Khuzestan Province

Khūzestān Province استان خوزستان‎ (Persian)
Province
Ziggurat in Chogha Zanbil, 13th century BC
Location of Khūzestān within Iran
Coordinates: 31°19′38″N 48°41′38″E / 31.3273°N 48.6940°E / 31.3273; 48.6940Coordinates: 31°19′38″N 48°41′38″E / 31.3273°N 48.6940°E / 31.3273; 48.6940
Country	Iran
Region	Region 4
Capital	Ahvaz
Counties	23
Area
• Total	64,055 km2 (24,732 sq mi)
Population (2011)
• Total	4,531,720
• Density	71/km2 (180/sq mi)
Time zone	IRST (UTC+03:30)
• Summer (DST)	IRST (UTC+04:30)
Main language(s)	Persian, Lurs/Bakhtiari, Arabic, Armenian, Qashqai, Judeo-Persian, Afshar, Persian dialects of Khuzestan

Khuzestan Province (Persian: استان خوزستان‎‎, Ostān-e Khūzestān) is one of the 31 provinces of Iran. It is in the southwest of the country, bordering Iraq and the Persian Gulf. Its capital is Ahvaz and it covers an area of 63,238 km². Other major cities include Behbahan, Abadan, Andimeshk, Khorramshahr, Bandar Imam, Dezful, Shushtar, Omidiyeh, Izeh, Baq-e-Malek, Mah Shahr, Susangerd, Ramhormoz, Shadegan, Susa, Masjed Soleiman, Minoo Island and Hoveizeh. In 2014 it was placed in Region 4.

As the Iranian province with the oldest history, it is often referred to as the "birthplace of the nation", as this is where the history of the Elamites begins. Historically, one of the most important regions of the Ancient Near East, Khuzestan is what historians refer to as ancient Elam, whose capital was in Susa. The Achaemenid Old Persian term for Elam was Hujiyā when they conquered it from the Elamites, which is present in the modern name. Khuzestan, meaning "the Land of the Khuz" refers to the original inhabitants of this province, the "Susian" people (Old Persian "Huza" or Huja (as in the inscription at the tomb of Darius the Great at Naqsh-e Rostam, (the Shushan of the Hebrew sources) where it is recorded as inscription as "Hauja" or "Huja"). In Middle Persian the term evolves into "Khuz" and "Kuzi". The pre-Islamic Partho-Sasanian Inscriptions gives the name of the province as Khwuzestan.