ATLAS CHUGGED // MAPPED VIDEO

Every place CaspianReport mentions in "Geopolitics of Iran", mapped

// THE CRUX Iran's mountainous borders and desert interior create a natural fortress against foreign conquest but also isolate internal ethnic minorities and strain economic development.

▶ Watch with the live map

Geopolitics of Iran

25 places, in order of mention

00:01IranIn the last 500 years the borders of Iran
00:07Zagros MountainsThis is because of the topographical barriers
00:10Persian Gulfand a coastline in the south
00:41Zagros Mountainstopographical barrier are the Zagros Mountains
00:45Iranian Kurdistanpopulated by many non-Persian ethnic groups like Kurds
00:46Iranian Azerbaijanand Azerbaijanis
00:54Iraqmountainous regions in Iraq and Turkey
00:55Turkeyregions in Iraq and Turkey
01:57Mesopotamiaborder between Mesopotamia and Persia
02:03Khuzestan Provincewhere you have the province of Khuzestan
02:09Tigris-Euphrates River Systemwhere the Tigris and Euphrates rivers join
02:12Shatt al-Arabform the Shatt al-Arab waterway
03:23AlborzTo the north you have the Alborz Mountains
03:42Azerbaijanthe independent Republic of Azerbaijan just to the north
03:48Russiadivided by the Russian and Persian Empires
05:19Caspian Seathere is the Caspian Sea
05:21Karakum Desertand the Karakum Desert in Turkmenistan
05:28Pakistanbuffer zones against Russia and Pakistan
05:32Sistan and Baluchestan Provincesignificant ethnic group in this region are the Balochis
05:46Dasht-e Kavirthere are two uninhabitable deserts
06:49Persian GulfTo the south Iran borders the Persian Gulf
06:56Bandar Abbasonly real port they have is Bandar Abbas
06:58Strait of Hormuzlocated on the Strait of Hormuz
08:44Saudi Arabiaacquire assets in the Saudi oil
10:07Iraqlearned this the hard way when they invaded Iran