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{{Short description|Province of Iran}}
{{distinguish|East Azerbaijan province}}
{{about|the Iranian province||Azerbaijan (disambiguation)}}
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{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2023}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name = West Azerbaijan Province
| native_name = {{native name|fa|استان آذربایجان غربی}}
| settlement_type = [[Provinces of Iran|Province]]
| image_skyline =
| image_alt =
| image_caption =
| image_map =
| image_map1 = IranWestAzerbaijan-SVG.svg
| map_caption =
| map_caption1 = Location of West Azerbaijan province within Iran
| coordinates = {{coord|37|52|N|44|53|E|dim:240km|display=inline, title}}
| coor_pinpoint =
| coordinates_footnotes = <ref>{{Cite map |author=((OpenStreetMap contributors)) |url=https://www.openstreetmap.org/?mlat=37.866667&mlon=44.883333&zoom=8#map=8/37.867/44.883|website=[[OpenStreetMap]] |title=West Azerbaijan Province |date=29 September 2024|access-date=29 September 2024|lang=fa}}</ref>
| subdivision_type = Country
| subdivision_name = [[Iran]]
| subdivision_type1 = [[Regions of Iran|Region]]
| subdivision_name1 = [[Region 3, Iran|Region 3]]
| parts_type = [[Counties of Iran|Counties]]
| parts_style = para
| p1 = 20
| established_title =
| established_date =
| founder =
| seat_type = Capital
| seat = [[Urmia]]
| government_footnotes =
| leader_party =
| leader_title = [[List of current Iran governors-general|Governor-general]]
| leader_name = [[Reza Rahmani]]
| leader_title1 =
| leader_title2 =
| unit_pref = Metric<!-- or US or UK -->
| area_footnotes =
| area_total_km2 = 37437
| area_note =
| elevation_footnotes =
| elevation_m =
| population_footnotes = <ref name="2016 West Azerbaijan Province"/>
| population_total = 3265219
| population_as_of = 2016
| population_density_km2 = auto
| population_demonym =
| population_note =
| blank_name_sec1 = [[Languages of Iran|Main language(s)]]
| blank_info_sec1 = '''[[Persian language|Persian]]''' (official)<br />local languages:<br />[[Armenian language|Armenian]]<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Amurian |first1=A. |last2=Kasheff |first2=M. |title=ARMENIANS OF MODERN IRAN |journal=[[Encyclopedia Iranica]] |url=https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/armenians-of-modern-iran |access-date=25 July 2021}}</ref><br />[[Assyrian Neo-Aramaic]]<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Macuch |first1=R. |title=ASSYRIANS IN IRAN i. The Assyrian community (Āšūrīān) in Iran |journal=[[Encyclopedia Iranica]] |url=https://iranicaonline.org/articles/assyrians-in-iran-i-community |access-date=25 July 2021}}</ref><br />[[Azeri language|Azerbaijani]]<ref name="Anonby2019" /><br />[[Kurdish language|Kurdish]]<ref name="Anonby2019" /><br />[[Jewish Neo-Aramaic dialect of Urmia|Lishán Didán]]<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Windfuhr |first1=Gernot |title=IRAN vii. NON-IRANIAN LANGUAGES (10). Aramaic |journal=[[Encyclopedia Iranica]] |date=2006 |url=https://iranicaonline.org/articles/iran-vii10-aramaic |access-date=25 July 2021}}</ref>
| blank_name_sec2 = [[Human Development Index|HDI]] (2017)
| blank_info_sec2 = 0.758<ref name="GlobalDataLab">{{Cite web|url=https://hdi.globaldatalab.org/areadata/shdi/|title=Sub-national HDI - Area Database - Global Data Lab|website=hdi.globaldatalab.org|language=en|access-date=2018-09-13}}</ref><br />{{color|#0c0|high}} · [[List of Iranian provinces by Human Development Index|26th]]
| timezone1 = [[Iran Standard Time|IRST]]
| utc_offset1 = +03:30
| postal_code_type =
| postal_code =
| area_code_type =
| area_code = 44
| iso_code =
| footnotes =
| official_name =
}}
