Astara آستارا | |
|---|---|
City | |
 Skyline of Astara | |
  Astara | |
| Coordinates:38°25′19″N48°52′09″E / 38.42194°N 48.86917°E /38.42194; 48.86917[1][2] | |
| Country | Iran |
| Province | Gilan |
| County | Astara |
| District | Central |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Meysam Alvanpour |
| Population (2016)[3] | |
• Total | 51,579 |
| Time zone | UTC+3:30 (IRST) |
Astara (Persian:آستارا;pronounced[ɒstaɾɒ]ⓘ)[a] is a city in theCentral District ofAstara County,Gilan province,Iran, serving as the capital of both the county and the district.[5] It lies on theborder with theRepublic of Azerbaijan and on theCaspian Sea. It is an importantborder trade center between Iran and theCaucasus Region.
The earliest mention, under the nameAstārāb, comes in theḤodūd al-ʿālam, written toward the end of the 10th century. In the 14th century, Astara became the seat of the smallprincipality of theEsfahbad or Espahbad (-bod) of Gīlān. From the 16th to the 18th centuries, theṬālešī Khans of Āstārā were either autonomous or nominally subordinate to the governors ofGīlān orArdabīl; on several occasions they played an important role in the history of theCaspian provinces.[6] According toMinorsky, we do not know whether the later governors of Astara still continued the line of the Ispahbads. Even after theconquest of Northern Tālish by the Russians (1813) the family of theTālish-khans retained certain rights.[7]
Astara was part of the short livedTalysh Khanate in the 18th and 19th centuries, and for a short while it was the capital of the Khanate before it was moved toLankaran.[8] In 1828, with the signing of theTreaty of Turkmenchay, Astara was split into two. The city ofAstara in Azerbaijan is located just across theAstarachay River.[citation needed]
Linguistic composition of the city.[9]
| language | percent | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Azerbaijani | 60% | |||
| Standard Persian | 25% | |||
| Talysh | 15% | |||
At the time of the 2006 National Census, the city's population was 40,664 in 11,436 households.[10] The following census in 2011 counted 48,470 people in 14,639 households.[11] The 2016 census measured the population of the city as 51,579 people in 16,696 households.[3]
Astara has ahumid subtropical climate (Köppen:Cfa,Trewartha:Cf), with relatively cold, wet winters and warm, humid summers. It has the most precipitation days than any other cities in Iran.[original research?]
| Climate data for Astara (1986 - 2010) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 26.6 (79.9) | 27.2 (81.0) | 31.6 (88.9) | 32.0 (89.6) | 31.6 (88.9) | 34.8 (94.6) | 36.2 (97.2) | 36.6 (97.9) | 34.6 (94.3) | 32.6 (90.7) | 29.6 (85.3) | 29.0 (84.2) | 36.6 (97.9) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 8.9 (48.0) | 9.2 (48.6) | 11.6 (52.9) | 16.3 (61.3) | 21.5 (70.7) | 27.0 (80.6) | 29.8 (85.6) | 29.7 (85.5) | 25.4 (77.7) | 20.5 (68.9) | 15.1 (59.2) | 11.1 (52.0) | 18.8 (65.9) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 5.7 (42.3) | 6.1 (43.0) | 8.6 (47.5) | 13.0 (55.4) | 17.9 (64.2) | 22.8 (73.0) | 25.4 (77.7) | 25.5 (77.9) | 21.8 (71.2) | 17.4 (63.3) | 12.0 (53.6) | 7.9 (46.2) | 15.3 (59.6) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 2.5 (36.5) | 2.9 (37.2) | 5.6 (42.1) | 9.7 (49.5) | 14.4 (57.9) | 18.6 (65.5) | 21.1 (70.0) | 21.3 (70.3) | 18.3 (64.9) | 14.2 (57.6) | 8.9 (48.0) | 4.7 (40.5) | 11.9 (53.3) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −7.8 (18.0) | −5.0 (23.0) | −1.6 (29.1) | 0.6 (33.1) | 5.4 (41.7) | 12.0 (53.6) | 14.8 (58.6) | 14.2 (57.6) | 11.4 (52.5) | 5.8 (42.4) | 0.0 (32.0) | −5.0 (23.0) | −7.8 (18.0) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 87.5 (3.44) | 92.3 (3.63) | 111.2 (4.38) | 80.5 (3.17) | 63.7 (2.51) | 45.9 (1.81) | 46.7 (1.84) | 77.8 (3.06) | 230.6 (9.08) | 243.4 (9.58) | 157.4 (6.20) | 108.0 (4.25) | 1,345 (52.95) |
| Average precipitation days | 12.5 | 13.1 | 15.5 | 15.0 | 13.6 | 8.6 | 6.0 | 8.3 | 13.2 | 16.0 | 14.1 | 12.2 | 148.1 |
| Average snowy days | 2.4 | 3.8 | 0.8 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 1.4 | 8.5 |
| Averagerelative humidity (%) | 83 | 84 | 84 | 83 | 81 | 75 | 73 | 75 | 83 | 87 | 86 | 84 | 82 |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 99.6 | 97.6 | 108.4 | 131.0 | 193.7 | 251.5 | 263.7 | 228.1 | 149.6 | 114.9 | 95.0 | 89.6 | 1,822.7 |
| Source 1: Iranian Meteorological Organization[12] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: Shahrekord Meteorology Database[13] | |||||||||||||
Rice has been cultivated in this region for many years, where some indigenous cultivars (landrace) were conventionally bred by farmers.[14]
Astara is home to one of the first libraries established in the country.[15]
Astara has various attractions and is considered a major tourist destination for Iranians and foreigners, especially those from theCaucasus. The city has a selection of beaches and is near to aTemperate rainforest. Annually over six million Iranians, and six hundred thousand foreigners visit the city.[16] The most popular beaches in this city are Shariati park and Sadaf beach. Shariati beach park is located in the city, and Sadaf beach is 7 kilometers from Astara city[17]
Media related toAstara, Iran at Wikimedia Commons
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