Iranian provinces, found on the map
Learn all 31 provinces, called ostans, including Alborz and the three Khorasan provinces. Zoom in around Tehran, Karaj and Qom. Province names identify learning areas rather than ethnic boundaries.
31 to find, 8 a run.
4 rounds, 6 of 8 to pass each. Pass one and its places are yours.
Every one on the map
Every place listed below can be asked in this game. Places you find in a passed round drop out of your remaining pool.
- Alborz
- Ardabil
- Bushehr
- Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari
- East Azerbaijan
- Fars
- Gilan
- Golestan
- Hamadan
- Hormozgan
- Ilam
- Isfahan
- Kerman
- Kermanshah
- Khuzestan
- Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad
- Kurdistan
- Lorestan
- Markazi
- Mazandaran
- North Khorasan
- Qazvin
- Qom
- Razavi Khorasan
- Semnan
- Sistan and Baluchestan
- South Khorasan
- Tehran
- West Azerbaijan
- Yazd
- Zanjan
What the map tells you about each one
The paragraph the game shows when you find each one. Reading them first is not cheating.
- East Azerbaijan
- Tabriz is the provincial capital. The historic bazaar connects this province with older trade routes through the Caucasus and Anatolia.
- West Azerbaijan
- Urmia is the provincial capital. The province lies west of Lake Urmia and includes mountain borders with Türkiye and Iraq.
- Ardabil
- Ardabil is the provincial capital. The shrine of Sheikh Safi al-Din and the volcanic mountain Sabalan are associated with this region.
- Gilan
- Rasht is the provincial capital. Humid Caspian lowlands, rice cultivation and forested mountain slopes distinguish Gilan from the central plateau.
- Mazandaran
- Sari is the provincial capital. The province stretches between the Caspian Sea and the Alborz mountains.
- Golestan
- Gorgan is the provincial capital. Forested foothills meet northern plains and communities with Turkmen cultural traditions.
- North Khorasan
- Bojnurd is the provincial capital. This is one of three provinces formed when the former Khorasan province was divided in 2004.
- Razavi Khorasan
- Mashhad is the provincial capital and an important pilgrimage city. Razavi Khorasan borders Turkmenistan and Afghanistan.
- South Khorasan
- Birjand is the provincial capital. This province contains arid uplands and settlements near Iran’s border with Afghanistan.
- Semnan
- Semnan is the provincial capital. The province runs from mountain foothills toward the desert interior.
- Tehran
- Tehran is both the national and provincial capital. Nearby Karaj belongs to the separate province of Alborz.
- Alborz
- Karaj is the provincial capital. Alborz became a separate province in 2010; it is not simply another name for Tehran province.
- Qazvin
- Qazvin is the provincial capital and a former Safavid capital. The Alamut valley lies in its northern mountains.
- Zanjan
- Zanjan is the provincial capital. Nearby Soltaniyeh preserves the large brick mausoleum associated with the Ilkhanid period.
- Kurdistan
- Sanandaj is the provincial capital. The province forms part of a wider area of Kurdish communities extending beyond its administrative boundary.
- Kermanshah
- Kermanshah is the provincial capital. The nearby inscription at Bisotun records the rule of the Achaemenid king Darius I.
- Ilam
- Ilam is the provincial capital. Mountainous terrain and valleys connect this province with the western Zagros.
- Lorestan
- Khorramabad is the provincial capital. The province is known for mountain valleys and the historic Falak-ol-Aflak fortress.
- Hamadan
- Hamadan is the provincial capital. The ancient site of Hegmataneh is associated with the city’s long history.
- Markazi
- Arak is the provincial capital. Its name means central, but Markazi is a specific province rather than all of central Iran.
- Qom
- Qom is the provincial capital. The city is associated with the shrine of Fatima Masumeh and centres of Shia religious study.
- Isfahan
- Isfahan is the provincial capital. The province includes the city’s historic mosques and squares as well as Kashan farther north.
- Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari
- Shahrekord is the provincial capital. Highland landscapes and Bakhtiari pastoral traditions are associated with this province.
- Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad
- Yasuj is the provincial capital. The province lies among southern Zagros mountains, including the Dena massif.
- Khuzestan
- Ahvaz is the provincial capital. River plains, oil industries and ancient sites such as Susa and Chogha Zanbil belong to its landscape.
- Bushehr
- Bushehr is the provincial capital and a port. The province follows the Gulf coastline below the southern Zagros.
- Fars
- Shiraz is the provincial capital. Persepolis and Pasargadae connect Fars with the beginnings of the Achaemenid Empire.
- Hormozgan
- Bandar Abbas is the provincial capital. Qeshm and other Gulf islands are administered within Hormozgan.
- Kerman
- Kerman is the provincial capital. The province includes Bam and part of the Lut Desert, with contrasting mountains and desert basins.
- Yazd
- Yazd is the provincial capital. Qanats, windcatchers and courtyard houses show ways of living with an arid climate.
- Sistan and Baluchestan
- Zahedan is the provincial capital. The province extends from inland basins and mountains to the Gulf of Oman coast.
How this one works
How many provinces are on the map?
31. Every one of them is on the map, and a run asks 8 of them. Pass a round and the places you found in it drop out of the pool, so the next run is what you have left.
What is a round?
A run of 8 questions, and 6 right passes it. 4 rounds cover the whole map, and the counter at the top of the Iran page counts the ones behind you. Passing is what banks a round's finds: miss the mark and nothing is taken off the map, so every place that round asked about is still there to be asked again. A round is always the places you have not found yet, and when fewer than five are left it is topped up with a few you have found as review, so the last round is never one or two questions. Three quarters of it passes it.
Can I start the map over?
Yes. "Reset this map" under the counter puts all 31 back in the pool and sets the rounds to zero the moment you press it, so the whole map is there to be found again from nothing. It clears this map only; the other maps of Iran keep their progress.
Do I need an account?
No. The game plays in the page, and a guest's progress is kept in their own browser. Signing in carries it between devices and earns XP for a run.
What happens when I get one wrong?
The map names what you actually hit, then lights up the right answer in green and tells you something about the place. Missing one is how most of this map gets learned.
The other maps of Iran
Afghanistan has the same map in Provinces of Afghanistan. Argentina has the same map in Argentine provinces and Buenos Aires. Belgium has the same map in Belgian provinces and Brussels. Bulgaria has the same map in Bulgarian provinces. Cambodia has the same map in Cambodia’s provinces and capital. Canada has the same map in Canadian provinces and territories. China has the same map in Chinese provinces. Costa Rica has the same map in Costa Rican provinces. Cuba has the same map in Cuban provinces and Isla de la Juventud. Dominican Republic has the same map in Dominican provinces and National District. Ecuador has the same map in Ecuadorian provinces. Indonesia has the same map in Indonesian provinces. Laos has the same map in Laos’s provinces and capital. Mongolia has the same map in Mongolian aimags. Nepal has the same map in Nepali provinces. Netherlands has the same map in Dutch provinces. Panama has the same map in Panamanian provinces and comarcas. South Africa has the same map in South African provinces. South Korea has the same map in South Korean divisions. Sri Lanka has the same map in Provinces of Sri Lanka. Thailand has the same map in Thai provinces and Bangkok. Türkiye has the same map in Turkish provinces. Vietnam has the same map in Vietnamese provinces and municipalities. All three together on the Iran atlas page, the country itself on the Iran guide, and the other two hundred on the world map.