Category Unitary state Number 31 Provinces | Location Iran | |
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Populations 557,599 (Ilam Province) – 12,183,391 (Tehran) Areas 5,830 km (2,252 sq mi) (Alborz) – 181,790 km (70,188 sq mi) (Sistan and Baluchestan) Government Provincal Government, National Government Similar Imam Reza shrine, Lake Urmia, Alborz, Sabalan, Fire temple | ||
Iran is subdivided into thirty one provinces (Persian: استان Ostān, plural استانها Ostānhā), each governed from a local center, usually the largest local city, which is called the capital (Persian: Markaz مرکز) of that province. The provincial authority is headed by a Governor-General (Persian: Ostāndār استاندار), who is appointed by the Minister of the Interior subject to approval of the cabinet.
Modern history
According to the Encyclopedia Britannica,
Until 1950, Iran was divided into twelve provinces: Ardalan, Azerbaijan, Baluchestan, Fars, Gilan, Araq-e Ajam, Khorasan, Khuzestan, Kerman, Larestan, Lorestan, and Mazandaran.
In 1950, Iran was reorganized to form ten numbered provinces with subordinate governorates: Gilan; Mazandaran; East Azerbaijan; West Azerbaijan; Kermanshah; Khuzestan; Fars; Kerman; Khorasan; Isfahan.
From 1960 to 1981 the governorates were raised to provincial status one by one. Since then several new provinces have been created, most recently in 2004 when the province of Khorasan was split into three new provinces as well as splitting of the new Alborz Province from Teheran province in 2010.