PERSIA lies between lat. 25° 40' to 39° 50' N., and long. 44° 20' to 61° 35' E., with a population variously estimated at 5 to 7 millions. It is about 1400 miles long from the Khoi and Bayazad road to Gwadar, and 900 miles broad from the Makran coast to the Atrak river. It has 18 great divisions,—Astrabad, Azarbijan, Ardelan, Fars, Ghilan, Isfahan, Kirnsanshah, Khuzistan, Khorasan, Kirman, Khemseh, Laristan, Luristan, Mazandaran, Mullayer, Nein, Tehran, and Yezd.
Modern Persia consists of three principal parts, viz. Fars proper (Persis proper), Laristan near the Persian Gulf, and Behbehan, or the country of the Khogilu, which represents the circle of Kobad. Behbehan is bounded on the north by the great belt of mountains which separate Irak i-Ajam from the southern provinces of Persia. The northern and north-eastern shores of the Persian Gulf form its boundary to the south, Ram-Hormuz and the Ka'b country lie to the west, while Shuzistan separates Behbehan on the east from the direct dependencies of Fars. On the east and south-east, Behbehan is surrounded by the Mamaseni tribe ; on the north and north-west by the Bakhtiyari; and on the west and south by the Ka'b Arabs. Also the mountainous region to the north and north-east of the plain of Behbehau is occupied by the Khogilu tribes.
The greater part of the most important region of modern Persia corresponds to the ancient Media; the province of Azerbijan, west of the Caspian, answering to Media Atropatene, and that of Irak-Ajaini to Great Media. The northern part of Khorasan is the ancient Parthia, and the lowland round the south-east of the Caspian was Ilyrcania.
The whole of the centre of Persia is composed of immense salt deserts, with such oases as Yezd and Beerjan scattered about it, at too extended intervals, however, to afford cohesion and mutual support. The desert may be roughly said to extend all the way along the Afghan frontier from a point 100 miles south-west of Herat to the Persian Gulf, and from this broad base it projects to within 100 miles of Teheran. North of this salt desert lies the magnificent province of Kho rasan ; west of it the fertile provinces of the Caspian, including Azerbijan; and south-west and south, the rich mountain region running con terminous with the Turkish frontier and the waters of the Persian Gulf ; the great range ou the north, joining the Hindu Kush south of Herat.
The general aspect is desolate and bare in the extreme. On its north and earn, Persia is nearly en closed by deserts. On the north is the great desert of Khiva, or, as it is called, the Kara-Kum. This stretches along the whole north border of Kho rasan and Afghan-Turkestan as far as Balkh. It is more of a waste than a desert, and in spring is covered with grass, and is said then to be quite practicable for light troops. Its greatest breadth is from the Arid S.W. to the Atrak river, about 250 miles, and the breadth gradually lessens as it goes eastwards till near Balkh it has a breadth of only a few miles. Its general breadth, how is from 180 to 150 miles. Its length from the Caspian to the vicinity of Balkh cannot be less than 600 miles.
The great salt desert of Khorasan extends from Kum and Kashan to the east for a distance of 300 miles, and is probably continuous with that of Seistan, and if so, it probably runs to the south of Tabas.
The desert of Kirman stretches to the N.E. of Kirman, and is supposed to be continuous with that of Seistan and Makran. It stretches from Khubbis to the lake of Seistan, 150 miles, thence along to the S. bank of the Helmand, up to the vicinity of the valley of Peshin on the Kandahar and Quetta road ; then it turns S.W., keeping away from Nushki Sarawan and nasal], and then runs S. between Banpur and Panigur to near the sea at Gwadar. To the west of this it keeps north of Jalk and Sib, and the continuation of the mountains of Kirwan, till it again intervenes between Khubbis and Seistan. Its length is about 400 miles, and breadth 200 miles, from the Helmand to the parallel of Kohuk. The sand of this desert is of a reddish colour, and so light that when taken into the hand it is scarcely palpable. It is raised by the wind into longi tudinal waves, sloping to the leeward side to the height of • 10 or 20 feet, and is there perpen dicular.