'''West Azerbaijan province''' ({{langx|fa|استان آذربایجان غربی}}){{efn|Also [[romanize]]d as '''Āzarbāyjān-e Gharbī'''; {{langx|ku|پارێزگای ئورمیە}}, romanized as '''Parêzgeha Urmiyê''';<ref>{{cite news |title=کوردستان میدیا: دۆخی ئاسەوارە مێژووییەکانی پارێزگای ئورمیە بە هۆی دابین نەکردنی بوودجە و کەمتەرخەمی بەرپرسانی رێژیم زۆر نالەبارە و ئەگەری لە ناو چوونیان و فەوتانیان هەیە. |url=https://kurdistanmedia.com/so/news/%D9%BE%D8%A7%D8%B1%DB%8E%D8%B2%DA%AF%D8%A7%DB%8C-%D9%88%D8%B1%D9%85%DB%8C%DB%95/-%D8%AF%DB%86%D8%AE%DB%8C-%D9%82%DB%95%DB%8C%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%A7%D9%88%DB%8C%DB%8C-%D8%A7%D8%B3%DB%95%D9%88%D8%A7%D8%B1%DB%95-%D9%85%DB%8E%DA%98%D9%88%D9%88%DB%8C%DB%8C%DB%95%DA%A9%D8%A7%D9%86 |access-date=21 March 2020 |work=Kurdistan Media |language=ku |archive-date=25 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221125154945/https://kurdistanmedia.com/so/news/%D9%BE%D8%A7%D8%B1%DB%8E%D8%B2%DA%AF%D8%A7%DB%8C-%D9%88%D8%B1%D9%85%DB%8C%DB%95/-%D8%AF%DB%86%D8%AE%DB%8C-%D9%82%DB%95%DB%8C%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%A7%D9%88%DB%8C%DB%8C-%D8%A7%D8%B3%DB%95%D9%88%D8%A7%D8%B1%DB%95-%D9%85%DB%8E%DA%98%D9%88%D9%88%DB%8C%DB%8C%DB%95%DA%A9%D8%A7%D9%86 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Erdhejê parêzgeha Urmiyê hejand |url=https://kurdistanmedia.com/ku/news/erdheje-parezgeha-urmiye-hejand |access-date=21 March 2020 |work=KurdistanMedia |language=ku}}</ref> {{langx|az-Arab|غربی آذربایجان اوستانی}}}} is one of the 31 [[provinces of Iran|provinces]] of [[Iran]], whose capital and largest city is [[Urmia]].<ref name="West Azerbaijan Province Structure">{{cite report|title=Approval of the organization and chain of citizenship of the elements and units of the national divisions of West Azerbaijan province, centered in the city of Urmia|language=fa|website=lamtakam.com|via=Lam ta Kam|url=https://lamtakam.com/law/council_of_ministers/113037|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231220192713/https://lamtakam.com/law/council_of_ministers/113037|publisher=Ministry of the Interior, Defense Political Commission of the Government Council|last=Habibi|first=Hassan|orig-date=Approved 21 June 1369|date=c. 2023|id=Notification 82808/T137|archive-date=20 December 2023|access-date=20 December 2023}}</ref>
It is in the [[Azerbaijan (Iran)|northwest]] of the country, bordered by [[Turkey]] ([[Ağrı Province|Ağrı]], [[Hakkâri Province|Hakkâri]], [[Iğdır Province|Iğdır]] and [[Van Province]]s), [[Iraq]] ([[Erbil Governorate|Erbil]] and [[Sulaymaniyah Governorate]]s) and [[Azerbaijan]]'s [[Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic]], as well as the Iranian provinces of [[East Azerbaijan province|East Azerbaijan]], [[Zanjan province|Zanjan]], and [[Kurdistan province|Kurdistan]]. West Azerbaijan province is part of [[Regions of Iran|Region]] [[Region 3, Iran|3]].<ref>{{Cite news|date=22 June 2014|title= همشهری آنلاین-استان‌های کشور به ۵ منطقه تقسیم شدند (Provinces were divided into 5 regions)|language=fa|newspaper=Hamshahri Online|url=http://www.hamshahrionline.ir/details/263382/Iran/-provinces|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140623191332/http://www.hamshahrionline.ir/details/263382/Iran/-provinces|archive-date=23 June 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> It is separated from [[Armenia]] by Turkey's short border with the [[Azerbaijan Republic]]. The province covers an area of 39,487 km<sup>2</sup>, or 43,660 km<sup>2</sup> including [[Lake Urmia]].
==
{{see also|Matiene|Kingdom of Armenia (antiquity)|Persarmenia|Azerbaijan (Iran)#History|History of the name Azerbaijan}}
[[File:Brue, Adrien Hubert, Asie-Mineure, Armenie, Syrie, Mesopotamie, Caucase. 1839. (CG).jpg|thumb|250px|The region of the modern province as Matiene, as opposed to Atropatene to the east]]
The major known ancient civilization in the region was that of [[Mannaeans]], a buffer state between [[Urartu|Urartian]] and [[Neo Assyrian Empire|Assyrian]] sphere of influence. Mannaeans in turn spoke a language related to Urartian. After the fall of Assyria, the region was known as [[Mantiene]] (or Matiene) in Greek sources. Matiene bordered on [[Atropatene]] situated east of Lake Urmia.
