The Islamic Republic of Iran is situated in the Middle East and has an area of 1,648,195 square kilometres with a population of about 63 million, which has doubled over the last three decades (Table 1). It is bordered by Armenia, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan Republics and Caspian Sea in the north, Afghanistan and Pakistan in the east, Turkey and Iraq in the west and Kuwait, Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman in the south. Mountain chains like Zagros and many other mountains make Iran's feature a mountainous country.