About Guilan Province:
Guilan Province:
Guilan Province is one of the northern provinces of Iran with an area of 14711 square meters. This province is located at 36’ and 34” to 38’ and 27” northern latitude and 48’ and 53” to 50’ and 34” eastern longitude from the Greenwich meridian.
Its length is 235 kilometers from the northwest toward the southeast and its width varies from 25 to 105 kilometers. Alborz range of mountains with average altitude of 3000 meters is stretched like a wall in the east and south of Guilan Province and this area has no roadway to Iran Plateau except through Manjil Valley. The shortest distance from a mountain to the Caspian Sea (at Havigh District at Talesh City) is about 3 kilometers and the longest distance from the Caspian Sea (at Imamzadeh Hashem at Rasht- Ghazvin Road) is about 50 kilometers.
This province is northerly bordered on the Caspian Sea and the independent countries of Middle Asia, westerly to Ardebil Province, southerly to Zanjan and Ghazvin Provinces and easterly to Mazandaran Provinces.
On the basis of the last state divisions until Sept. 22, 2004, Guilan Province has 16 cities, 48 towns, 43 districts, 109 rural districts and 2892 villages (2690 villages with inhabitants and 202 villages without inhabitants).
Cities of Guilan Province include: Astara, Astaneh Ashrafieh, Amlash, Bandar Anzali, Talesh, Rasht, Rezvanshahr, Roudbar, Roudsar, Siahkal, Shaft, Soumehsara, Fouman, Lahijan, Langroud and Massal.
Population and densities:
Population of Guilan Province is 2458902 individuals, from which 1250791 live in cities and 1208111 are villagers. In regard to relative population density, Guilan Province is the second in Iran after Tehran Province. Density of population in Guilan Province is 167.1 persons per each square kilometer. Numerous factors such as favorable climate, moist and fertile soil, existence of permanent current water networks, abundant and various agricultural facilities and well extended connection roads cause the intense density of population in the province.
Climate:
Climate of Guilan Province is temperate as an effect of Alborz Mountainous climate and the Caspian Sea. Due to being adjacent to the Caspian Sea, the climate of the Province is highly humid. Its relative humidity is between 40 to 100 percent and average of its temperature is 17.5 degree centigrade. The dry season does not last for a long time during the year (about one month in June- July) and it often rains.
Precipitation is not the same in all parts of the province. The most rainfall is on the plain of Bandar Anzali City with average annual of 2000 millimeters and the least rainfall belongs to the around Roudbar, Loshan and Manjil with average annual of 200 millimeters. The days with freezing weather is limited and dispersed and the temperature is seldom less than –1 degree centigrade. Astara is the coldest and Bandar Anzali is the warmest among the province cities. But Lahijan with a weather more favorable than the other points in the province has warmer winters and cooler summers.
Water channels and rivers:
There are more than 40 rivers in Guilan Province. The most important river of Guilan Province is Sefidroud, which originates from Chehelcheshmeh Mountains in Kordestan and after passing through Kordestan and Zanjan Provinces and Manjil Valley, forms extensive deltas with many branches and spills to the Caspian Sea near Bandar Kiashahr (65 kilometers from Rasht City in north eastern side)
The most important branches of this river in Guilan Province include: Seighalan Roudbar, which passes through Rasht City and Heshmatroud and Noroud, water of which is used for agronomy. Polroud, Garkanroud, Shafaroud, Dinachal, Navroud, Shamroud and Shalmanroud are some of the important rivers in Guilan Plain.
One of the unique specifications of Guilan Province is existence of Anzali Wetland, which has special environmental, tourism and economic importance.
This wetland is separated from the Caspian Sea through a thin sand seashore. This wetland is located in the southern and western sides of Bandar Anzali City at 32’ and 28” of northern latitude and 49’ and 25” of the eastern longitude with an area of about 100 square kilometers. Northerly it is limited to the Caspian Sea, easterly to Pirbazar Village, westerly to Kapourchal and Abkenar and southerly to Soumehsara and a part of Rasht City. Some rivers, which spill to this wetland include Masouleh Roudkhan, Ghaleh Roudkhan, Pasikhan, Pirbazar and Sheijanroud.
Anzali Wetland is one of the greatest wetlands in the world. There are numerous islands in the wetland, most important of which include Ghalam Goudeh Bozorg, Ghalam Goudeh Kouchak, Mianposhteh, etc.