The region is known as [[Vaspurakan]] and [[Nor Shirakan]] in [[History of Armenia|Armenian history]] and made up an important part of [[Kingdom of Armenia (antiquity)|historical Armenia]], functioning as one of the cradles of [[Armenians|Armenian]] civilisation.<ref name="ArmVan">{{cite book | last = Hovannisian | first = Richard G. | title = Armenian Van/Vaspurakan | url = https://archive.org/details/armenianvanvaspu00rich | year = 1999 | publisher = Mazda Publishers | ___location = Costa Mesa, California | isbn = 1-56859-130-6 | access-date = 2011-01-22 | url-access = registration }}</ref> On 26 May 451 AD, a very important battle was fought that would prove pivotal in Armenian history. On the [[Avarayr Plain]], at what is modern-day [[Churs]] in West Azerbaijan province, the Armenian army under [[Vardan Mamikonian]] clashed with the [[Sasanian]] one. Although the Persians were victorious on the battlefield itself, the battle proved to be a major strategic victory for Armenians, as Avarayr paved the way to the [[Nvarsak Treaty]] (484 AD), which affirmed Armenia's right to practice Christianity freely.<ref name="Hewsen">{{cite web|last1=Hewsen|first1=Robert H.|author-link1=Robert H. Hewsen|title=AVARAYR|url=http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/avarayr-a-village-in-armenia-in-the-principality-of-artaz-southeast-of-the-iranian-town-of-maku|website=[[Encyclopædia Iranica]]|date=August 17, 2011|quote=So spirited was the Armenian defense, however, that the Persians suffered enormous losses as well. Their victory was pyrrhic and the king, faced with troubles elsewhere, was forced, at least for the time being, to allow the Armenians to worship as they chose.}}</ref><ref name="Pattie">{{cite book|author=Susan Paul Pattie|title=Faith in History: Armenians Rebuilding Community |publisher= Smithsonian Institution Press |year= 1997 |page= 40 |isbn = 1560986298|quote=The Armenian defeat in the Battle of Avarayr in 451 proved a pyrrhic victory for the Persians. Though the Armenians lost their commander, Vartan Mamikonian, and most of their soldiers, Persian losses were proportionately heavy, and Armenia was allowed to remain Christian.}}</ref>
In the late 4th century AD the [[Sasanians]] incorporated the area into the neighbouring [[Adurbadagan|Adhurpadagan]] satrapy to the east.<ref>Richard G. Hovannisian, 2004,'' The Armenian People From Ancient to Modern Times'', Volume I: The Dynastic Periods: From Antiquity to the Fourteenth Century, Palgrave Macmillan, {{ISBN|1-4039-6421-1}}, {{ISBN|978-1-4039-6421-2}}, p. 92</ref> The name Adhurpadagan, later Arabicized to Azerbaijan, derives from [[Atropates]],<ref>{{cite encyclopaedia|author1=Minorsky, V.|title=Ādharbaydjān (Azerbāydjān)|encyclopaedia=Encyclopaedia of Islam|editor1=P. Bearman|editor2=Th. Bianquis|editor3=C. E. Bosworth|editor4=E. van Donzel|editor5=W. P. Heinrichs|publisher=Brill|date=2007|url=http://www.encislam.brill.nl/subscriber/entry?entry=islam_COM-0016|access-date=16 January 2008|archive-date=18 May 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240518084541/https://referenceworks.brill.com/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>''Encyclopædia Iranica'', "Azerbaijan: Pre-Islamic History", K. Shippmann</ref> an [[Iranian peoples|Iranian]] [[satrap]] of [[Medes|Media]] under the [[Achaemenid]] empire, who later was reinstated as the satrap of Media under [[Alexander the Great|Alexander of Macedonia]].<ref name="ISBN 2">''Historical Dictionary of Azerbaijan'' by [[Tadeusz Swietochowski]] and Brian C. Collins. The Scarecrow Press, Inc., Lanham, Maryland (1999), {{ISBN|0-8108-3550-9}} (retrieved 7 June 2006)</ref>
In the 7th century this area was under Islamic rule. After [[Babak Khorramdin]] revolted, the grip of the Abbasid caliphate weakened, allowing some native dynasties to rise. By the first half of the 11th century, the [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantine emperors]] were actively trying to round off their eastern territories, in an attempt to absorb the unstable Armenian dynasties. In 1021-1022 emperor [[Basil II]] led his army as far as [[Khoy]] within 175 km of [[Dvin (ancient city)|Dvin]], and obtained the surrender of royalty from the [[Artsruni|Artsruni dynasty]] of [[Van, Turkey|Van]].<ref>[[Vladimir Minorsky|Minorsky, Vladimir]] (1953) [https://books.google.com/books?id=Pzg8AAAAIAAJ&dq=kingdom+of+armenia+khoy&pg=PA52 ''Studies in Caucasian History I. New Light on the Shaddadids of Ganja II. The Shaddadids of Ani III. Prehistory of Saladin''] page 52, CUP Archive, 1 jan. 1953 {{ISBN|978-0521057356}}</ref> The Seljuk Turkic tribes, who the local Hadhabani Kurds initially resisted, eventually conquered the region in the 11th and early 12th centuries. During Timurid rule in the 14th century, [[Khoy]] gained an important role in all over the region. After Hadhabanis, three other Kurdish principalities, Mukriyans in the southern part, Bradosti in the middle, and Donboli in the northern part ruled the region for centuries, who temporarily sided with either the Ottomans or Safavids. The [[battle of DimDim]] between the [[Safavids]] and local Bradosti Kurds took place in this region. After a long and bloody siege led by the Safavid grand vizier [[Hatim Beg Urdubadi|Hatem Beg]], which lasted from November 1609 to the summer of 1610, the [[Castle of Dimdim]] was captured. All the defenders were killed and [[Abbas I of Persia|Shah Abbas I]] ordered a general massacre in Bradost and Mukriyan (reported by Eskandar Beg, Safavid historian in the book ''Alam Aray-e Abbasi'') and resettled the [[Afshar tribe]] in the region while deporting many Kurdish tribes to [[greater Khorasan|Khorasan]] region, where many of their descendants still reside of as of today.
The Safavid control was firmly restored by [[Abbas I of Persia|Shah Abbas]] but during the Afghan invasion (1722–1728) more than a century later, the Ottomans captured the northwestern regions of Iran, until [[Nadir Shah]] expelled them and reasserted Iranian suzerainty over the region and far beyond. The Russian (Tsarist) army occupied the region in 1909, and again in 1912–1914 and 1915–1918 period. The Ottomans occupied the region in 1914–1915 and 1918–1919 periods. The Soviet forces occupied the region in 1941, resulting in the establishment of a short-lived, Soviet-supported [[puppet state]] called the [[Republic of Mahabad]], from November 1945 to November 1946.
