Isfahan Province - Geography

Geography

The province of Esfahan covers an area of approximately 107,027 square km and is situated in the center of Iran. To its north, stand the Markazi (Central) Province and the provinces of Qom and Semnan. To its south, it is bordered by the provinces of Fars, and Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province. Aminabad is the most southern city of Esfahan province just 2 km north of the border. To the east, it is bordered by the province of Yazd. To the west, it is bordered by the province of Lurestan and to the southwest by the province of Chahar Mahal and Bakhtiyari.

The city of Esfahan is the provincial capital; and the counties of this province are as follows: Aran va Bidgol, Ardestan, Esfahan, Lanjan, Shahinshahr and Meymeh, Khomeini Shahr, Khansar, (The Upper) Semirom, Fereydan, Fereydunshahr, Falavarjan, Kashan, Golpayegan, Mobarakeh, Nain, Najaf Abad, Lower Semirom (Dehaghan), Shahreza, Anarak and Natanz; 18 townships, 38 counties, 67 cities, and 2470 villages in all. According to the census in the year 2006, the population of the province was 4,559,256 of which approximately 83.3 percent were urban residents and 16.7 percent resided in the rural areas. The literacy rate was 88.65 percent.

The province experiences a moderate and dry climate on the whole, ranging between 40.6 °C and 10.6 °C on a cold day in the winter season. The average annual temperature has been recorded as 16.7 °C and the annual rainfall on an average has been reported as 116.9 mm. The city of Esfahān however experiences an excellent climate, with four distinct seasons.