Wanderlust World Wanderlust World Iran is divided into 31 provinces (ostānhā). Each has its own capital, governor-general (appointed by central government), and distinctive culture, geography, and history.
| Province | Capital | Notable Features |
|---|---|---|
| Alborz | Karaj | Newest (2010), near Tehran |
| Ardabil | Ardabil | Sabalan mountain, hot springs |
| Bushehr | Bushehr | Nuclear plant, Persian Gulf coast |
| Chaharmahal & Bakhtiari | Shahr-e Kord | Bakhtiari nomads, mountains |
| East Azerbaijan | Tabriz | Historic capital, Blue Mosque |
| Fars | Shiraz | Persepolis, poets' tombs, wine history |
| Gilan | Rasht | Caspian coast, rice, tea, humidity |
| Golestan | Gorgan | Gonbad-e Qabus tower, steppe |
| Hamadan | Hamadan | Ancient Ecbatana, Avicenna tomb |
| Hormozgan | Bandar Abbas | Strait of Hormuz, Qeshm Island |
| Ilam | Ilam | Border with Iraq, oak forests |
| Isfahan | Isfahan | Naqsh-e Jahan, bridges, crafts |
| Kerman | Kerman | Largest province, Lut Desert, pistachios |
| Kermanshah | Kermanshah | Bisotun inscription, Kurdish culture |
| Khuzestan | Ahvaz | Oil, Shush (Susa), Chogha Zanbil |
| Kohgiluyeh & Boyer-Ahmad | Yasuj | Tribal, waterfalls, Dena mountain |
| Kurdistan | Sanandaj | Kurdish majority, mountains |
| Lorestan | Khorramabad | Falak-ol-Aflak castle, waterfalls |
| Markazi | Arak | Industrial, Arak refinery |
| Mazandaran | Sari | Caspian, Alborz forests, rice |
| North Khorasan | Bojnord | Multicultural, Turkmen, Kurdish |
| Qazvin | Qazvin | Former Safavid capital, Alamut |
| Qom | Qom | Religious centre, Fatima Masumeh shrine |
| Razavi Khorasan | Mashhad | Imam Reza shrine, saffron, largest population |
| Semnan | Semnan | Desert, space centre, wildlife |
| Sistan & Baluchestan | Zahedan | Largest area, border PK/AF, Baluchi |
| South Khorasan | Birjand | Saffron, barberry, desert |
| Tehran | Tehran | Capital province, 15M+ people |
| West Azerbaijan | Urmia | Lake Urmia, Azeri/Kurdish |
| Yazd | Yazd | UNESCO windcatchers, Zoroastrian, silk |
| Zanjan | Zanjan | Soltaniyeh dome, knives, carpets |