Varzaqan
City in East Azerbaijan province, Iran
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Varzaqan (Persian: ورزقان)[a] is a city in the Central District of Varzaqan County,[b] East Azerbaijan province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district.[7] It is also the administrative center for Ozomdel-e Jonubi Rural District.[8] The village of Varzaqan was converted to a city in 1993.[3]
Varzaqan
ورزقان | |
|---|---|
City | |
Gol Akhur waterfall | |
 Interactive map of Varzaqan | |
  Varzaqan | |
| Coordinates: 38°30′34″N 46°39′00″E[1][2] | |
| Country | Iran |
| Province | East Azerbaijan |
| County | Varzaqan |
| District | Central |
| Established as a city | 1993[3] |
| Population (2016)[4] | |
• Total | 5,348 |
| Time zone | UTC+3:30 (IRST) |
| Website | www |
History
2024 helicopter crash
On 19 May 2024, a helicopter crash occurred about 25 km (16 mi) north of the city, killing Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, and others.[9]
Demographics
Geography
Earthquakes
The area is subject to earthquakes, and in 2012, a number of people were killed when an earthquake doublet (magnitude 6.4 and 6.3) struck on the afternoon of 11 August.[12]
Economy
Agriculture
Farming and gardening is the predominant occupation in the rural areas of Varzaqan. The agricultural products from the area include apple, pear, cherry, walnut and apricot fruit. Recently spruce trees have been planted as the start of a forestry industry. Cold water fish farming has been started more recently.[13]
Mining
The city is notable for the Sungun copper mine, 21.8 km (13.5 mi) from the city centre, which is estimated to have 3 percent of the known copper reserves in the world.[citation needed]
Varzaqan is a mining centre for base metal mining, as well as gold. The Sungun copper mine is now the largest copper mine in northwestern Iran. The deposit itself is one of the largest copper deposits in the world. There are nearby gold mines at Sharafabad, Hyzjan, Tshkhsrv, Astrgan, Andaryan and Myvhrvd.[13][clarification needed]
