Administrative divisions of Iran Facts for Kids

Iran is a large country in the Middle East. To help manage it, the government divides the country into smaller parts. These divisions are like different levels of a pyramid, making it easier to organize and govern. This article will explain how Iran is divided, from the biggest sections to the smallest villages.

How Iran is Organized
How Many Divisions Are There?
Understanding the Divisions with an Example
Related pages
See also

How Iran is Organized

Iran's government divides the country into several levels. The biggest parts are called provinces. Each province is then split into smaller areas called counties. Inside each county, there are even smaller areas known as districts. Finally, districts contain cities and rural areas with many villages.

Provinces: The Biggest Parts

The largest divisions in Iran are called provinces (in Persian, ostānhā). Think of them like states or big regions within a country. Each province has its own capital city, which is usually the biggest and most important city in that province.

Counties: Smaller Sections

Each province is divided into smaller parts called counties (in Persian, shahrestan). A county is like a smaller region within a province. It usually includes a main city and the areas around it. The main city in a county is called the county's capital.

Districts, Cities, and Villages

Inside each county, there are even smaller divisions called districts (in Persian, bakhsh). A district can contain one or more cities, or it can have rural areas.

Cities (in Persian, shahr) are urban areas where many people live and work. One city in each county is chosen as the county's capital.
Rural districts (in Persian, dehestan) are areas outside of cities. They are made up of many small villages. Villages are the smallest communities in Iran's administrative system.

How Many Divisions Are There?

As of March 2016 (which was the Iranian calendar year 1394), here's a look at how many of these divisions Iran had:

Provinces: 31
Counties: 429
Districts: 1057
Cities: 1245
Rural districts: 2589

These numbers help us understand just how many different parts make up the country of Iran.

Understanding the Divisions with an Example

Let's imagine a pretend province called "P" to see how these divisions work together.

Imagine Province P is divided into two counties: County A and County B.

County A has three districts: Central, X, and Y.
- The Central district is special because it contains City M, which is the capital of County A. This district also has City N and a rural district called RD T. RD T is made up of four villages: V1, V2, V3, and V4.
- District X has City O and another rural district called RD U. RD U includes villages V5 and V6.
- District Y does not have any cities, but it has one rural district called RD V, which contains villages V7, V8, and V9.

County B is simpler. It only has one district, which is also called "Central." This district contains just one city, City Q, which is the capital of County B.

This example shows how different counties can be organized, some with many parts and others with just a few.

Alborz

Ardabil

Bushehr

Chaharmahal
and Bakhtiari