Map of Khuzestan

History

The province of Khuzestan is one of the centres of ancient civilization, and one of the most important regions of the Ancient Near East, based around Susa. Human settlement in the region goes back to at least the late fourth millennium BC, and the Elamite civilization took shape here in the third millennium BC.

Archaeological remains show the province to have been home to the Elamite civilization, a kingdom speaking a language that was neither Semitic nor Indo-European, and the earliest civilization within the borders of what would later be called Persia.

Geography

The province of Khuzestan can be basically divided into two regions: the rolling hills and mountainous regions north of the Ahvaz Ridge, and the plains and marshlands to its south. Roughly two-fifths of its area is mountainous and three-fifths is lowland plain. The Zagros Mountains enclose the province to the north and east, giving way to foothills further inland; among the province's mountains are Kuh-e Chow, Zard-Kuh, Shavish, Mamazad, Kuh-e Siah and Kuh-e Chal. The plain has a gentle gradient, and salt domes in several places contribute to the salinity of its soils and waters.

The northern section maintains a Bakhtiari minority, while the southern section has long had diverse minority groups known as Khuzis.

Economy

Khuzestan is the major oil-producing region of Iran, and as such is one of the wealthiest provinces in Iran. Khuzestan ranks third among Iran's provinces in GDP.

In 2005, Iran's government announced it was planning the country's second nuclear reactor to be built in Khuzestan province. The 360 MW reactor was to be a light water pressurized water reactor.

Khuzestan is also home to the Arvand Free Trade Zone, one of six free trade zones in Iran, and to the Petrochemical Special Economic Zone (PETZONE) at Mahshahr.

Because of high temperatures and the concentration of heavy industry, Khuzestan is the largest consumer of energy in Iran after Tehran province. The province's thermal and gas-fired power stations include Ramin, Zargan, Abadan, Khorramshahr and Fajr.

Demographics

Persian has long been the language of wider communication in the cities of Khuzestan, and there are several urban Khuzestani Persian-speaking communities in the south of the province too. From the early 20th century onward, rural families also began teaching standard Persian to their children as the official language of the country.

Apart from Persian, other languages and dialects are also spoken in Khuzestan. A substantial portion of the province's population speaks Khuzestani Arabic. Another part of the population speaks the Bakhtiari dialect of the Luri language. The Shoushtari and Dezfuli dialects are spoken both in Shoushtar and Dezful and in the provincial capital.