The above pictures all shot over the past few days depict scenes of contrasting colors and climates that simultaneously do exist in Iran.

The picture on the left shows farmers holding watermelons they have just harvested in the semitropical Hasht Bandi region, southern Hormozgan Province.                 

The upper right photo depicts children playing in a snow covered park in the north-central city of Hamedan, while the third demonstrates a herder driving a flock of sheep in a colorful countryside in the western province of Kordestan.

The relatively vast Iranian territory possesses characteristics of four geo-climatic zones. Its north is covered with evergreen forests with moderate climate, and its south towards the Persian Gulf is mainly associated with hot and humid climate.

To the east one can see a blend of different terrains dominated by hot deserts and arid areas with night times full of bright stars while trekking westward the country hands scenes of mountainous and high altitude areas.

AFM/MG