The districts of Maku, Khoy, Salmas, and Arasbaran, and the region of Urmia, according to 19th-century administrative division became a part of the northwestern Iranian province of Azerbaijan.<ref>Ehsan Yar-Shater, 1982, ''Encyclopaedia Iranica'': publisher: Routledge & Kegan Paul, University of California, Volume 2, Issues 5-8, p. 476</ref> In 1937 the province was renamed to ''Shomal-e gharb'' (Northwestern Province). Shortly after it the province of Azerbaijan was divided into a western and eastern part which were renamed to ''Chaharom'' (Fourth Province) and ''sevom'' (Third Province), respectively. In 1961 Fourth province was renamed ''West Azerbaijan'' by the Iranian authorities.
Some events in the 19th and 20th centuries are:
* Shaikh Ubeidullah Attacks, west and south of Lake [[Urmia]] in 1880;<ref>The Kurdish Question, by W. G. Elphinston, ''Journal of International Affairs'', Royal Institute of International Affairs, 1946, p.94</ref>
* Simko Insurrections, west of Lake [[Urmia]] from 1918 to 1922;<ref>The Kurdish Question, by W. G. Elphinston, ''Journal of International Affairs'', Royal Institute of International Affairs, 1946, p.97</ref>
* The [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] occupation in 1944;
* The foundation and destruction of the [[Azerbaijan People's Government]] in 1945–1946;
* The foundation and destruction of the [[Republic of Mahabad]] in 1946 in County of Mahabad;
* Periodic severe fighting from 1979 until the 1990s near to boundaries of Iraq-Iran between Kurdish militia belonging to Kurdish political parties and the Iranian government.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://countrystudies.us/iran/40.htm|title=Iran - Kurds|website=countrystudies.us|access-date=27 December 2023}}</ref> During the early 1980s parts of the province were outside central government's control.
=== Zoroaster claim ===
Some Muslim researchers<ref>Balādâorī and Ebn Kordādâbeh</ref> have proclaimed that the birth of the prophet [[Zoroaster]] was in this area, in the vicinity of [[Lake Urmia|Lake Orumieh]], Chichest or Ganzak; recent scholarship, however, indicates that sites in Central Asia are more likely.<ref>"As a matter of fact, only untrustworthy and late traditions place Zoroaster's birthplace at Urmia." Tarbiyat, Muḥammad Ali (1935) ''Dānishmandān-i Āzarbayjān'' Tehran, p. 162, reissued in 1999, {{ISBN|964-422-138-9}}</ref>
==
=== Language and ethnicity ===
There are no official statistics on the ethnic or linguistic makeup of Western Azerbaijan. Most of the population of the province consists of [[Azerbaijanis]] and [[Kurds]], with smaller populations of [[Armenians]], [[Assyrian people|Assyrians]], and [[Jews]]. On the question of linguistic majority of the province, linguist Anonby argued in 2019 that:<ref name="Anonby2019" >{{Cite web|last1=Anonby|first1=Erik|last2=Mohammadirad|first2=Masoud|last3=Jaffer|first3=Sheyholislami|date=2019|title=Current issues in Kurdish linguistics: Kordestan Province in the Atlas of the Languages of Iran: Research process, language distribution, and language classification|url=https://halshs.archives-ouvertes.fr/halshs-02864659/document|url-status=live|access-date=15 July 2021|website=HAL|page=10|archive-date=15 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210715123508/https://halshs.archives-ouvertes.fr/halshs-02864659/document}}</ref>
{{Blockquote|text=As is the case for most other parts of Iran, there are no reliable or detailed data on language distribution in West Azerbaijan Province. A number of districts in the province are majority Azerbaijani-speaking, including the capital city of Orumieh (Urmia). Because of this – and perhaps also because of the province's name – it is often assumed that Azerbaijani is the main language of the province as a whole. However, our own preliminary investigations of this topic, which are based on district-by-district calculations... suggest that Kurdish may in fact be the mother tongue of a slight majority of the province's population.}}
==== Distribution ====
The counties of [[Bukan County|Bukan]],<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|last=Hassanpour|first=Amir|date=1989|title=BŪKĀN|url=https://referenceworks.brillonline.com/entries/encyclopaedia-iranica-online/bukan-COM_7182?s.num=0&s.f.s2_parent=s.f.book.encyclopaedia-iranica-online&s.q=kurd|journal=[[Encyclopedia Iranica]]|doi=10.1163/2330-4804_EIRO_COM_7182|doi-access=free}}</ref> [[Mahabad County|Mahabad]],<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Eagleton|first1=W.|last2=Neumann|first2=R.