Kurdistan province

Iran / Kordestan / Sanandaj /
 province, first-level administrative division, draw only border
Kurdistan (Kurdish: پارێزگه ی کوردستان Parêzgeha Kurdistanê, Persian: استان کردستان) is one of the 30 provinces of Iran. It has an erea of 28,817 km² and is located in the west of Iran. Kurdistan province is bound by Iraq on the west, the province of west Azerbaijan to its north, Zanjan to the northeast and Kermanshah to the south. The capital of Kurdistan Province is the city of Sanandaj. Other major cities in this province are Marivan, Baneh, Saqqez, Sarvabaad, Qorveh, Bijar, Kamyaran and Diwandarreh.

Kurdistan Province is an entirely mountainous region and has a generally mild and pleasant climate throughout the spring and summer. Winters are long and can be very cold with heavy snowfalls. Mount Charkhaln 3,330 m high, mount Chehelcheshmeh 3,173 m, Mount Hossein Bak 3,091 m and Mount Masjede Mirza 3,059 m are some of the many peaks in Kurdistan.In addition, it has many rivers, lakes, natural ice-stores and caves, which render it rather picturesque. Consequently, Kurdistan has always attracted a large number of tourists and fans of mountaineering, ski and water-sports.

Zarrinehorood, 302 km long, is one of the longest rivers of this province. Its banks offer great opportunities for recreation and the river's plentiful water renders itself ideal for water sports. This river runs northwards and ultimately pours into Lake Urmia. Sirvan river is another prominent river in this province. It runs over a long distance, eventually to join the Tigris in Iraq. The banks of this river are remarkably attractive. Simineh rood is another important river in this province.

Lake Zarivar is the most beautiful water-way of the province, which lies at the feet to high mountains, providing a delightfully picturesque sight. Its water is sparkingly fresh. The lake has a maximum depth of 50 m and an average depth of 3 m. It is surrounded by thick forests. The whole collection of the lake, the mountains and forests generates a fascinating panorama. This lake, which has a length of 5 km and a maximum width of 1.7 km, lies to the west of Marivan. Kurdistan also benefits from many resourceful mineral water springs. The most outstanding of these are: Govaz to the northwest of Kamyaran, Abetalkh close to Bijar and Baba Gorgor to the north of Ghorveh.

Cave Kereftoo, close to Divandarreh, is a unique natural and at the same time archeological site. Inside the cave there are a number of ancient buildings known as the Temple of Heraclius, because the name of this Greek god is carved on the ceiling of one of the halls. Cave Shoovi, 267 m long, is another prominent cave, which lies near the city of Baneh.

Kurdistan has also vast forests and refuges, where many animals and birds live, safely from the harms of the human beings, like leopard, ram, wild goat, hyena, jackal, wolf, fox, sable, wesel and such birds as the partridge, wild duck, stork, parrot and eagle.

The population of the province in 1996 was 1,346,383 of which 52.42% were urban dwellers and 47.58% rural dwellers. The Kurdish people are the majority population in this province, and they speak Sorani-Kurdish which is a northwestern Iranian language. The region's historical name is Ardalan. Eastern parts of the province including Bijar and Qorveh are also inhabitated by Azarbaijanis who speak Azari.
Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kurdistan_province_(Iran)
Nearby cities:
Coordinates:   35°38'4"N   46°51'51"E

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  • Polygon by shbn.
  • Double-lined polygon corrected by shbn.
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