Neka ( fa, نكا, also

Romanize Romanization or romanisation, in linguistics, is the conversion of text from a different writing system to the Roman (Latin) script, or a system for doing so. Methods of romanization include transliteration, for representing written text, an ...

d as Nekā’ and Nekā; also known as Nīkā; formerly, Nāranj Bāgh) is a city and capital of

Neka County Neka County ( fa, شهرستان نکا) is in Mazandaran province, 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 w ...

, Mazandaran Province,

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 ...

. At the 2006 census, its population was 46,152, in 11,941 families.

Geography

Neka is located at the foot of and up into the northern Alborz (''Elburs'') mountain range, south of and near the

Caspian Sea The Caspian Sea is the world's largest inland body of water, often described as the world's largest lake or a full-fledged sea. An endorheic basin, it lies between Europe and Asia; east of the Caucasus, west of the broad steppe of Central Asia ...

coast. It is close to the city of Behshahr, and southeast of the coastal city of

Sari A sari (sometimes also saree or shari)The name of the garment in various regional languages include: * as, শাৰী, xārī, translit-std=ISO * bn, শাড়ি, śāṛi, translit-std=ISO * gu, સાડી, sāḍī, translit-std ...

. It is noted for its

destination spa A destination spa or health resort is a resort centered on a spa, such as a mineral spa. Historically, many such spas were developed at the location of natural hot springs or mineral springs; in the era before modern biochemical knowledge an ...

s at natural

hot spring A hot spring, hydrothermal spring, or geothermal spring is a spring produced by the emergence of geothermally heated groundwater onto the surface of the Earth. The groundwater is heated either by shallow bodies of magma (molten rock) or by c ...

s, and the nearby Caspian coastline and Peninsula of Miankaleh. It is a tourist destination of Mazandaran Province.

History

Not much is known about this area in geographical or historical accounts of the past, until the Qajar dynasty. However, in the geographical records of the early Islamic period, the name Mirdan of a city near the current city of Neka has been mentioned. Deh Khoda has mentioned the River Neka in his encyclopedia. It seems that Neka was a vicinity or 'block' comprising various rural settlements. The present Neka has sprung up from the village of 'Naranj', alongside a bridge on Neka River within the past 70 years.

Economy

Due to the railway line running across this area, and suitable network of communications, together with the establishment of the wood industry, oil reservoirs and an electric power plant, the area is one of the important developing centers of the province. The said city is also considered as an industrial locality in the northern region

Neka Power Plant

The Neka Power Plant provide energy to the province and some northern parts of the country. It is one of the biggest steam powered

thermal power plant A thermal power station is a type of power station in which heat energy is converted to electrical energy. In a steam-generating cycle heat is used to boil water in a large pressure vessel to produce high-pressure steam, which drives a steam ...

s in the Middle East, Its nominal capacity is 2035 MW . The main components are : steam pot, middle house, turbine place, converters and auxiliary houses. The main fuel for steam production is

natural gas Natural gas (also called fossil gas or simply gas) is a naturally occurring mixture of gaseous hydrocarbons consisting primarily of methane in addition to various smaller amounts of other higher alkanes. Low levels of trace gases like carbo ...

, with light fuel oil a secondary source, both supplied by the Iranian Central Oil Fields Company.

References

Cultural heritage news agency

Photos of Sari and Suburbs as taken in the spring of 2003

External links

{{Mazandaran Province Cities in Mazandaran Province Populated places in Neka County Populated places on the Caspian Sea Settled areas of Elburz