|date=2012|title=Mahābād|journal=[[Encyclopedia of Islam]]|doi=10.1163/1573-3912_islam_SIM_4770}}</ref> [[Oshnavieh County|Oshnavieh]],<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Minorsky|title=Us̲h̲nū|journal=Encyclopedia of Islam, Second Edition|doi=10.1163/1573-3912_islam_SIM_7746}}</ref> [[Piranshahr County|Piranshahr]]<ref>{{Cite web|title=درباره شهرستان پیرانشهر|url=http://piran.az.pnu.ac.ir/portal/home/?493645/درباره-پیرانشهر|access-date=15 July 2021|website=Payame Noor University|language=fa}}</ref> and [[Sardasht County|Sardasht]]<ref>{{Cite book|last=Ateş|first=Sabri|title=Ottoman-Iranian Borderlands: Making a Boundary, 1843–1914|publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]]|year=2013|pages=176|doi=10.1017/CBO9781139522496.006}}</ref> are populated by Kurds, while [[Chaldoran County|Chaldoran]],<ref>{{Cite journal|title=چالدران|url=https://www.cgie.org.ir/fa/article/224655/چالدران|journal=CGIE|language=fa|quote=بیشتر مردم این شهرستان را آذربایجانیها تشکیل می‌دهند، اما شماری از روستاهای آن کردنشین است.}}</ref> [[Maku County|Maku]],<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Minorsky|title=Mākū|journal=Encyclopedia of Islam, Second Edition|doi=10.1163/1573-3912_islam_COM_0640}}</ref> [[Miandoab County|Miandoab]],<ref>{{Cite web|date=2018-08-21|title=تاریخچه شهرستان میاندوآب|url=https://miandoabma.ir/%d8%aa%d8%a7%d8%b1%db%8c%d8%ae%da%86%d9%87-%d8%b4%d9%87%d8%b1%d8%b3%d8%aa%d8%a7%d9%86-%d9%85%db%8c%d8%a7%d9%86%d8%af%d9%88%d8%a2%d8%a8/|access-date=2021-03-21|website=www.miandoabma.ir|language=fa-IR}}</ref> [[Naqadeh County|Naqadeh]],<ref>{{citation|last=Minorsky|title=Suldūz|journal=Encyclopedia of Islam, Second Edition|doi=10.1163/1573-3912_islam_SIM_7169}}</ref> [[Salmas County|Salmas]]<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal|last=Bosworth|title=Salmās|journal=[[Encyclopedia of Islam]]|doi=10.1163/1573-3912_islam_SIM_6560}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=R. I. Cole|first1=Juan|last2=Hassanpour|first2=Amir|date=1990|title=ČAHRĪQ|url=https://iranicaonline.org/articles/cahriq-a-dehestan-village-and-fortress-in-salmas-sahpur-in-the-pahlavi-period-sahrestan-in-azerbaijan-between-ko|journal=[[Encyclopedia Iranica]]}}</ref> and [[Takab County|Takab]]<ref>{{Cite journal|title=تخت سلیمان|url=https://www.cgie.org.ir/fa/article/225619/تخت-سلیمان|journal=CGIE|language=fa|quote=مردم این بخش به زبانهای تركی و كردی گفت‌وگو می‌كنند و از لحاظ مذهبی تركی زبانان پیرو مذهب شیعۀ دوازده امامی، و كردی زبانها، سنی شافعی مذهب‌اند}}</ref> have a mixed population of both Azerbaijanis and Kurds. Salmas moreover has a Christian minority.<ref name=":1" />
===Population===
{{Historical populations|1956|11=2016|type=Iran|title=West Azerbaijan Province Historical Population|state=|shading=|percentages=|align=right|12=3,265,219|10=3,080,576|721136|9=2011|8=2,831,779|7=2006|6=1971677|5=1986|4=1087182|1966|width=}}
At the time of the 2006 National Census, the province's population was 2,831,779 people in 655,260 households.<ref name="2006 West Azerbaijan Province">{{cite report|title=Census of the Islamic Republic of Iran, 1385 (2006): West Azerbaijan Province|language=fa|publisher=The Statistical Center of Iran|website=amar.org.ir|url=http://www.amar.org.ir/DesktopModules/FTPManager/upload/upload2360/newjkh/newjkh/04.xls|access-date=25 September 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110920094953/http://www.amar.org.ir/DesktopModules/FTPManager/upload/upload2360/newjkh/newjkh/04.xls|format=Excel|archive-date=20 September 2011}}</ref> The following census in 2011 counted 3,080,576 inhabitants in 822,152 households.<ref name="2011 West Azerbaijan Province">{{cite report|title=Census of the Islamic Republic of Iran, 1390 (2011): West Azerbaijan Province|language=fa|publisher=The Statistical Center of Iran|website=irandataportal.syr.edu|via=Iran Data Portal, Syracuse University|url=https://irandataportal.syr.edu/wp-content/uploads/West-Azerbaijan.xls|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230120205939/https://irandataportal.syr.edu/wp-content/uploads/West-Azerbaijan.xls|archive-date=20 January 2023|access-date=19 December 2022|format=Excel}}</ref> The 2016 census measured the population of the province as 3,265,219 in 935,956 households.<ref name="2016 West Azerbaijan Province">{{cite report|title=Census of the Islamic Republic of Iran, 1395 (2016): West Azerbaijan Province|language=fa|publisher=The Statistical Center of Iran|website=amar.org.ir|url=https://www.amar.org.ir/Portals/0/census/1395/results/abadi/CN95_HouseholdPopulationVillage_04.xlsx|access-date=19 December 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220830042935/https://www.amar.org.ir/Portals/0/census/1395/results/abadi/CN95_HouseholdPopulationVillage_04.xlsx|format=Excel|archive-date=30 August 2022}}</ref>
=== Administrative divisions ===
[[File:West Azerbaijan.svg|320px]]
The population history and structural changes of West Azerbaijan province's administrative divisions over three consecutive censuses are shown in the following table.
