Astara Ostoro | |
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  Astara | |
| Coordinates: 38°27′22″N48°52′43″E / 38.45611°N 48.87861°E | |
| Country | Azerbaijan |
| District | Astara |
| Elevation | −22 m (−72 ft) |
| Population (2008) | |
| • Total | 16,130 [1] |
| Time zone | UTC+4 (AZT) |
| Area code | +994 195 |
Astara (Talysh : Ostoro) is a city in and the capital of the Astara District of Azerbaijan. Astara is a short walk across the border from Astara, Iran.
 | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (December 2012) |
Astara has a borderline humid subtropical (Köppen climate classification: Cfa) and hot-summer mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification: Csa). Astara has cool, wet winters and very warm, highly humid summers, nevertheless with lower precipitation. The annual precipitation of the city, however, is one of the highest in Azerbaijan.
| Climate data for Astara (1971-1990 normals) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 7.7 (45.9) | 7.7 (45.9) | 10.5 (50.9) | 16.4 (61.5) | 21.5 (70.7) | 26.6 (79.9) | 29.9 (85.8) | 29.0 (84.2) | 25.5 (77.9) | 19.6 (67.3) | 14.7 (58.5) | 10.9 (51.6) | 18.3 (65.0) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 4.5 (40.1) | 4.7 (40.5) | 6.4 (43.5) | 11.4 (52.5) | 16.6 (61.9) | 21.2 (70.2) | 24.2 (75.6) | 23.3 (73.9) | 20.3 (68.5) | 15.4 (59.7) | 10.7 (51.3) | 6.8 (44.2) | 13.8 (56.8) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 2.4 (36.3) | 2.5 (36.5) | 4.9 (40.8) | 9.6 (49.3) | 14.2 (57.6) | 18.7 (65.7) | 20.8 (69.4) | 20.6 (69.1) | 18.3 (64.9) | 13.6 (56.5) | 8.5 (47.3) | 4.3 (39.7) | 11.5 (52.8) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 85 (3.3) | 89 (3.5) | 99 (3.9) | 54 (2.1) | 56 (2.2) | 35 (1.4) | 34 (1.3) | 64 (2.5) | 190 (7.5) | 288 (11.3) | 167 (6.6) | 103 (4.1) | 1,264 (49.7) |
| Average rainy days | 9 | 9 | 12 | 7 | 8 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 9 | 14 | 11 | 9 | 100 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 113.3 | 99.4 | 110.9 | 152.4 | 208.9 | 268.3 | 284.9 | 248.5 | 185.9 | 127.3 | 101.5 | 110.9 | 2,012.2 |
| Mean daily sunshine hours | 3.7 | 3.5 | 3.6 | 5.1 | 6.7 | 8.9 | 9.2 | 8.0 | 6.2 | 4.1 | 3.4 | 3.6 | 5.5 |
| Source: NOAA [2] DWD [3] | |||||||||||||
| Climate data for Astara (records) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 22.1 (71.8) | 26.1 (79.0) | 28.8 (83.8) | 29.0 (84.2) | 33.4 (92.1) | 38.0 (100.4) | 38.0 (100.4) | 40.0 (104.0) | 40.0 (104.0) | 31.3 (88.3) | 28.7 (83.7) | 25.7 (78.3) | 40.0 (104.0) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −7.8 (18.0) | −13 (9) | −6.1 (21.0) | −3.9 (25.0) | −2.8 (27.0) | 6.0 (42.8) | 11.1 (52.0) | 10.0 (50.0) | 10.0 (50.0) | −2.8 (27.0) | −7.8 (18.0) | −15 (5) | −15 (5) |
| Source: climatebase.ru [4] | |||||||||||||
The Caspian Sea is the world's largest inland body of water, variously classed as the world's largest lake or a full-fledged sea. It is an endorheic basin (a basin without outflows) located between Europe and Asia, to the east of the Caucasus Mountains and to the west of the broad steppe of Central Asia. The sea has a surface area of 371,000 km2 (143,000 sq mi) (excluding the detached lagoon of Garabogazköl) and a volume of 78,200 km3 (18,800 cu mi). It has a salinity of approximately 1.2% (12 g/L), about a third of the salinity of most seawater that is found in the region.
As the demand for television broadcasting and telecommunication rises during the early 1980s, the Astara TV Tower was built. The television tower was uniquely designed, as its pinnacle is guyed to a horizontal cross-like steel structure. [1] [5]
Located next to the Iranian border, Astara attracts numerous visitors from Iran, going to Azerbaijan to purchase goods and services that may not be as readily available in Iran. [6]
Astara is currently served by a broad gauge railway only headed north. A standard gauge connection to the Iranian railway network along the shore of the Caspian Sea is planned. This break of gauge station is likely to be equipped with bogie exchange and SUW 2000 variable gauge axle track gauge changing facility.[ citation needed ]
Azerbaijan is a country in the Caucasus region, situated at the juncture of Eastern Europe and West Asia. Three physical features dominate Azerbaijan: the Caspian Sea, whose shoreline forms a natural boundary to the east; the Greater Caucasus mountain range to the north; and the extensive flatlands at the country's center. About the size of Portugal or the US state of Maine, Azerbaijan has a total land area of approximately 86,600 km², less than 1% of the land area of the former Soviet Union. Of the three Transcaucasian states, Azerbaijan has the greatest land area. Special administrative subdivisions are the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, which is separated from the rest of Azerbaijan by a strip of Armenian territory, and the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region, entirely within Azerbaijan. The status of Nagorno-Karabakh is disputed by Armenia, but is internationally recognized as territory of Azerbaijan.
