Kurdistan Province (Kordestan Province) استان کردستان |
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Province | |
Location of Kurdistan Province within Iran |
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Coordinates: 35°18′41″N 46°59′46″E / 35.3113°N 46.9960°ECoordinates: 35°18′41″N 46°59′46″E / 35.3113°N 46.9960°E | |
Country | Iran |
Region | Region 3 |
Capital | Sanandaj |
Counties | 10 |
Government | |
• Governor | Ali Reza Shahbazi |
Area | |
• Total | 29,137 km2 (11,250 sq mi) |
Population (2016) | |
• Total | 1,603,011 |
• Density | 55/km2 (140/sq mi) |
Time zone | IRST (UTC+03:30) |
• Summer (DST) | IRST (UTC+04:30) |
Main language(s) |
Persian (official) local languages: Kurdish Azerbaijani |
Kurdistan Province or Kordestan Province or Kurdestan Province Persian: استان کردستان) is one of the 31 provinces of Iran, not to be confused with the greater unofficial geographical area of Iranian Kurdistan. The province of Kurdistan is 28,817 km² in area which encompasses just one-fourth of the Kurdish inhabited areas of Iran or Iranian Kurdistan. It is located in the west of Iran, in Region 3, and bound by Iraq on the west, the province of West Azerbaijan to its north, Zanjan to the northeast, Hamedan to the east and Kermanshah to the south. The capital of Kurdistan Province is the city of Sanandaj (Kurdish: Sinne). Other counties with their major cities are Marivan, Baneh, Saqqez, Qorveh, Piranshahr, Bijar, Kamyaran, Dehgolan, Diwandarreh and Sarvabad.
The mountainous lands of this area first encouraged Iranian-speaking tribes to settle in this region after their immigration to Iran. It was from here where the first plan to overthrow the Assyrian Empire began, leading to their defeat in 612 BCE, and setting the stage for the commence of the Median empire.