{| class="wikitable"
|+ West Azerbaijan Province
|-
! Counties !! 2006<ref name="2006 West Azerbaijan Province"/> !! 2011<ref name="2011 West Azerbaijan Province"/> !! 2016<ref name="2016 West Azerbaijan Province"/>
|-
| [[Baruq County|Baruq]]{{efn|name=fn1|Separated from [[Miandoab County]] after the 2016 census<ref name="Baruq and Chaharborj Counties Establishment">{{Cite news|title=Approval letter regarding national divisions in Miandoab County of West Azerbaijan province|url=https://dotic.ir/news/9835|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211004212536/https://dotic.ir/news/9835|archive-date=4 October 2021|date=31 July 2021|orig-date=Approved 27 April 1400|website=dotic.ir|via=Laws and Regulations Portal of Iran|last=Jahangiri|first=Ishaq|publisher=Ministry of the Interior, Council of Ministers|language=fa|access-date=3 March 2023|id=Proposal 210606}}</ref>}} || style="text-align: right;" | — || style="text-align: right;" | — || style="text-align: right;" | —
|-
| [[Bukan County|Bukan]] || style="text-align: right;" | 202,637 || style="text-align: right;" | 224,628 || style="text-align: right;" | 251,409
|-
| [[Chaharborj County|Chaharborj]]{{efn|name=fn1}} || style="text-align: right;" | — || style="text-align: right;" | — || style="text-align: right;" | —
|-
| [[Chaldoran County|Chaldoran]] || style="text-align: right;" | 44,572 || style="text-align: right;" | 46,398 || style="text-align: right;" | 45,060
|-
| [[Chaypareh County|Chaypareh]]{{efn|name=fn2|Separated from [[Khoy County]] after the 2006 census<ref name="Chaypareh, Poldasht, and Showt Counties Establishment">{{cite report|title=Approval letter regarding reforms of national divisions in West Azerbaijan province|language=fa|website=rc.majlis.ir|via=Islamic Parliament Research Center|url=https://rc.majlis.ir/fa/law/show/134945|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140413002459/https://rc.majlis.ir/fa/law/show/134945|publisher=Ministry of the Interior, Political-Defense Commission of the Government Board|last=Davodi|first=Parviz|archive-date=13 April 2014|orig-date=Approved 18 September 1386|date=24 January 1393|id=Proposal 138613/42/4/1; Notification 156165/T32690K|access-date=21 November 2023}}</ref>}} || style="text-align: right;" | — || style="text-align: right;" | 43,206 || style="text-align: right;" | 47,292
|-
| [[Khoy County|Khoy]] || style="text-align: right;" | 365,573 || style="text-align: right;" | 354,309 || style="text-align: right;" | 348,664
|-
| [[Mahabad County|Mahabad]] || style="text-align: right;" | 197,441 || style="text-align: right;" | 215,529 || style="text-align: right;" | 236,849
|-
| [[Maku County|Maku]] || style="text-align: right;" | 174,578 || style="text-align: right;" | 88,863 || style="text-align: right;" | 94,751
|-
| [[Miandoab County|Miandoab]] || style="text-align: right;" | 245,153 || style="text-align: right;" | 260,628 || style="text-align: right;" | 273,949
|-
| [[Mirabad County|Mirabad]]{{efn|Separated from [[Sardasht County]] after the 2016 census<ref name="Mirabad County Establishment">{{cite report|title=The city of Nalas was separated from Vazineh District and annexed to Sardasht County in West Azerbaijan province|language=fa|website=qavanin.ir|via=Laws and Regulations Portal of the Islamic Republic of Iran|url=https://qavanin.ir/Law/TreeText/301814|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230928185438/https://qavanin.ir/Law/TreeText/301814|publisher=Ministry of the Interior, Council of Ministers|last=Mokhbar|first=Mohammad|archive-date=28 September 2023|orig-date=Approved 24 December 1401|date=c. 2023|id=Proposal 101108|access-date=21 December 2023}}</ref>}} || style="text-align: right;" | — || style="text-align: right;" | — || style="text-align: right;" | —
|-
| [[Naqadeh County|Naqadeh]] || style="text-align: right;" | 117,831 || style="text-align: right;" | 121,602 || style="text-align: right;" | 127,671
|-
| [[Oshnavieh County|Oshnavieh]] || style="text-align: right;" | 63,798 || style="text-align: right;" | 70,030 || style="text-align: right;" | 73,886
|-
| [[Piranshahr County|Piranshahr]] || style="text-align: right;" | 107,677 || style="text-align: right;" | 123,639 || style="text-align: right;" | 138,864
|-
| [[Poldasht County|Poldasht]]{{efn|name=fn2}} || style="text-align: right;" | — || style="text-align: right;" | 42,071 || style="text-align: right;" | 42,170
|-
| [[Salmas County|Salmas]] || style="text-align: right;" | 180,708 || style="text-align: right;" | 192,591 || style="text-align: right;" | 196,546
|-
| [[Sardasht County|Sardasht]] || style="text-align: right;" | 104,146 || style="text-align: right;" | 111,590 || style="text-align: right;" | 118,849
|-
