Mazandaran

Province in northern Iran, between the Elburz Mountains and the Caspian Sea; area 47,360 sq km/18,286 sq mi; population (1991) 3,793,100. The capital is Sari, although Babol is the largest city in the province. Mazandaran is bounded on the east by Khorasan and on the west by Gilan. It consists of a low coastal plain which rises very rapidly to high mountains; the ground is somewhat swampy in the lowlands, but fertile. The chief products are rice, citrus fruits, and tea; silk textiles are manufactured at Chalus.