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Topography: Mountains, Rivers & Lakes

Mountains:-

The main mountain chain is the Zagros Mountains, a series of parallel ridges interspersed with plains that bisect the country from northwest to southeast.
Rimming the Caspian Sea littoral is another chain of mountains, the narrow but high Alborz Mountains. Volcanic Mount Damavand, 5,610 meters (18,406 ft), located in the center of the Alborz, is not only the country’s highest peak but also the highest mountain on the Eurasian landmass west of the Hindu Kush.

Rivers:-

There are no major rivers in the country. Of the small rivers and streams, the only one that is navigable is the 830 kilometers (520 mi)-long Karun which shallow-draft boats can negotiate from Khorramshahr to Ahvaz, a distance of about 180 kilometers (110 mi). Other major rivers include the Karkheh spanning 700 kilometers (430 mi) and joining the Tigris; and the Zayandeh Rood, which is 300 kilometers (190 mi) long. Several other permanent rivers and streams also drain into the Persian Gulf, while a number of small rivers that originate in the northwestern Zagros or Alborz drain into the Caspian Sea.

Lakes:-

There is a permanent salt-lake, Lake Urmia the traditional name, also cited as Lake Urmiyeh, to which it has reverted after being called Lake Rezaiyeh under Mohammad Reza Shah, in the northwest, whose brine content is too high to support fish or most other forms of aquatic life.