IR IRAN Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

has one of the highest urban population growth rates in the world. From 1950 to 2002, the urban proportion of the population increased from 27% to 60%. The United Nations predicts that by 2030 80% of the population will live in urban areas."Islamic Azad University"
retrieved 28 Jan 2008 Most internal migrants have settled near the cities of

Tehran Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is the most popul ...

Isfahan Isfahan ( fa, اصفهان, Esfahân ), from its Achaemenid empire, ancient designation ''Aspadana'' and, later, ''Spahan'' in Sassanian Empire, middle Persian, rendered in English as ''Ispahan'', is a major city in the Greater Isfahan Regio ...

Karaj Karaj ( fa, کرج, ) is the capital of Alborz Province, Iran, and effectively a satellite city of Tehran. Although the county hosts a population around 1.97 million, as recorded in the 2016 census, most of the county is rugged mountain. The urb ...

Ahvaz Ahvaz ( fa, اهواز, Ahvâz ) is a city in the southwest of Iran and the capital of Khuzestan province. Ahvaz's population is about 1,300,000 and its built-up area with the nearby town of Sheybani is home to 1,136,989 inhabitants. It is hom ...

, Mashhad and Qom. Tehran, with a population of 8.7 million (2016 census), is the largest city in Iran and is the nation's capital. Tehran is home to around 11% of Iran's population. It is the hub of the country's

communication Communication (from la, communicare, meaning "to share" or "to be in relation with") is usually defined as the transmission of information. The term may also refer to the message communicated through such transmissions or the field of inquir ...

and

transport Transport (in British English), or transportation (in American English), is the intentional movement of humans, animals, and goods from one location to another. Modes of transport include air, land (rail and road), water, cable, pipeline, an ...

networks. Mashhad, with a population of 4.2 million (as of 2019), is the second-largest Iranian city and the centre of the province of Razavi Khorasan. Mashhad is one of the holiest

Shi'a Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest Islamic schools and branches, branch of Islam. It holds that the Prophets and messengers in Islam, Islamic prophet Muhammad in Islam, Muhammad designated Ali, ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib as his S ...

cities in the world as it is the site of the Imam Reza shrine. It is the centre of tourism in Iran and between 15 and 20 million pilgrims go to Imam Reza's shrine every year. The third most populous city of Iran is

with a population 2.5 million (as of 2019). This city is one of the most industrial cities of Iran with large industries and hosts several UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The city has a wide variety of historic monuments and is known for its paintings, history and architecture. The fourth most populous Iranian city is

, with a population of 2.1 million (as of 2019). Karaj is the capital of Alborz Province and is situated 35km west of Tehran, at the foot of

Alborz The Alborz ( fa, البرز) range, also spelled as Alburz, Elburz or Elborz, is a mountain range in northern Iran that stretches from the border of Azerbaijan along the western and entire southern coast of the Caspian Sea and finally runs nort ...

mountains; however, the city is increasingly becoming an extension of metropolitan Tehran. The fifth most populous Iranian city is

Shiraz Shiraz (; fa, شیراز, Širâz ) is the List of largest cities of Iran, fifth-most-populous city of Iran and the capital of Fars province, Fars Province, which has been historically known as Pars (Sasanian province), Pars () and Persis. As o ...

(population 1.57 million), which is located in the southwest of Iran with a moderate climate and has been a regional trade center for over a thousand years. Shiraz is one of the oldest cities of ancient Persia, known as the city of poets, literature, flowers . It is also considered by many Iranians to be the city of gardens, and also a major center for Iran's electronic industries. The other major cities are

Tabriz Tabriz ( fa, تبریز ; ) is a city in northwestern Iran, serving as the capital of East Azerbaijan Province. It is the List of largest cities of Iran, sixth-most-populous city in Iran. In the Quri Chay, Quru River valley in Iran's historic Aze ...

(population 1.56 million), Qom (population 1.2 million), and

(population 1.18 million).

Cities over 100,000 population

The following sorted table, lists the most populous cities in Iran with a population of more than 100,000 according to 2016 Census results announced by Statistical Center of Iran. A city is displayed in bold if it is the province capital.

Largest cities in the provinces

This is a list of the largest cities of the 31 provinces, based on the city's population as of the 2016 census.

Gallery

File:Tehran from Qeytariyeh.jpg, 1.

, Tehran Province File:Mashhad towers view.jpg, 2. Mashhad, Khorasan Razavi Province File:Isfahan towers.jpg, 3.

, Isfahan Province File:Karaj Taleghani.jpg, 4.

, Alborz Province File:Chamran from tasnim.jpg, 5.

, Fars Province File:Panorama of Tabriz.jpg, 6.

, East Azerbaijan Province File:Ahvaz in night 09.jpg, 7.

, Khūzestān Province File:نمایی از شهر قم از بالای بلوار شهید عماد مغنیه.jpg, 8. Qom, Qom Province File:Kermanshah Photos M6.jpg, 9.

Kermanshah Kermanshah ( fa, کرمانشاه, Kermânšâh ), also known as Kermashan (; romanized: Kirmaşan), is the capital of Kermanshah Province, located from Tehran in the western part of Iran. According to the 2016 census, its population is 946,68 ...

, Kermanshah Province File:Urmia, West Azerbaijan, Iran.jpg, 10.

Urmia Urmia or Orumiyeh ( fa, ارومیه, Variously transliterated as ''Oroumieh'', ''Oroumiyeh'', ''Orūmīyeh'' and ''Urūmiyeh''.) is the largest city in West Azerbaijan Province of Iran and the capital of Urmia County. It is situated at an alt ...

, West Azerbaijan Province File:Panorama of boosar neighberhood in Rasht cut.tif, 11.

Rasht Rasht ( fa, رشت, Rašt ; glk, Rəšt, script=Latn; also romanized as Resht and Rast, and often spelt ''Recht'' in French and older German manuscripts) is the capital city of Gilan Province, Iran. Also known as the "City of Rain" (, ''Ŝahre B ...

, Gilan Province File:Saderat Bank.jpg, 12.

Zahedan Zahedan ( Balochi and fa, , ' ) is a city and capital of Sistan and Baluchestan Province, Iran. At the 2016 census, its population was 587,730. The city was the site of a deadly crackdown in October 2022, with dozens citizens killed by pro- ...

, Sistan and Baluchestan Province

References

Bibliography

* * 1969–1973 * * * * * {{cite encyclopedia , encyclopedia=

Encyclopædia Iranica ''Encyclopædia Iranica'' is a project whose goal is to create a comprehensive and authoritative English language encyclopedia about the history, culture, and civilization of Iranian peoples from prehistory to modern times. Scope The ''Encyc ...

, url= http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/cities-iv , title= Cities: Modern Urbanization and Modernization in Persia , author= Eckart Ehlers , year= 2011 , orig-year= 1991 Cities in Iran Cities by population

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

Cities over 100,000 population

Largest cities in the provinces

Gallery

See also

References

Bibliography