Indigenous Plant Species from the Drylands of Iran, Distribution and Potential for Habitat Maintenance and Repair - Combating Desertification in Asia, Africa and the Middle East - page 342

Fig. 17.1 Geographical location and topographic features of Iran. Elburz and Alborz are alterna-
tive spellings for the principal east-west mountain chain

Iran's important mountains are Alborz and Zagros ranges (Fig. 17.1 ). Alborz
and Zagros Chains stretch in northwest-northeast and northwest-southeast direction.
Damavand peak with a height of 5,600 m a.s.l. and Caspian coastal area with

28 m elevation are the most extreme values of land elevation in the country.
The area within the mentioned mountain ranges are high plateau with its own
secondary ranges and gradually slopes down to become desert which continues into
southern part of Afghanistan and Pakistan border. Elevation ranges from 500 to
2,500 m. These important mountains play a crucial role in the non-uniform spatial
and temporal distribution of precipitation in the whole country.
The country's climate is mainly arid or semi-arid, except the northern coastal
areas and parts of western Iran. The climate is extremely continental with hot and
dry summer and very cold winter particular in inland areas. Apart from the coastal
areas, the temperature in Iran is extremely continental with relatively large annual
range about 22-26 ı C. The rainy period in most of the country is from November