Mazandaran province
Mazandaran province (ⓘ, Persian: استان مازندران, romanized: Ostân-e Mâzandarân; Mazanderani: مازِرون اوستان, romanized: Mâzerun Ustâne) is one of the 31 provinces of Iran, located along the southern coast of the Caspian Sea and in the adjacent Central Alborz mountain range, in central-northern part of the country. The province, founded in 1937, covers an area of 23,842 km2.
Mazandaran province
استان مازندران مازرون اوستان | |
|---|---|
Location of Mazandaran province in Iran | |
| Coordinates: 36.5656°N 53.0588°E | |
| Country | Iran |
| Region | Region 1 |
| Capital | Sari |
| Counties | 22 |
| Government | |
| • Governor-general | Mahmoud Hosseinipour |
| • MPs of Assembly of Experts | 1 Ali Moalemi 2 Norallah Tabresi 3 Sadeq Larijani 4 Seyed Rahim Tavakol 5 Seyed Sadegh Pishnamazi |
| • Representative of the Supreme Leader | Mohammad Bagher Mohammadi Laeeni |
| Area | |
| • Total | 23,833 km2 (9,202 sq mi) |
| Population (2016) | |
| • Total | 3,283,582 |
| • Density | 140/km2 (360/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+03:30 (IRST) |
| ISO 3166 code | IR-02 |
| Main language(s) | Mazandarani(Tabari) |
| HDI (2017) | 0.845 very high · 4th |
At the time of the 2006 National Census, the province had a population of 2,893,087 in 783,169 households. The following census in 2011 counted 3,073,943 people in 931,007 households. At the most recent census in 2016, the population had risen to 3,283,582 in 1,084,798 households. Mazandaran is one of the most densely populated provinces in Iran.
The province has diverse natural resources, notably large reservoirs of oil and natural gas. The diverse natural habitats of the province include plains, prairies, forests and rainforest stretching from the sandy beaches of the Caspian Sea to the rugged and snowcapped Alborz sierra, including Mount Damavand, one of the highest peaks and volcanoes in Asia.
Mazandaran is a major producer of farmed fish, and aquaculture provides an important economic addition to traditional dominance of agriculture. Another important contributor to the economy is the tourism industry, as people from all of Iran enjoy visiting the area. Mazandaran is also a fast-growing centre for biotechnology.