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Golestān Province

Golestan Province
استان گلستان
Province
Gonbad-e Qabus Tower by Hadi Karimi.jpg
Map of Iran with Golestān highlighted
Location of Golestān within Iran
Coordinates: 36°50′21″N 54°26′40″E / 36.8393°N 54.4444°E / 36.8393; 54.4444Coordinates: 36°50′21″N 54°26′40″E / 36.8393°N 54.4444°E / 36.8393; 54.4444
Country  Iran
Region Region 1
Capital Gorgan
Counties 12
Area
 • Total 20,367 km2 (7,864 sq mi)
Population (2011)
 • Total 1,777,014
 • Density 87/km2 (230/sq mi)
Time zone IRST (UTC+03:30)
 • Summer (DST) IRST (UTC+04:30)
Main language(s) Persian
Turkmen
Mazandarani
Balochi

Golestān Province (Persian: استان گلستان‎‎, Ostān-e Golestān) is one of the 31 provinces of Iran, located in the north-east of the country south of the Caspian Sea. Its capital is Gorgan.

The province was put as part of Region 1 upon the division of the provinces into 5 regions solely for coordination and development purposes on June 22, 2014.

Golestān was split off from the province of Mazandaran in 1997. It has a population of 1.7 million (2011) and an area of 20,380 km². The province is divided into the following twelve counties (shahrestans): Aliabad County, Aqqala County, Azadshahr County, Bandar-e Gaz County, Gonbad-e Qabus County, Gorgan County, Kalaleh County, Kordkuy County, Maraveh Tappeh County, Minudasht County, Ramian County, and Torkaman County. Present-day Gorgan was called Esterabad until 1937.

Golestan derives its name from a wider region known historically as Gorgān (), Middle Persian Gurgān, and Old Persian Varkāna ( in the Behistun Inscription) meaning "land of wolves". This is also the root of the Ancient Greek Υρκανία (Yrkania) and Latin Hyrcania.


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