CRTC for ITCAMP: Coastal Profiles. I.R.Iran



1.1. Geographical scope and boundaries The southern reaches of the Caspian Sea border three or Iran’s beautiful and scenic northern provinces; namely Gilan, Mazandaran and Golestan provinces (??? And ???). Situated from west to east respectively Gilan Province measures 14,819.5 km2 (approximately 0.9% of the national area), Mazandaran 24,091.3 km2 (1.4% of the national area) and Golestan at 20,380.7 km2 (1.3% of the national area). The total area of these provinces encompasses 3.46% of Iran’s territory. The region contains important water bodies as well as land areas. The waters include the Caspian Sea, lagoons, wetlands and supplementary basins. The land areas take in plains, foothills and mountainous regions. The plains have an altitude of less than 100 meters, foothills between 100 to 500 meters and the mountainous region more than 500 meters. The plains are divided into the coastal area and the Great Plains. The coastal area is a narrow strip along the Caspian where its width varies from several meters at the shores of Ramsar shores to several hundred meters in the vast plains and sand hills of the Port Anzali. In addition to these natural divisions, Iran’s shoreline is divided into six regions, with each region having its own geographical characteristics (Map 3). These regions are: *Western Gilan Region:* includes the cities of Astara and Talesh located in the highlands covered with condensed forests. Central Gilan Region: includes five cities of Fouman, Somaeh-Sara, Anzali, Rasht and Roudbar. These areas incorporate forest covered mountainous regions and significant plains that are utilized to cultivate most of Iran’s rice crop. Eastern Gilan Region: includes the cities of Lahijan, Astaneh, Langeroud and Roudsar. There is a vast plain area in this region and the foothills are the source of the preponderance of the national tea crop. Western Mazandaran Region: includes the cities of Ramsar, Tonekabon, Chalous, Noshahr and Noor. The mountainous area covered with scenic forests is significant as the coastal area is at its narrowest width here. Given the mountainous area -sea shore juxtaposition it a very attractive tourist and recreational area. Most of this region is covered with citrus groves. Eastern Mozandaran region: includes the cities of Amol, Babol, Babolsar, Ghaem-Shahr, Sari and Beh-Shahr. Here there are also vast plain and foothill areas. Golestan Region: its major cities are Kurd-Kouy, Bandar-e of Torkaman, Gonbad and Gorgan. Major parts of this region are covered with plains that are cultivated for cereals and cotton. These geographical specifications make these provinces one of the most prosperous areas in the country. Approximately, 8.5% of national agricultural lands are situated here although it only covers less than 4% of the national area. Hence, agriculture is the mainstay of the population. The natural scenery and recreational areas also attract millions of tourists every year. Nevertheless, industry has also progressed in cities like Anzali and Rasht. The combination of these provinces’ characteristics has resulted in an excessive population concentration, especially at the coastal areas. The region’s entire water resource and watershed volume is used to irrigate farmlands and has to pass through residential and industrial areas, before emptying into the Caspian Sea. Consequently, a large amount of industrial wastes and contaminated discharges enter the Caspian Sea.		SECTION 1 SECTION 2 SECTION 3 SECTION 4 SECTION 5