Editing Geography of Iran (section)

==Topography==
{{See also|List of mountains in Iran|List of islands of Iran|Transport in Iran|Communications in Iran}}
[[Image:Night lights of Iran.jpg|thumb|250px|Iran at night]]
[[Image:Iran-geographic map.svg|thumb|250px|Topography of Iran]]

The topography of Iran consists of rugged, mountainous rims surrounding high interior basins. The main mountain chain is the [[Zagros Mountains]], a series of parallel ridges interspersed with plains that bisect the country from northwest to southeast. Many peaks in the Zagros exceed {{convert|3000|m|ft|0}} above sea level, and in the south-central region of the country there are at least five peaks that are over {{convert|4000|m|0}}.

As the Zagros continue into southeastern Iran, the average elevation of the peaks declines dramatically to under {{convert|1500|m|0}}. Rimming the Caspian Sea littoral is another chain of mountains, the narrow but high [[Alborz]] Mountains. Volcanic [[Mount Damavand]], {{convert|5610|m|0}}, located in the center of the Alborz, is not only the country's highest peak but also the highest mountain on the Eurasian landmass west of the [[Hindu Kush]].

The center of Iran consists of several closed basins that collectively are referred to as the Central Plateau. The average elevation of this plateau is about {{convert|900|m|0}}, but several of the mountains that tower over the plateau exceed {{convert|3000|m|0}}. The eastern part of the plateau is covered by two salt deserts, the [[Dasht-e Kavir]] (Great Salt Desert) and the [[Dasht-e Lut]]. Except for some scattered [[oasis|oases]], these deserts are uninhabited.

Parts of northwestern Iran are part of the [[Armenian highlands]], which adjoins it topographically with other parts of neighbouring [[Turkey]], [[Armenia]], [[Azerbaijan]], and [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/35301/Armenian-Highland|title=Armenian Highland|access-date=28 February 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150503155955/http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/35301/Armenian-Highland|archive-date=3 May 2015}}</ref>

Iran has only two expanses of lowlands: the [[Khuzestan Plain]] in the southwest and the Caspian Sea coastal plain in the north. The former is a roughly triangular-shaped extension of the Mesopotamia plain and averages about {{convert|160|km}} in width. It extends for about {{convert|120|km}} inland, barely rising a few meters above sea level, then meets abruptly with the first foothills of the Zagros. Much of the Khuzestan plain is covered with marshes.

The Caspian plain is both longer and narrower. It extends for some {{convert|640|km}} along the Caspian shore, but its widest point is less than {{convert|50|km}}, while at some places less than {{convert|2|km}} separate the shore from the Alborz foothills. The Persian Gulf coast south of Khuzestan and the Gulf of Oman coast have no real plains because the Zagros in these areas come right down to the shore.

There are no major rivers in the country. Of the small rivers and streams, the only one that is navigable is the  {{convert|830|km}}-long [[Karun]], which shallow-draft boats can negotiate from [[Khorramshahr]] to [[Ahvaz]], a distance of about {{convert|180|km}}. Other notable rivers include the [[Karkheh River|Karkheh]], spanning {{convert|700|km}} and joining the [[Tigris]]; and the [[Zayandeh River]], which is {{convert|300|km}} long. Several other permanent rivers and streams also drain into the Persian Gulf, while a number of small rivers that originate in the northwestern Zagros or Alborz drain into the Caspian Sea.

On the Central Plateau, numerous rivers—most of which have dry beds for the greater part of the year—form from snow melting in the mountains during the spring and flow through permanent channels, draining eventually into salt lakes that also tend to dry up during the summer months. There is a permanent salt lake, [[Lake Urmia]] (the traditional name, also cited as Lake Urmiyeh, to which it has reverted after being called Lake Rezaiyeh under [[Mohammad Reza Shah]]), in the northwest, whose brine content is too high to support fish or most other forms of aquatic life. There are also several connected salt lakes along the Iran-Afghanistan border in the province of Baluchestan va Sistan.

Iran's highlands are home to some of the world's most unexpected glaciers. Their appearance in the dry environment is advantageous for those who depend on glacial ice as a supply of fresh water. In an expedition, [[Klaus Thymann]] together with the environmental charity [[Project Pressure]] produced a series of archive and expedition photographs that depict the urgency of the situation surrounding climate change and the individuals who rely on such natural ice forms to sustain life in remote areas.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/gallery/2014/dec/16/glaciers-of-iran-in-pictures|title=Glaciers of Iran – in pictures|newspaper=The Guardian|date=16 December 2014}}</ref>

[[File:Mount Damavand. Photo by Klaus Thymann, 2014..jpg|thumb|Mount Damavand. Photo by Klaus Thymann, 2014.]]

A recent global [[remote sensing]] analysis suggested that there were 1,481&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup> of tidal flats in Iran, making it the 22nd ranked country in terms of tidal flat area.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Murray|first1=N.J.|last2=Phinn|first2=S.R.|last3=DeWitt|first3=M.|last4=Ferrari|first4=R.|last5=Johnston|first5=R.|last6=Lyons|first6=M.B.|last7=Clinton|first7=N.|last8=Thau|first8=D.|last9=Fuller|first9=R.A.|title=The global distribution and trajectory of tidal flats|journal=Nature|date=2019|volume=565|issue=7738|pages=222–225|doi=10.1038/s41586-018-0805-8|pmid=30568300|s2cid=56481043|url=https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-018-0805-8}}</ref>