Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

has one of the highest urban population growth rates in the world. From 1950 to 2002, the urban proportion of the population increased from 27% to 60%. The

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

(UN) predicts that by 2030 80% of the population will live in urban areas."Islamic Azad University"
retrieved 28 Jan 2008 Most internal migrants have settled near the cities of

Tehran Tehran (; , ''Tehrân'') is the capital and largest city of Iran. It is the capital of Tehran province, and the administrative center for Tehran County and its Central District (Tehran County), Central District. With a population of around 9. ...

Isfahan Isfahan or Esfahan ( ) is a city in the Central District (Isfahan County), Central District of Isfahan County, Isfahan province, Iran. It is the capital of the province, the county, and the district. It is located south of Tehran. The city ...

Karaj Karaj (; ) is a List of cities in Iran by province, city in the Central District (Karaj County), Central District of Karaj County, Alborz province, Alborz province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district. Earl ...

Ahvaz Ahvaz (; ) is a city in the Central District of Ahvaz County, Khuzestan province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district. It is home to Persians, Arabs and other groups such as Qashqai and Kurds. Languages spok ...

Mashhad Mashhad ( ; ), historically also known as Mashad, Meshhed, or Meshed in English, is the List of Iranian cities by population, second-most-populous city in Iran, located in the relatively remote north-east of the country about from Tehran. ...

and

Qom Qom (; ) is a city in the Central District of Qom County, Qom province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district. It is the seventh largest metropolis and also the seventh largest city in Iran. The city is ...

. Tehran, with a population of 8.7 million in 2016, is the largest city in Iran and is the nation's capital. Tehran is home to around 11% of Iran's population. It is the hub of Iran's

communication Communication is commonly defined as the transmission of information. Its precise definition is disputed and there are disagreements about whether Intention, unintentional or failed transmissions are included and whether communication not onl ...

and

transport Transport (in British English) or transportation (in American English) is the intentional Motion, movement of humans, animals, and cargo, goods from one location to another. Mode of transport, Modes of transport include aviation, air, land tr ...

networks.

, with a population of 4.2 million in 2019, is the second-largest Iranian city and the centre of the province of Razavi Khorasan. Mashhad is one of the holiest

Shi'a Shia Islam is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib () as both his political successor ( caliph) and as the spiritual leader of the Muslim community ( imam). However, his right is understoo ...

cities in the world as it is the site of the

Imam Reza shrine The Imam Reza shrine (; ) is a Shi'ite shrine, imamzadeh and mausoleum complex, located in Mashhad, in the province of Razavi Khorasan, Iran. The shrine contains the grave of Ali al-Rida, who is regarded as the eighth Imam in Shia Islam. Als ...

. It is the centre of tourism in Iran. Between 15 and 20 million pilgrims go to

Imam Reza Ali al-Rida (, 1 January 766 – 6 June 818), also known as Abū al-Ḥasan al-Thānī, was a descendant of the Prophets and messengers in Islam, Islamic prophet Muhammad, and the eighth Twelve Imams, imam in Twelver Shi'ism, Twelver Shia Is ...

's shrine every year. The third most populous city of Iran is

with a population 2.5 million in 2019. This city is one of the most industrial cities of Iran with large industries and hosts several

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

s. The city has a wide variety of historic monuments and is known for its paintings, history and architecture. The fourth most populous Iranian city is

, with a population of 2.1 million in 2019. Karaj is the capital of

Alborz province Alborz province () is one of the 31 provinces of Iran. Its capital is the city of Karaj, which lies 10 km west of Tehran, at the foothills of the Alborz mountains. Alborz is Iran's smallest province in area. History In 2010, Karaj ...

and is 35 km west of Tehran, at the foot of

Alborz The Alborz ( ) range, also spelled as Alburz, Elburz or Elborz, is a mountain range in northern Iran that stretches from the border of Azerbaijan along the western and entire southern coast of the Caspian Sea and finally runs northeast and merge ...

mountains. Karaj is increasingly becoming an extension of metropolitan Tehran. The fifth most populous Iranian city is

Shiraz Shiraz (; ) is the List of largest cities of Iran, fifth-most-populous city of Iran and the capital of Fars province, which has been historically known as Pars (Sasanian province), Pars () and Persis. As of the 2016 national census, the popu ...

(population 1.57 million), which is located in the southwest of Iran with a moderate climate and has been a regional trade center for over a thousand years. Shiraz is one of the oldest cities of ancient Persia, known as the city of poets, literature and flowers. It is also considered by many Iranians to be the city of gardens and also a major center for Iran's electronic industries. Other major cities are

Tabriz Tabriz (; ) is a city in the Central District (Tabriz County), Central District of Tabriz County, in the East Azerbaijan province, East Azerbaijan province of northwestern Iran. It serves as capital of the province, the county, and the distric ...

(population 1.56 million),

(population 1.2 million) and

(population 1.18 million).

List of Metro Cities

There are 10 large cities or metropolitan cities in Iran with the population over a million or more.

Cities over 100,000 population

The following sorted table, lists the most populous cities in Iran with a population of more than 100,000 in 2016. A city is displayed in bold if it is the province capital.

Largest cities in the provinces

This is a list of the largest cities of the 31 provinces, based on the city's population in the 2016 census.

Gallery

File:Tehran from Qeytariyeh.jpg, 1.

, Tehran province File:Mashhad towers view.jpg, 2.

, Khorasan Razavi province File:Isfahan towers.jpg, 3.

, Isfahan province File:Karaj Taleghani.jpg, 4.

, Alborz province File:Chamran from tasnim.jpg, 5.

, Fars province File:Panorama of Tabriz.jpg, 6.

, East Azerbaijan province File:Ahvaz in night 09.jpg, 7.

, Khūzestān province File:نمایی از شهر قم از بالای بلوار شهید عماد مغنیه.jpg, 8.

, Qom province File:Kermanshah Photos M6.jpg, 9.

Kermanshah Kermanshah is a city in the Central District (Kermanshah County), Central District of Kermanshah province, Kermanshah province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district. The city is from Tehran in the western pa ...

, Kermanshah province File:Urmia, West Azerbaijan, Iran.jpg, 10.

Urmia Urmia (; ) is the largest city in West Azerbaijan Province of Iran. In the Central District of Urmia County, it is capital of the province, the county, and the district. The city is situated near the borders of Iran with Turkey and Iraq. ...

, West Azerbaijan province File:Panorama of boosar neighberhood in Rasht cut.tif, 11.

Rasht Rasht (; ) is a city in the Central District (Rasht County), Central District of Rasht County, Gilan province, Gilan province, Iran, serving as the capital of the province, the county, and the district. The city is also known as the "City of ...

, Gilan province File:Saderat Bank.jpg, 12.

Zahedan Zahedan (Balochi language, Balochi and ; ) is a city in the Central District (Zahedan County), Central District of Zahedan County, Sistan and Baluchestan province, Sistan and Baluchestan province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, th ...

, Sistan and Baluchestan province

References

Bibliography