square kilometre (116 /sq mi) | 7 | Originally part of Gilan province. In 1986, some parts of Markazi province were transferred to Isfahan, Semnan, and Zanjan provinces.[8] |  | | Iran (Total) | Tehran | 1,628,554 km2 (628,788 sq mi) | 71,767,413 | 44.0 inhabitants per square kilometre (114 /sq mi) | 324 | |  | [edit] List of the provinces and their comparable country by population | Rank | State | Population | Local language | Comparable country by population | | 1 | Tehran | 13,281,858 | Persian |  Ecuador | | 2 | Razavi Khorasan | 5,515,980 | Persian
Turkmen
Kurdish |  Denmark | | 3 | Isfahan | 4,499,327 | Persian |  Norway | | 4 | Fars | 4,220,721 | Persian |  Croatia | | 5 | Khuzestan | 4,192,598 | Arabic
Persian |  Georgia | | 6 | East Azarbaijan | 3,527,267 | Azerbaijani |  Lithuania | | 7 | Mazandaran | 2,893,087 | Manzandarani |  Kuwait | | 8 | West Azarbaijan | 2,831,779 | Azerbaijani
Kurdish | Kuwait | | 9 | Kerman | 2,584,834 | Persian |  Oman | | 10 | Gilan | 2,381,063 | Gilaki |  Latvia | | 11 | Sistan and Baluchestan | 2,349,049 | Balochi
Persian | Latvia | | 12 | Kermanshah | 1,842,457 | Kurdish |  Botswana | | 13 | Lorestan | 1,689,650 | Lori Persian |  Gambia | | 14 | Hamedan | 1,674,595 | Persian |  Guinea-Bissau | | 15 | Golestan | 1,593,055 | Mazandarani
Turkmen |  Estonia | | 16 | Kordestan | 1,416,334 | Kurdish |  Trinidad and Tobago | | 17 | Hormozgan | 1,365,377 |
Persian |  Gabon | | 18 | Markazi | 1,326,826 |
Persian | Gabon | | 19 | Ardabil | 1,209,968 | Azerbaijani |  Mauritius | | 20 | Qazvin | 1,127,734 |
Persian |  East Timor | | 21 | Qom | 1,036,714 |
Persian |  Swaziland | | 22 | Yazd | 958,323 |
Persian |  Qatar | | 23 | Zanjan | 942,818 | Azerbaijani | Qatar | | 24 | Bushehr | 866,490 |
Persian |  Fiji | | 25 | Chahar Mahaal and Bakhtiari | 843,784 | Lori Persian |  Djibouti | | 26 | North Khorasan | 791,930 | Persian
Turkmen
Kurdish |  Cyprus | | 27 | Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province | 621,428 | Lori Persian |  Bhutan | | 28 | South Khorasan | 600,568 |
Persian |  Comoros | | 29 | Semnan | 589,512 |
Persian |  Cape Verde | | 30 | Ilam | 530,464 |
Kurdish
Lori Persian |  Solomon Islands |
[edit] Historical Provinces of Iran [edit] See also [edit] References and notes [edit] External links |
