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Tehran

Capital of IranTehran lies at the foot of the Alborz mountains in northern Iran. The city rises from about 1,040 m to 2,040 m above sea level, and Mount Damavand, Iran's highest peak, is nearby.

Why it's the capital

Agha Mohammad Khan, the Qajar king, chose Tehran as the capital of Iran in 1786. Iran's capital had moved many times over its long history, and Tehran became the 51st.

Fun facts

  1. The Azadi Tower, a memorial built in 1971, was first called the Shahyad Tower.
  2. In 1943 the city hosted the Tehran Conference, where Roosevelt, Stalin and Churchill met together in person for the first time during the Second World War.
  3. The Milad Tower is 435 m high.

Finding it on the globe

Find the Caspian Sea and aim just south of it, on the far side of the Alborz mountains that run along its southern coast.

Sources: Wikipedia: Tehran, Wikipedia: Alborz, Wikipedia: Tehran Conference