Iranian plateau - wikipedia Iranian plateau Iranian Plateau Topographic map of the Iranian plateau connecting to Anatolia in the west and Hindu Kush and Himalaya in the east Location Western and Central Asia Highest point -- elevation Damavand 5610 m Length 2000km Area 3,700,000 square kilometres Not to be confused with Iranian Plate. Closeup of the boundaries with the Eurasian, Arabian and Indian plates. The Persian Plateau, or Iranian Plateau, is a geological formation in Western Asia and Central Asia. It is the part of the Eurasian Plate wedged between the Arabian and Indian plates, situated between the Zagros Mountains to the west, the Caspian Sea and the Kopet Dag to the north, the Armenian Highlands and the Caucasus Mountains in the northwest, the Strait of Hormuz and Persian Gulf to the south and the Indus River to the east in Pakistan. As a historical region, it includes Parthia, Media, Persis, the heartlands of Iran and some of its recently lost territories. The Zagros Mountains form the plateau 's western boundary, and its eastern slopes may be included in the term. The Encyclopædia Britannica excludes `` lowland Khuzestan '' explicitly and characterizes Elam as spanning `` the region from the Mesopotamian plain to the Iranian Plateau ''. From the Caspian in the northwest to Baluchistan in the south - east, the Iranian Plateau extends for close to 2,000 km. It encompasses the greater part of Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan west of the Indus River on an area roughly outlined by the quadrangle formed by the cities of Tabriz, Shiraz, Peshawar and Quetta containing some 3,700,000 square kilometres ( 1,400,000 sq mi ). In spite of being called a `` plateau '', it is far from flat but contains several mountain ranges, the highest peak being Damavand in the Alborz at 5610 m, and the Dasht - e Loot east of Kerman in Central Iran falling below 300 m. Contents 1 Geology 2 Geography 2.1 Mountain ranges 2.2 Rivers and plains 3 History 4 Archaeology 5 Flora 6 Fauna 7 Economy 8 See also 9 References 10 External links Geology In geology, the plateau region of Iran primarily formed of the accretionary Gondwanan terranes between the Turan platform to the north and the Main Zagros Thrust, the suture zone between the northward moving Arabian plate and the Eurasian continent, is called the Iranian plateau. It is a geologically well - studied area because of general interest in continental collision zones, and because of Iran 's long history of research in geology, particularly in economic geology ( although Iran 's major petroleum reserves are not in the plateau ). Geography Caspian Sea Persian Gulf Mesopotamia Indus Hindu Kush Sabalan Urmia Alborz Kopet Dag N Zagros S Zagros Oshtoran - Kūh Zard - Kūh Shir - Kūh Barez Hazaran Dasht - e Kavir Dasht - e Lut Hamun Balochistan The Iranian plateau in geology refers to a geographical area north of the great folded mountain belts resulting from the collision of the Arabian plate with the Eurasian plate. In this definition, the Iranian plateau does not cover southwestern Iran. It extends from East Azerbaijan Province in northwest of Iran ( Persia ) all the way to Pakistan west of the Indus River. It also includes smaller parts of the Republic of Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan. Its mountain ranges can be divided into five major sub-regions ( see below ). The Northwestern Iranian Plateau, where the Pontic and Taurus Mountains converge, is rugged country with higher elevations, a more severe climate, and greater precipitation than are found on the Anatolian Plateau. The region is known as the Anti-Taurus, and the average elevation of its peaks exceeds 3,000 m. Mount Ararat, at 5,137 meters ( 16,854 ft ) the highest point in Turkey, is located in the Anti-Taurus. Lake Van is situated in the mountains at an elevation of 1,546 meters ( 5,072 ft ). The headwaters of major rivers arise in the Anti-Taurus : the east - flowing Aras River, which