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The Persian Gulf is
one of the warmest bodies of water in the entire Middle East. During
summer, the temperature of the water in this gulf amounts to 65?c.
Storms rarely happen
there. During winter, the salt rate gets to 48/1000 that is relatively
high. Rocky or coral areas suitable for pearls lie at the bottom of the
Persian Gulf. At the continental shelf and deep in the Persian Gulf, there
have been deposited huge quantities of oil and gas.
There are several
Iranian Islands in the Persian Gulf. The most famous of them all are:
Hormoz, Khark, Qeshm, Kish, Tonb-e- Kuchak, Tonb-e-Bozorg and Abumusa.
Oman Sea
Oman Sea, situated
at the south of Iran, connects the Persian Gulf to the Indian Ocean. With
an approximate area of 903,000 km?, the Oman Sea is surrounded by Iran and
Pakistan at the north, Deccan peninsula at the east and Arabia peninsula
at the west.
Iran has got small
ports at its shorelines with the Oman Sea like Chabahar, Gavater and Jask.
Since antiquity, the
Strait of Hormoz and the Oman Sea have always been strategic waterways.
Today, tens of gigantic oil tankers carry oil everyday from the countries
in the region through this route to different parts of the world.
Caspian Sea
With an area of
approximately
371,000km?, Caspian Sea in the largest body of inland water all over the
world, which is situated at the north of Iran.
Its neighboring countries are Iran at the South, Turkmenistan at the SE,
Kazakhstan at the NE and north, Russia at the NW and Azerbaijan at the SW.
The
Iranian shorelines are approximately 992km from the East to the West. The
average level of of the Caspian Sea is 28m below sea level. There are
geographic areas born at the Iranian shorelines because of the changes in
the level of the sea, like Miankaleh Peninsula, Ashuradeh IslandHossein
Qolly Bay, Gorgan Bay and Anzaly Bay.
The Lakes of Iran
There are permanent
and temporary lakes in Iran depending on the amount of water in them in
different seasons.
Uromiyeh Lake
? Located at the NW of Iran, Uromiyeh Lake has got an approximate area of
60,000km?. There are slimy ground created at around the deltas of this
permanent lake attracting many people each summer because of its ooze and
related therapeutic qualities. The salt rate of this lake is very high
(3/5 of the Dead Sea) and has got %23 minerals. So, no fish or animal
could live there.
Zaribar Lake
? Located
at the West of Iran, Zaribar Lake is a permanent lake with various kinds
of fish in it and lots of birds living around it. Water evaporation has
helped the environs of the lake grow green.
Qom Lake
? Occupying an approximate area of 2,400km?, Qom Lake is a seasonal lake
located at the south of Tehran. The area and shape of the lake are varied
due to the water running into it from salty rivers and rainfall.
Neyriz Lake
? It is a seasonal shallow lake in Fars province located at the NW of a
town called Neyriz. It is connected, at its north, to another temporary
lake called ?Tashk Lake?. Both of them contain very salty water.
Hamun Lake
? when it is filled with water, Hamun Lake has got an area of
approximately 3,200km? at SE of Iran, Sistan and Baluchestan province. The
only river emptying into this seasonal lake is called Hirmand.
Maharlu Lake
? this seasonal lake is situated near Shiraz, at its SE. Salt is exploited
in a factory at its shore to be used in industries, as the water is very
much salty.
Parishan Lake
?This fresh water lake called Parishan is located at the SW of Shiraz in
Karun Plain. Fish is farmed there as well.
Shur Gel Lake
? this temporary lake is located at the north of Arak, Markazy province.
From time to time, it gets dried or filled depending on the variable
amount of annual rainfall.
Other Minor Lakes
There are also some other
smaller lakes scattered all across Iran. Some of them are in high
altitudes. Those are the small bodies of water refered to as lakes by
local people.
"Valasht" near
Kelardasht in the Caspian region, Sabalan at the top of Mount Sabalan are
few such examples.
Written by: Rahman
Mehraby |
