The administrative divisions of Iran are arranged in four levels, the first level of which is the province (: ostān). Provinces are divided into counties (شهرستان: shahrestān); counties are divided into districts (بخش: bakhsh); and districts are divided into rural districts (دهستان: dehestān) and cities (شهر: shahr). Rural districts contain villages and other population points. One of the cities of the county is appointed as the capital (مرکز: markaz, or center) of the county.
According to the Statistical Center of Iran, the figures are as follows, (end of Iranian calendar 1394):
English Persian singular Persian plural Number Provinces استان ostān استانها ostānhā 31 Counties شهرستان shahrestān شهرستانها shahrestānhā 429 Districts بخش bakhsh بخشها bakhshhā 1057 Rural Districts دهستان dehestān دهستانها dehestānhā 2589 Cities شهر shahr شهرها shahrhā 1245
Guide
The total population of a province is the total of its counties.
The total population of a county is the total of its districts.
The total population of a district is the total of its cities and rural districts.
To better understand these subdivisions, the following table for Sepidan County in Fars province (as it existed in 2006) is an example showing the hierarchy of a county's divisions:
+ Sepidan County (2006) Administrative division Pop. Central District 24,059 Khafri Rural District 4,035 Komehr Rural District 3,812 Ardakan (city) 16,212 Beyza District 36,694 Banesh Rural District 9,718 Beyza Rural District 13,761 Kushk-e Hezar Rural District 9,622 Beyza (city) 3,593 Hamaijan District 27,048 Hamaijan Rural District 15,449 Shesh Pir Rural District 8,197 Sornabad Rural District 3,402 Total 87,801
See also -stan -abad
Notes
References and notes