empties into the Caspian Sea ; the south - flowing Euphrates and Tigris join in Iraq before emptying into the Persian Gulf. Several small streams that empty into the Black Sea or landlocked Lake Van also originate in these mountains. The Indus River begins in the highlands of Tibet and flows the length of Pakistan almost tracing the eastern edge of the Iranian plateau. The Indus River forms the Iranian plateau 's eastern boundary. Southeast Anatolia lies south of the Anti-Taurus Mountains. It is a region of rolling hills and a broad plateau surface that extends into Syria. Elevations decrease gradually, from about 800 meters ( 2,600 ft ) in the north to about 500 meters ( 1,600 ft ) in the south. Traditionally, wheat and barley are the main crops of the region. Mountain ranges Northwest Iran Ranges Sabalan 4,811 m ( 15,784 ft ) Alborz Damavand 5,610 m ( 18,410 ft ) Central Iranian Plateau Kūh - e Hazār 4,500 m ( 14,800 ft ) Kuh - e Jebal Barez Eastern Iranian Ranges Kopet Dag Kuh - e Siah Khvani 3,314 m ( 10,873 ft ) 36 ° 17 ′ N 59 ° 3 ′ E ﻿ / ﻿ 36.283 ° N 59.050 ° E ﻿ / 36.283 ; 59.050 Eshdeger Range 2,920 m ( 9,580 ft ) 33 ° 32 ′ N 57 ° 14 ′ E ﻿ / ﻿ 33.533 ° N 57.233 ° E ﻿ / 33.533 ; 57.233 Balochistan Sikaram 4,755 m ( 15,600 ft ) 34 ° 2 ′ N 69 ° 54 ′ E ﻿ / ﻿ 34.033 ° N 69.900 ° E ﻿ / 34.033 ; 69.900 Kuh - e Taftan 3,941 m ( 12,930 ft ) 28 ° 36 ′ N 61 ° 8 ′ E ﻿ / ﻿ 28.600 ° N 61.133 ° E ﻿ / 28.600 ; 61.133 Zargun 3,578 m ( 11,739 ft ) 30 ° 16 ′ N 67 ° 18 ′ E ﻿ / ﻿ 30.267 ° N 67.300 ° E ﻿ / 30.267 ; 67.300 Rivers and plains Kavir Desert Lut Desert Hamun - e Jaz Murian Halil River Gavkhouni Zayandeh River Sistan Basin Helmand River Farah River History Main articles : Greater Iran and History of Iran Further information : Airyanem Vaejah In the Bronze Age, Elam stretched across the Zagros mountains, connecting Mesopotamia and the Iranian Plateau. The kingdoms of Aratta known from cuneiform sources may have been located in the Central Iranian Plateau. In classical antquity the region was known as Persia, due to the Persian Achaemenid dynasty, originating in Persia proper, or Fars. The Middle Persian Erān ( whence Modern Persian Irān ) began to be used in reference to the state ( rather than as an ethnic designator ) from the Sassanid period ( see Etymology of Iran ). Archaeology Further information : Prehistoric archaeological sites in Iran Archaeological sites and cultures of the Iranian plateau include : Central Iranian Plateau ( `` Jiroft culture '' ) Shahr - i Sokhta Konar Sandal Tepe Yahya Zayandeh River Civilization Tappeh Sialk Paleolithic sites Niasar Sefid - Ab Kaftar Khoun Qaleh Bozi Caves Mirak Delazian Tabas Masileh Flora The plateau has historical oak and poplar forests. Oak forests are found around Shiraz. Aspen, elm, ash, willow, walnut, pine, and cypress are also found, though the latter two are rare. As of 1920, poplar was harvested for making doors. Elm was used for ploughs. Other trees like acacia, cypress, and Turkestan elm were used for decorative purposes. Flower wise, the plateau can grow lilac, jasmine, and roses. Hawthorn and Cercis siliquastrum are common, which are both used for basket weaving. Fauna The plateau is abundant with wildlife including leopards, bears, hyenas, wild boars, ibex, gazelles, and mouflons. These animals are mostly found in the wooded mountains of the plateau. The shores of the Caspian Sea and the Persian Gulf house aquatic birds such as seagulls, ducks, and geese. Deer, hedgehogs, foxes, and 22 species of rodents are found in semidesert, and palm squirrels and Asiatic black bears live in Baluchistan. Wide variety of amphibians and reptiles such as toads, frogs, tortoises, lizards, salamanders, racers, rat snakes ( Ptyas ), cat snakes ( Tarbophis fallax ), and vipers live the Baluchistan region and along the slopes of the Elburz and Zagros mountains. 