| [[Shahin Dezh County|Shahin Dezh]] || style="text-align: right;" | 89,356 || style="text-align: right;" | 91,113 || style="text-align: right;" | 92,456
|-
| [[Showt County|Showt]]{{efn|name=fn2}} || style="text-align: right;" | — || style="text-align: right;" | 52,519 || style="text-align: right;" | 55,682
|-
| [[Takab County|Takab]] || style="text-align: right;" | 81,395 || style="text-align: right;" | 78,122 || style="text-align: right;" | 80,556
|-
| [[Urmia County|Urmia]] || style="text-align: right;" | 856,914 || style="text-align: right;" | 963,738 || style="text-align: right;" | 1,040,565
|-
| '''Total''' || style="text-align: right;"| '''2,831,779''' || style="text-align: right;"| '''3,080,576''' || style="text-align: right;"| '''3,265,219'''
|}
=== Cities ===
{{See also|List of cities in West Azerbaijan province by population}}
According to the 2016 census, 2,136,203 people (over 65% of the population of West Azerbaijan province) live in the following cities:<ref name="2016 West Azerbaijan Province"/>
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! City !! Population
|-
| [[Avajiq]] || style="text-align: right;" | 1,663
|-
| [[Baruq]] || style="text-align: right;" | 4,225
|-
| [[Bazargan, Iran|Bazargan]] || style="text-align: right;" | 9,979
|-
| [[Bukan]] || style="text-align: right;" | 193,501
|-
| [[Chahar Borj]] || style="text-align: right;" | 9,406
|-
| [[Dizaj Diz]] || style="text-align: right;" | 8,282
|-
| [[Firuraq]] || style="text-align: right;" | 9,190
|-
| [[Gerd Kashaneh]] || style="text-align: right;" | 4,201
|-
| [[Ivughli]] || style="text-align: right;" | 3,320
|-
| [[Keshavarz, Iran|Keshavarz]] || style="text-align: right;" | 4,138
|-
| [[Khalifan, Mahabad|Khalifan]] || style="text-align: right;" | 749
|-
| [[Khoy]] || style="text-align: right;" | 198,845
|-
| [[Mahabad]] || style="text-align: right;" | 168,393
|-
| [[Mahmudabad, West Azerbaijan|Mahmudabad]] || style="text-align: right;" | 6,866
|-
| [[Maku, Iran|Maku]] || style="text-align: right;" | 46,581
|-
| [[Marganlar]] || style="text-align: right;" | 2,294
|-
| [[Miandoab]] || style="text-align: right;" | 134,425
|-
| [[Mirabad, West Azerbaijan|Mirabad]] || style="text-align: right;" | 6,000
|-
| [[Mohammadyar]] || style="text-align: right;" | 9,313
|-
| [[Nalus]] || style="text-align: right;" | 2,973
|-
| [[Naqadeh]] || style="text-align: right;" | 81,598
|-
| [[Nazok-e Olya]] || style="text-align: right;" | 2,667
|-
| [[Nushin]] || style="text-align: right;" | 8,380
|-
| [[Oshnavieh]] || style="text-align: right;" | 39,801
|-
| [[Piranshahr]] || style="text-align: right;" | 91,515
|-
| [[Poldasht]] || style="text-align: right;" | 11,472
|-
| [[Qarah Zia od Din]] || style="text-align: right;" | 26,767
|-
| [[Qatur]] || style="text-align: right;" | 5,147
|-
| [[Qushchi]] || style="text-align: right;" | 2,787
|-
| [[Rabat, Iran|Rabat]] || style="text-align: right;" | 15,750
|-
| [[Salmas]] || style="text-align: right;" | 92,811
|-
| [[Sardasht, West Azerbaijan|Sardasht]] || style="text-align: right;" | 46,412
|-
| [[Serow, Iran|Serow]] || style="text-align: right;" | 1,800
|-
| [[Shahin Dezh]] || style="text-align: right;" | 43,131
|-
| [[Showt]] || style="text-align: right;" | 25,381
|-
| [[Siah Cheshmeh]] || style="text-align: right;" | 17,804
|-
| [[Silvaneh]] || style="text-align: right;" | 1,614
|-
| [[Simmineh]] || style="text-align: right;" | 1,345
|-
| [[Takab]] || style="text-align: right;" | 49,677
|-
| [[Tazeh Shahr]] || style="text-align: right;" | 8,629
|-
| '''[[Urmia]]''' || style="text-align: right;" | '''736,224'''
|-
| [[Zurabad, West Azerbaijan|Zurabad]] || style="text-align: right;" | 1,147
|}
==Cities and larger towns==
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:right;"
|- bgcolor="#B3B7FF"
! align="left" | Rank
! align="left" | City
! align="left" | Population<br />(2016)<ref name="2016 West Azerbaijan Province"/>
|-
| 1 || align="left" | [[Urmia]] || 736,224
|-
| 2 || align="left" | [[Khoy]] || 198,845
|-
| 3 || align="left" | [[Bukan]] || 193,501
|-
| 4 || align="left" | [[Mahabad]] || 168,393
|-
| 5 || align="left" | [[Miandoab]] || 134,425
|-
| 6 || align="left" | [[Salmas]] || 92,811
|-
| 7 || align="left" | [[Piranshahr]] || 91,515
|-
| 8 || align="left" | [[Naqadeh]] || 81,598
|-
| 9 || align="left" | [[Takab]] || 49,677
|-
| 10 || align="left" | [[Maku, Iran|Maku]] || 46,581
|-
| 11 || align="left" | [[Sardasht, West Azerbaijan|Sardasht]] || 46,412
|-
| 12 || align="left" | [[Shahin Dezh]] || 43,131
|-
| 13 || align="left" | [[Oshnavieh]] || 39,801
|-
| 14 || align="left" | [[Qarah Zia od Din]] || 26,767
|-
| 15 || align="left" | [[Showt]] || 25,381
|}
== Geography ==
===Location===
With an area of 43,660 square kilometers, including [[Lake Urmia]], the province of West Azerbaijan is located on the northwest of Iran.