The transport in Azerbaijan involves air traffic, waterways and railroads. All transportation services in Azerbaijan except for oil and gas pipelines are regulated by the Ministry of Transportation of Azerbaijan Republic.
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Astara, also Romanized as Āstārā, is a city in the Central District of Astara County, Gilan province, Iran, serving as the capital of both the county and the district. It lies on the border with Azerbaijan Republic and on the Caspian Sea. It is an important border trade center between Iran and the Caucasus.
Lerik District is one of the 69 districts of Azerbaijan. It is located in the southeast of the country and belongs to the Lankaran-Astara Economic Region. The district borders the districts of Yardimli, Masally, Lankaran, Astara and the Ardabil Province of Iran. Its capital and largest city is Lerik. As of 2022, the district had a population of 87,000. It is located between the Talysh Mountains and the agricultural plain of the Lankaran Lowland.
Astara District is one of the 69 districts of Azerbaijan. It is located in the southeast of the country, in the Lankaran-Astara Economic Region. The district borders the districts of Lankaran and Lerik, as well as the Ardabil and Gilan provinces of Iran. Its capital and largest city is Astara. As of 2020, the district had a population of 110,000.
Lankaran is a city in Azerbaijan, on the coast of the Caspian Sea, near the southern border with Iran. As of 2021, the city had a population of 89,300. It is next to, but independent of, Lankaran District. The city forms a distinct first-order division of Azerbaijan.
The Islamic Republic of Iran Railways is the national state-owned railway system of Iran. The Raja Passenger Train Company is an associate of the IR, and manages its passenger trains. The Railway Transportation Company is an associate of the IR, which manages its freight transport. The Ministry of Roads & Urban Development is the state agency that oversees the IRIR. Some 33 million tonnes of goods and 29 million passengers are transported annually by the rail transportation network, accounting for 9 percent and 11 percent of all transportation in Iran, respectively (2011).
The climate of Azerbaijan is very diverse. Nine out of eleven existing climate zones are present in Azerbaijan.
Hirkan National Park is a national park in Azerbaijan, in the Talysh region. It was established in an area in Lankaran Rayon and Astara Rayon administrative districts on February 9, 2004 on the basis of the former "Hirkan State Reserve" which it superseded, on a surface area of 29,760 hectares (297.6 km2). It was enlarged by presidential decree on April 23, 2008 from 29,760 hectares (297.6 km2) to 40,358 hectares (403.58 km2).
Talysh Mountains is a mountain range in far southeastern Azerbaijan and far northwestern Iran within Ardabil Province and Gilan Province.
The Absheron Peninsula is a peninsula in Azerbaijan. It is the location of Baku, the biggest and the most populous city of the country, and also the Baku metropolitan area, with its satellite cities Sumqayit and Khyrdalan.
The Lankaran Lowland is a narrow strip of lowland in southern Azerbaijan by the Caspian Sea. It is the southward extension of the Kura-Aras Lowland which in itself is an extension of the Aral–Caspian Depression. It is named after the city of Lankaran.
The Hyrcanian forests are a zone of lush lowland and montane forests covering about 55,000 square kilometres (21,000 sq mi) near the shores of the Caspian Sea in Iran and Azerbaijan. The forest is named after the ancient region of Hyrcania. The World Wide Fund for Nature refers to the ecoregion as the Caspian Hyrcanian mixed forests. Since 5 July 2019, the Hyrcanian Forests have been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In September 2023, the heritage site expanded to incorporate portions of the forest located in Azerbaijan.
The Caspian Sea is the world's largest inland body of water, often described as the world's largest lake and sometimes referred to as a full-fledged sea. An endorheic basin, it lies between Europe and Asia: east of the Caucasus, west of the broad steppe of Central Asia, south of the fertile plains of Southern Russia in Eastern Europe, and north of the mountainous Iranian Plateau. It covers a surface area of 371,000 km2 (143,000 sq mi), an area approximately equal to that of Japan, with a volume of 78,200 km3 (19,000 cu mi). It has a salinity of approximately 1.2%, about a third of the salinity of average seawater. It is bounded by Kazakhstan to the northeast, Russia to the northwest, Azerbaijan to the southwest, Iran to the south, and Turkmenistan to the southeast.
A humid subtropical climate is a temperate climate type characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents, generally between latitudes 25° and 40° and are located poleward from adjacent tropical climates, and equatorward from either humid continental or oceanic climates. It is also known as warm temperate climate in some climate classifications.
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Lankaran-Astara Economic Region is one of the 14 economic regions of Azerbaijan. It borders Iran to the south and west, Caspian Sea to the east and Shirvan-Salyan Economic Region to the north. The region consists of the districts of Jalilabad, Astara, Lerik, Lankaran, Masally and Yardimli. It has an area of 6,070 square kilometres (2,340 sq mi). Its population was estimated to be at 953.6 thousand people in January 2021.
The Kopet Dag semi-desert ecoregion is a small ecoregion that crosses the border of southwestern Turkmenistan into northeastern Iran. It covers a transition zone between the deserts to the north and west, and the foothill steppes and woodlands in the higher Kopet Dag mountains to the east and the Alborz Mountains to the south. The terrain is mostly barren semi-desert and widespread 'takir', a type of seasonal salt flat or dried clay deposit in an interdune depression.
The Central Persian desert basins ecoregion covers the arid steppe and desert basins of central Iran, stretching into northwestern Afghanistan. The ecoregion extends over the Central Iranian Plateau, which is surrounded by mountain ranges and has no outlets to the sea. Much of the terrain is hot sand-and-gravel desert and large salt flats. The vegetation includes many specialized species of halophytes (salt-tolerant), xerophytes (drought-tolerant), and psammophile (sand-loving) plants.
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