200 varieties of fish live in the Persian Gulf. 30 species of the most important commercial fish Sturgeon is found in the Caspian Sea. Economy The Iranian plateau harvests trees for making doors, ploughs, and baskets. Fruit is grown also. Pears, apples, apricots, quince, plums, nectarines, cherries, mulberries, and peaches were commonly seen in the 20th century. Almonds and pistachios are common in warmer areas. Dates, oranges, grapes, melon, and limes are also grown. Other edibles include potatoes and cauliflower, which were hard to grow until European settlement brought irrigation improvements. Other vegetables include cabbage, tomatoes, artichokes, cucumbers, spinach, radishes, lettuce, and eggplants. The plateau also produces wheat, barley, millet, beans, opium, cotton, lucerne, and tobacco. The barley is fed mainly to horses. Sesame is grown and made into sesame oil. Mushrooms and manna were also seen in the plateau area as of 1920. Caraway is grown in the Kerman Province. See also Geography of Iran List of Iranian four - thousanders References Jump up ^ Robert H. Dyson. The archaeological evidence of the second millennium B.C. on the Persian plateau. ISBN 0 - 521 - 07098 - 8. Jump up ^ James Bell ( 1832 ). A System of Geography, Popular and Scientific. Archibald Fullarton. pp. 7,284,287,288. Jump up ^ Old Iranian Online, University of Texas College of Liberal Arts ( retrieved 10 February 2007 ) Jump up ^ s.v. `` ancient Iran '' Jump up ^ s.v. `` Elamite language '' Jump up ^ `` Iranian Plateau ''. Peakbagger.com. ^ Jump up to : Sykes, Percy ( 1921 ). A History of Persia. London : Macmillan and Company. pp. 75 -- 76. Jump up ^ https://www.britannica.com/place/Iran/Plant-and-animal-life Jump up ^ Zarubezhnaia Aziia : Fizicheskaia geografiia. Moscow, 1956. Jump up ^ Petrov, M.P. Iran : Fiziko - geograficheskii ocherk. Moscow, 1955. Y. Majidzadeh, Sialk III and the Pottery Sequence at Tepe Ghabristan. The Coherence of the Cultures of the Central Iranian Plateau, Iran 19, 1981, 141 -- 46. External links `` Iranian Plateau ''. Peakbagger.com. `` Central Iranian Plateau ''. Peakbagger.com. Iranian Plateau. Mountain ranges of the Iranian Plateau and their political geography Alborz Mountains Iran Azerbaijan Aladagh Mountains Iran Turkmenistan Hindu Kush Mountains Afghanistan Pakistan Sulaiman Mountains Pakistan Afghanistan Taurus Mountains Turkey Syria Zagros Mountains Turkey Iraq Iran Armenia GND : 4095371 - 3 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Iranian_Plateau&oldid=801397198 '' Categories : Iranian Plateau Plateaus of Asia Landforms of Central Asia Landforms of Western Asia Landforms of the Middle East Plateaus of Iran Geography of Kurdistan Plateaus of Pakistan Landforms of Afghanistan Landforms of Azerbaijan Landforms of Turkmenistan Physiographic provinces Regions of Asia Hidden categories : All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from July 2012 Commons category with local link different than on Wikidata Use dmy dates from December 2011 Wikipedia articles with GND identifiers Talk Contents About Wikipedia Azərbaycanca Bân - lâm - gú Башҡортса Беларуская Беларуская ( тарашкевіца ) ‎ Български Bosanski Català Čeština Deutsch Eesti Ελληνικά Español Esperanto Euskara فارسی Français 한국어 Հայերեն हिन्दी Hrvatski Bahasa Indonesia Italiano ქართული Кыргызча Lietuvių Magyar Македонски മലയാളം Монгол Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk Oʻzbekcha / ўзбекча پنجابی Polski Português Русский Scots Simple English Slovenščina Српски / srpski Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски தமிழ் Türkçe Українська اردو Tiếng Việt Võro 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 19 September 2017, at 12 : 23. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: where is the plateau of iran located on a world map
Answer: situated between the Zagros Mountains to the west, the Caspian Sea and the Kopet Dag to the north, the Armenian Highlands and the Caucasus Mountains in the northwest, the Strait of Hormuz and Persian Gulf to the south and the Indus River to the east in Pakistan