Tehran province () is one of the 31 provinces of Iran. Its capital is the city of Tehran, the national capital of Iran.
Tehran Province covers an area of and is located to the north of the Central Plateau of Iran. It was made a part of the First Region with its secretariat located in Tehran, upon the division of the provinces into 5 regions, solely for coordination and development purposes on June 22, 2014.
Tehran Province is situated in north-central Iran, lying on the southern slopes of the Alborz Mountains. The province’s location within the Alborz range gives it a diverse topography, with high mountains in the north and gradually descending plains toward the south. This geographical setting creates a varied climate, from cool alpine conditions to semi-arid lowlands.
The province of Tehran has over 12 million inhabitants and is Iran's most densely populated region. Approximately 86.5 percent reside in urban areas and 13.5 percent in rural areas of the province.www.sci.org.ir/content/userfiles/_sci_en/sci_en/sel/j-shvro-84.html. Retrieved November 2011
History
Tehran province has several archeological sites indicating settlements dating back several thousand years. Until 300 years ago, Rey was the most prominent of the cities of the province. However, the city of Tehran rose to become the largest city and capital of Iran by 1796, and since then has been the political, cultural, economic, and commercial nucleus of Iran.
Tehran has over 1,500 historical sites of cultural significance registered with the Cultural Heritage Organization of Iran. The oldest of these in Tehran Province is the remains of two sites in Firuzkuh County that date back to the fourth millennium BCE.
After the 2006 census, Karaj, Nazarabad, and Savojbolagh Counties were separated from the province in the establishment of Alborz province.
Tehran province today Tehran is the commercial heart of Iran. Tehran Province has over 17,000 industrial units employing 390,000 people, 26% of all units in Iran. The province contains 30% of Iran's economy, and comprises 40% of Iran's consumer market. The province has three hydrodams (Latiyan, Lar, and Amir Kabir)as well as two natural lakes, providing the water supply of Tehran and the province.
The province contains 170 mines, over 330 square kilometres of forests, and over 12800 square kilometres of pasture.
Generally speaking, year round, regions such as the southern slopes of the Alborz Mountains, especially in the mountains, valleys, and rivers and artificial lakes formed behind the great dams of Amir Kabir, Latiyan and Lar along with natural lakes of Jaban and Tarr provide considerable recreation for the province.
Moreover, due to excessive snowfall in the northern areas of the province during the winter season, the Alborz mountains form an excellent environment for winter sports such as skiing. Dizin, Shemshak, and Tochal are the most popular skiing resorts.
Geography Tehran province borders Mazandaran Province in the north, Qom Province in the south, Semnan Province in the east, Alborz Province in the west and Markazi Province in the southwest. The metropolis of Tehran is the capital city of the province and of Iran.
Tehran province is the richest in Iran, as it contributes approximately 29% of the country's gross domestic product (GDP). Furthermore, it houses approximately 18% of the country's population and is the most industrialized province in Iran, with nearly 94% of its residents living in the cities as of 2016.
The province gained importance when Tehran was proclaimed the capital by the Qajar dynasty in 1778. Today, Tehran, with a population of 8 million, is ranked amongst the 40 most populous metropolitan cities of the world.
The largest rivers of this province are Karaj River and Jajrood River.
Mountain ranges such as The Alborz span the north; Savad Kooh and Firooz Kooh are located in the northeast; Lavasanat, Qarah Daq, Shemiranat, Hassan Abad and Namak Mountains are in the southern areas; Bibi Shahr Banoo and Alqadr are situated in the southeast and the heights of Qasr-e-Firoozeh been located to the east of the province.
Environmentally, the climate of Tehran province is stable and has four seasons, in winter its experiences cold and snowy conditions, in spring and autumn it experiences generally mild conditions with ample rain, and in summer it experiences warm to hot conditions, and is generally dry. In the mountains, however, it is cold and semi-humid all year round, and the higher regions are colder with long winters. The hottest months of the year are from mid-July to mid-September when temperatures range from to and the coldest months experience around January–February, but at certain times in winter it can reach . Tehran city has cold winters and warm to hot summers. Average annual rainfall is approximately , the maximum being during the winter season mostly in the form of snow. On the whole, the province has a cold semi-arid, steppe climate in the south and an alpine climate in the north.
Demographics Ethnicity Persians The majority of people living in Tehran province are ethnically Persian, and Tehran is the largest Persian-speaking city in the world.
Armenians A population of Armenians mainly lives in the eastern areas of Tehran.
Azerbaijanis Azerbaijanis are one of the Iranian ethnic groups living in Tehran province, who also form the largest group of immigrants in Tehran province. Azeris in Tehran speak the Azeri and Persian languages.
Gilaks A population of Gilaks also live in Tehran and speak the Gilaki and Persian languages.
Kurds Many Kurds have migrated to Tehran province in recent years to continue their studies or to find jobs. Also, the people of Sarbandan, Jaban, Sorkheh Deh and Khosrovan districts of Damavand county in the east of Tehran province speak Kurmanji Kurdish language. The people of these areas are Kurmanji Kurds who moved to this area from Khorasan during the Qajar period. Simultaneously with the migration of Kurmanji tribes from Khorasan to Damavand, another group of Kurds from Khorasan migrated from Chenaran to Piranshahr, one of the cities of Kurdistan south of Lake Urmia.
Lurs Many Lurs migrate to Tehran province every year, and in this way, Tehran has a minority of Lurs. Also, Hadavand clan is one of the oldest and largest clans of Tehran province, which moved to Tehran province during the time of Karim Khan Zand.