===Climate===
Cold northern winds affect the province during winter and cause heavy snow.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|title=Azerbaijan|encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica|date=29 June 2023 |url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/46770/Azerbaijan}}</ref> According to existing meteorological data, local temperatures vary within the province. Average temperature differs from 9.4 °C in [[Piranshahr]] to 11.6 °C in Mahabad, while it is 9.8 °C in [[Urmia]], 10.8 °C in Khoy, 9.4 °C in [[Piranshahr]], and in Mahabad 11.6 °C. According to the same data, the highest temperature in the province reaches 34 °C in July, and the lowest temperature is –16 °C in January. The maximum change of temperature in summer is 4 °C and in winter 15 °C.<ref>[http://a-gharbi.rmto.ir/English/Pages/Introduction.aspx Introduction] a-gharbi.rmto.ir {{dead link|date=December 2023}}</ref>
== Archaeology ==
Permanent settlements were established in the province as early as the 6th millennium BC as excavation at sites such as [[Teppe Hasanlu]] establish. In Hasanlu, a famous Golden Vase was found in 1958. The province is the ___location of [[Hajji Firuz Tepe|Tepe Hajji Firuz]], site of some of the world's earliest evidence of [[wine]] production.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.museum.upenn.edu/new/research/Exp_Rese_Disc/NearEast/wine.shtml|title=Penn Museum - University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081216011240/http://www.museum.upenn.edu/new/research/Exp_Rese_Disc/NearEast/wine.shtml |archive-date=2008-12-16}}</ref><ref>Voigt, Mary M. and Meadow, Richard H. (1983) ''Hajji Firuz Tepe, Iran: the neolithic settlement'' University Museum, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, {{ISBN|0-934718-49-0}}</ref><ref>Bert G. Fragner, 'Soviet Nationalism': An Ideological Legacy to the Independent Republics of Central Asia ' in Van Schendel, Willem(Editor) . Identity Politics in Central Asia and the Muslim World: Nationalism, Ethnicity and Labour in the Twentieth Century. London , GBR: I. B. Tauris & Company, Limited, 2001. Excerpt from pg 24: "Under Soviet auspices and in accordance with Soviet nationalism, historical Azerbaijan proper was reinterpreted as 'Southern Azerbaijan', with demands for liberation and, eventually, for 're'-unification with Northern (Soviet) Azerbaijan a breathtaking manipulation. No need to point to concrete Soviet political activities in this direction, as in 1945–46 etc. The really interesting point is that in the independent former Soviet republics, this typically Soviet ideological pattern has long outlasted the Soviet Union."</ref> ''Gooy Teppe'' is another significant site, where a metal plaque dating from 800 BC was found that depicts a scene from the ''[[Epic of Gilgamesh]]''.
Ruins such as these and the [[UNESCO]] world heritage site at the [[Sasanian]] compound of [[Takht-e Soleymān|Takht-i-Suleiman]] illustrate the strategic importance and tumultuous history of the province through the millennia. Overall, the province enjoys a wealth of historical attractions, with 169 sites registered by the [[Cultural Heritage Organization of Iran]].
== Higher education ==
[[Urmia University]] was first built by an American [[Presbyterian]] missionary in 1878. A [[medical faculty]] was also established there, headed by [[Joseph Cochran]] and a team of American medical associates. Cochran and his colleagues were buried in an old cemetery in the vicinity of [[Urmia]]. Urmia University website says this about them:
:"There they lie in peace away from their homeland, and the testimonial epitaphs on their tombs signify their endeavor and devotion to humanity."
The province today has the following major institutions of [[higher education]]:
# [[Urmia University]] [http://www.urmia.ac.ir دانشگاه ارومیه | Urmia University]
# [[Urmia University of Medical Sciences]]
# [[Urmia University of Technology]]
# [http://www.iaurmia.ac.ir// Islamic Azad University of Urmia] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241213120757/https://iaurmia.ac.ir/ |date=13 December 2024 }}
# [http://www.iausalmas.ac.ir// Islamic Azad University of Salmas]
# [http://www.khoyiau.ac.ir/ Islamic Azad University of Khoi]{{Dead link|date=July 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
# [http://www.piranshahr-iau.ac.ir/telg.php Islamic Azad University of Piranshahr]
# [http://www.iau-mahabad.ac.ir/ Islamic Azad University of Mahabad]
==See also==
{{commons category-inline|West Azerbaijan Province}}
{{clear}}
== Notes ==
{{notelist}}
==References==
{{reflist|colwidth=36em}}
==External links==
*[
*[https://archive.today/20061215015219/http://www.portal-ag.ir/ West Azerbaijan's Government Portal]
*[http://www.urmia-sport.com/ Urmia sport news agency] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110807102348/http://www.urmia-sport.com/ |date=7 August 2011 }}
*[http://www.wampo.ir/ West Azerbaijan Provincial Management Organization] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060105094623/http://www.wampo.ir/ |date=2006-01-05 }}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20050308103017/http://www.urmiamiras.org/ West Azerbaijan Cultural Heritage Organization]
*[https://www.iranian.com/Travelers/2005/May/Trip/index.html Recent photos from Azerbaijan]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20060521145428/http://www2.unesco.org/mab/br/brdir/directory/biores.asp?mode=gen&code=IRA+07 Lake Urmia UNESCO Biosphere Reserve]
{{Authority control}}
{{Geographic ___location
|Centre = West Azerbaijan province
|North = {{flag|Turkey}}<br />{{flag|Azerbaijan}}
|Northeast = {{flag|Azerbaijan}}
|East = [[East Azerbaijan province]]
|Southeast = [[Zanjan province]]
|South = [[Kurdistan province]]
|Southwest = {{flag|Iraq}}
|West = {{flag|Turkey}}
|Northwest = {{flag|Turkey}}
}}
{{Provinces of Iran}}
{{West Azerbaijan Province}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:West Azerbaijan Province}}
[[Category:West Azerbaijan province| ]]
[[Category:Provinces of Iran]]
[[Category:Iranian Kurdistan]]
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