Geographical and Borders – Iran

Extending between 25 and 40 degrees north latitude and 44 and 63 degrees east longitude, Iran covers an area about twice the size of California, Oregon, and Washington combined. With an area of some 636,296 square miles (1,648,000 square kilometers), it is also three times the size of France.

Situated in the heart of the Middle East in southwest Asia, Iran is a bridge linking Asia and Europe. To the north, Iran shares borders with three newly independent republics: Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Turkmenistan. Prior to their independence the former Soviet Union controlled all three.

To the north, Iran also borders the Caspian Sea, the world’s largest landlocked body of water. Due to its being landlocked, the Caspian Sea is officially considered a lake rather than a sea; however, due to its substantially large size, historically
it has been referred to as a sea. To the south, Iran borders the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. It shares its eastern border with Afghanistan and Pakistan, its western border with Turkey and Iraq.

At their border, Iran and Iraq share a major body of water formed by the joining of major rivers that pour into the Persian Gulf. The Tigris and Euphrates rivers flowing in Iraq join the Karun River flowing in Iran to form the strategically significant body of water called Shatt-al Arab (Arabian River) by Iraqis and Arvand Rud (River Arvand) by Iranians.

Due to its periodic meandering, the stream has been a source of boundary disputes between the two countries. One of the major objectives of the Iraqi government’s invasion of Iran in September 1980 was the annexation of this strategic and economically important body of water.