World Factbook
Iran
Jomhuri-ye Eslami-ye Iran
Last updated: 2026-03-28 (today)
Area
land
1,531,595 sq km
water
116,600 sq km
total
1,648,195 sq km
Climate
mostly arid or semiarid, subtropical along Caspian coast
Terrain
rugged, mountainous rim; high, central basin with deserts, mountains; small, discontinuous plains along both coasts
Land use
other
64.4% (2023 est.)
forest
6.6% (2023 est.)
agricultural land
29% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: arable land
arable land: 9.7% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent crops
permanent crops: 1.2% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent pasture
permanent pasture: 18.2% (2023 est.)
Location
Middle East, bordering the Gulf of Oman, the Persian Gulf, and the Caspian Sea, between Iraq and Pakistan
Coastline
2,440 km
note: Iran also borders the Caspian Sea (740 km)
Elevation
lowest point
Caspian Sea -28 m
highest point
Kuh-e Damavand 5,625 m
mean elevation
1,305 m
Irrigated land
79,721 sq km (2020)
Map references
Middle East
Land boundaries
total
5,894 km
border countries
Afghanistan 921 km; Armenia 44 km; Azerbaijan 689 km; Iraq 1,599 km; Pakistan 959 km; Turkey 534 km; Turkmenistan 1,148 km
Maritime claims
contiguous zone
24 nm
territorial sea
12 nm
continental shelf
natural prolongation
exclusive economic zone
bilateral agreements or median lines in the Persian Gulf
Natural hazards
periodic droughts, floods; dust storms, sandstorms; earthquakes
Geography - note
strategic location on the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz
Natural resources
petroleum, natural gas, coal, chromium, copper, iron ore, lead, manganese, zinc, sulfur
Area - comparative
almost 2.5 times the size of Texas; slightly smaller than Alaska
Geographic coordinates
32 00 N, 53 00 E
Population distribution
population is concentrated in the north, northwest, and west, reflecting the position of the Zagros and Elburz Mountains; the vast, dry areas in the center and eastern parts of the country, around the deserts of the Dasht-e Kavir and Dasht-e Lut, have a much lower population density
Major lakes (area sq km)
salt water lake(s)
Caspian Sea (shared with Russia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, and Kazakhstan) - 374,000 sq km; Lake Urmia - 5,200 sq km; Lake Namak - 750 sq km
Major watersheds (area sq km)
Indian Ocean drainage
(Persian Gulf) Tigris and Euphrates (918,044 sq km)
Major rivers (by length in km)
Euphrates (shared with Turkey [s], Syria, and Iraq [m]) - 3,596 km; Tigris (shared with Turkey, Syria, and Iraq [m]) - 1,950 km; Helmand (shared with Afghanistan [s]) - 1,130 km note: [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth