Bushehr province
Province of Iran
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bushehr Province (Persian: استان بوشهر)[a] is one of the 31 provinces of Iran. It is in the south of the country, with a long coastline on the Persian Gulf. Its capital is the city of Bushehr.[7]
Bushehr province
| |
|---|---|
 Location of Bushehr Province within Iran | |
 | |
| Coordinates: 28°50′N 50°50′E[1][2] | |
| Country | Iran |
| Region | Region 2[3] |
| Capital | Bushehr |
| Counties | 10 |
| Government | |
| • Governor general | Arsalan Zare (Independent) |
| Area | |
• Total | 22,743 km2 (8,781 sq mi) |
| Population (2016)[4] | |
• Total | 1,163,400 |
| • Density | 51.154/km2 (132.49/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+03:30 (IRST) |
| Main language(s) | Persian, Luri,[5] Arabic and Turkic |
| HDI (2017) | 0.812[6] very high · 9th |
The province was made a part of Region 2 upon the division of the provinces into five regions, solely for coordination and development purposes, on 22 June 2014.[3]
History
The Portuguese Empire invaded the city of Bushehr in 1506 and remained there until Shah Abbas Safavi defeated them and liberated the Persian Gulf region.[citation needed]
2013 Bushehr earthquake
A strong earthquake measuring 6.1 on the Richter magnitude scale struck the town of Shonbeh and villages of Shonbeh and Tasuj District in Dashti County of Bushehr province on 9 April 2013, killing at least 37 people.[8]
Demographics
Language
A vast majority of the population speak Persian (mostly the Fars dialect) as a first language. There is a minority of Arabic speakers.[9][10]
During the Safavid period, some people from the Kurdish Zanganeh tribe moved from Kermanshah to the villages between Ahram and Borazjan and formed a local government in this area, and from that time until the beginning of Qajar, this part of Bushehr province was called Zanganeh bloc.[11]
Religion
The vast majority of Bushehr's population are Shia Muslims, with a minority of Sunnis comprising 8.5% of the province's population.[13]
Population
At the time of the 2006 National Census, the province's population was 886,490 in 188,762 households.[14] The following census in 2011 counted 1,032,949 people in 246,742 households.[15] The 2016 census measured the population of the province as 1,163,400 inhabitants in 321,826 households.[4]
Administrative divisions
The population history and structural changes of Bushehr province's administrative divisions over three consecutive censuses are shown in the following table.
| Counties | 2006[14] | 2011[15] | 2016[4] |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asaluyeh[b] | — | — | 73,958 |
| Bushehr | 216,087 | 258,906 | 298,594 |
| Dashtestan | 222,226 | 229,425 | 252,047 |
| Dashti | 71,285 | 77,530 | 92,319 |
| Deylam | 29,079 | 31,570 | 34,828 |
| Deyr | 48,488 | 52,523 | 60,612 |
| Ganaveh | 82,937 | 90,493 | 102,484 |
| Jam | 37,999 | 51,446 | 70,051 |
| Kangan | 95,113 | 170,774 | 107,801 |
| Tangestan | 63,276 | 70,282 | 76,706 |
| Total | 866,490 | 1,032,949 | 1,163,400 |
Cities
According to the 2016 census, 835,955 people (over 71% of the population of Bushehr province) live in the following cities:[4]
| City | Population |
|---|---|
| Ab Pakhsh | 18,913 |
| Abdan | 6,827 |
| Ahram | 15,198 |
| Ali Shahr | 23,178 |
| Anarestan | 3,400 |
| Asaluyeh | 13,557 |
| Baduleh | 4,028 |
| Bandar Deylam | 25,730 |
| Bandar Ganaveh | 73,472 |
| Bandar Kangan | 60,187 |
| Bandar Rig | 6,252 |
| Bandar Siraf | 6,992 |
| Bandar-e Deyr | 24,083 |
| Bank | 14,126 |
| Bardestan | 7,112 |
| Borazjan | 110,567 |
| Bord Khun | 5,333 |
| Bushehr | 223,504 |
| Bushkan | 2,135 |
| Choghadak | 18,702 |
| Dalaki | 6,436 |
| Delvar | 4,442 |
| Dowrahak | 4,852 |
| Emam Hasan | 2,731 |
| Jam | 31,436 |
| Kaki | 12,119 |
| Kalameh | 2,463 |
| Kharg | 8,193 |
| Khvormuj | 60,942 |
| Nakhl Taqi | 18,837 |
| Riz | 3,282 |
| Sadabad | 8,248 |
| Shabankareh | 7,900 |
| Shahrabad | 3,787 |
| Shonbeh | 2,747 |
| Tang-e Eram | 3,242 |
| Vahdatiyeh | 11,222 |
21st century
The city of Bushehr is the second main naval port of Iran after Bandar Abbas,[citation needed]:
Kharg Island (Khark Island)
As of March 2026[update], during the 2026 Iran War, Kharg Island was of great strategic significance, carrying up to 90 per cent of Iran's oil exports through its terminal.[17]
Bushehr Nuclear Reactor
The Bushehr Light water PWR Nuclear Reactor, designed by Siemens, built by the Russians, is Iran's first Nuclear Power Plant reactor.[citation needed]
Sports
Bushehr is home to the football teams Shahin-e Bushehr and Pars Jonoubi jam.[citation needed]
Notable writers
Colleges and universities
See also
Media related to Bushehr Province at Wikimedia Commons
Notes
- Separated from Kangan County in 2013[16]