Mazanderanis Mazanderanis are the third largest tribe of Tehran province, who mostly migrated to Tehran from the cities of Babol, Sari, Amol, Qaem Shahr and Savadkuh. In addition to Tehran city, Mazanderani language is also spoken in Firuzkuh, Damavand and Shemiranat cities.
Citizens of other countries A population of Iraqi nationals who are of Iranian origin that live in Dolat Abad area of Tehran.
The unstable situation and the war in neighbouring Afghanistan and Iraq prompted a rush of refugees into the country who arrived in their millions, with Tehran being a magnet for much seeking work, who subsequently helped the city to recover from war wounds, working for far less pay than local construction workers. Many of these refugees are being repatriated with the assistance of the UNHCR, but there are still sizable groups of Afghan and Iraqi refugees in Tehran who are reluctant to leave, being pessimistic about the situation in their own countries. Afghan refugees are mostly Dari-speaking Tajik, Parsiwans and Hazara, speaking a variety of Persian, and Iraqi refugees are mainly Mesopotamian Arabic-speakers who are often of Iranian and Persian ethnic heritage.
Population At the time of the 2006 National Census, the province's population was 13,281,858 in 3,729,010 households. The following census in 2011 counted 12,183,391 people in 3,731,480 households. The 2016 census measured the population of the province as 13,267,637 in 4,288,563 households.
Administrative divisions
The population history and structural changes of Tehran province's administrative divisions over three consecutive censuses are shown in the following table.
+ Tehran Province Counties 2006 2011 2016 Baharestan — 523,636 536,329 Damavand 96,860 100,690 125,480 Eslamshahr 447,192 485,688 548,620 Firuzkuh 37,416 38,712 33,558 Karaj 1,709,481 — — Malard — 373,994 377,292 Nazarabad 128,666 — — Pakdasht 240,841 291,397 350,966 Pardis — — 169,060 Pishva — 75,454 86,601 Qarchak — — 269,138 Qods — 290,663 316,636 Ray 292,016 319,305 349,700 Robat Karim 608,530 195,917 291,516 Savojbolagh 215,086 — — Shahriar 1,044,707 624,440 744,210 Shemiranat 37,778 44,061 47,279 Tehran 7,882,843 8,293,140 8,737,510 Varamin 540,442 526,294 283,742 Total 13,281,858 12,183,391 13,267,637
Cities
According to the 2016 census, 12,452,230 people (nearly 94% of the population of Tehran province) live in the following cities:
City Population Abali 2,758 Absard 10,648 Ahmadabad-e Mostowfi 14,077 Andisheh 116,062 Arjomand 1,124 Baghestan 83,934 Baqershahr 65,388 Bumahen 79,034 Chahardangeh 49,950 Damavand 48,380 Eslamshahr 448,129 Fasham 6,945 Ferdowsiyeh 34,221 Ferunabad 21,682 Firuzkuh 17,453 Golestan 239,556 Hasanabad 43,922 Javadabad 4,844 Kahrizak 37,527 Kilan 2,882 Lavasan 18,146 Malard 281,027 Nasimshahr 200,393 Nasirshahr 28,644 Pakdasht 236,319 Parand 97,464 Pardis 73,363 Pishva 59,184 Qarchak 231,075 Qods 309,605 Robat Karim 105,393 Rudehen 28,533 Sabashahr 53,971 Safadasht 32,476 Salehabad 58,683 Shahedshahr 25,544 Shahriar 309,607 Sharifabad 18,281 Shemshak 3,423 Tehran 8,693,706 Vahidiyeh 33,249 Varamin 225,628
The following table shows the ten largest cities of Tehran province:
RankNameCounty20161TehranTehran8,693,7062EslamshahrEslamshahr448,1293ShahriarShahriar309,6074QodsQods309,6055MalardMalard281,0276GolestanBaharestan239,5567PakdashtPakdasht236,3198QarchakQarchak231,0759VaraminVaramin225,62810NasimshahrBaharestan200,393
Anthropology Tehran Province is the most populous province of Iran. The population density in this province is 969 people per square kilometer. During a research that was commissioned by the General Culture Council in 2009 and based on a field survey and a statistical community among the residents of 288 cities and about 1400 villages across the country, the percentage of ethnic groups that were sampled in this survey in this province was as follows. Persians was 56.9%, Azari 56.9%, Northern (Mazani, Gilak and Talish) 30.3%, Kurdish 5.5%, Lurs 2.8%, Baloch 2.1%.
Transportation
Road transport
Tehran province is served by a large freeway and expressway network:
Freeway 2 (Tehran–Karaj Freeway): This freeway connects Tehran to the capital city of neighboring province of Alborz, Karaj and continues towards Tabriz and Europe. Freeway 5 (Tehran–Saveh Freeway): This Freeway connects city of Tehran to its southern suburbs such as Sabashahr, Robat Karim and Parand and continues towards Markazi province to Saveh and Salafchegan. There are plans to continue the freeway towards Khuzestan. Freeway 7 (Tehran–Qom Freeway/Khalij-e-Fars (Persian Gulf) Freeway): This Freeway connects Tehran City to its airport, Imam Khomeini International Airport and continues towards Qom and Isfahan. Tehran–Pardis Freeway: This freeway connects Tehran City to its northeastern suburbs such as Pardis, Bumehen and Rudehen and joins Haraz Road and Firuzkuh Road. Tehran–Shomal Freeway: This under construction freeway will connect Tehran to Chalus and the touristic areas in Shomal. Makhsus Road: This road is the old road from Tehran to Karaj. Because trucks are not allowed on the freeway this road has a high congestion of trucks. Road 38: This road connects Tehran to Shahriar and Malard in southwestern Tehran and continues towards Buin-Zahra in Qazvin province. Road 44: This Expressway connects Tehran to Mashhad.