Bird Watching
Forests and woodland
Although of rather limited extent, Iran's forested regions possess a very
rich bird fauna, which is largely western Pale arctic in affinities. The
luxuriant forests of northern Azerbaijan and the south Caspian region have a
bird fauna scarcely different from that of central European woodland.
The Kerman highlands, and isolated mountains in northern Baluchistan, only a
handful of western Pale arctic species occur, Characteristic birds here include
a mixture of Middle Eastern specialties.
From north-west Khuzestan to eastern Iranian Baluchistan, provide suitable
habitats for a variety of Indo-Malayan/Afro tropical species.
The wetlands
Although much of Iran extremely dry, there are several extensive systems of
great important for a wide variety of waterfowl species. The south Caspian Sea,
its 700km of sandy shoreline, and the freshwater lakes, marshes and brackish
lagoons in central Gilan, the Gorgan Bay area, and the Turkmen steppes provide a
complex of breeding and wintering areas for waterfowl and the almost unknown for
its wintering waterfowl and the traditional commercial duck-harvesting which
this has supported. Regular censuses in recent years have estimated the
mid-winter population of ducks, geese, swan and coots at well over a million
birds, with perhaps as many birds again occurring on passage in spring and
autumn.
The other major wetland areas in Iran are hardly any less spectacular. The
wetlands of the Orumieh basing in Azerbaijan centered on the very large and
highly saline Lake Orumieh support large breeding colonies of waterfowl.
These wetlands are extremely important for passage shorebirds and in mild
winters can hold over 50.000 wintering ducks and geese.
The flood-plains of the Dez-Karun and Karkheh rivers in Khuzestan, the
complex for fresh, brackish and saline lakes at the inland delta of Hirmand
river in Sistan of the Afghan border, and the network of fresh and saline lakes
in central Fars, particularly Lake Bakhtegan, Lake Tashk, Lake Maharlu, Lake
Parishan and the dasht-e Arian marshes all provide habitat for many hundreds of
thousand of wintering waterfowl.
Coastal habitats of the Persian Gulf and Makran Coast. The tidal mudflats,
mangrove, sand beaches, rocky shores and sea-cliffs of Iran’s south coast
support a variety of breeding and wintering waterfowl and seabirds.
Offshore Islands
The many small and uninhabited islands in the Persian Gulf and Strait of
Hormoz provide ideal breeding grounds for large colonies of seabirds.
Botany Tour / Collecting and Observations
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1
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Akh Gol
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2
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Kiamaki
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3
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Arasbaran
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4
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Dasht-e-Moghan
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5
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Gori Gol
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6
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Lake Orumieh
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7
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Shur Gol
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8
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Gordeh Git
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9
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Ghara Gheshlaq Marshes
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10
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Lake Kobi
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11
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Nowuzlu
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12
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South Caspian Shore
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13
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Lavandavil Marshes
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14
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Abbas-abad Dam
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15
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Lisar
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16
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Anzali Mordab
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17
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Bandar Kiashar Lagoon
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18
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Amirkelayeh lake
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19
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Fereidoonkenar Marshes
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20
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Sayed Mohali
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21
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Dasht-e Naz
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22
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Apoo-Zargmarz
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23
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Miankaleh Peninsula, Gorgan Bay
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24
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Gomishan Marshes
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25
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Lake Algol,
Lake
Ulmagol
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26
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Inchen Borun Lake
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27
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Voshmigir Dam
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28
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Lake Bibishervan, Lake Eymar
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29
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Central Alborz Region
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30
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Upper Lar Valley
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31
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Lashgarak and Latian Dam
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32
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Kavir Region
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33
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Parvar Protected Area
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34
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Khosh-Yilagh
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35
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Golestan
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36
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Touran
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37
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Rud-I Jowin, Kalshur
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38
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Shirvan Area
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39
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Sarani
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40
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Tandoureh
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41
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Lotfatabad and Darrehgaz
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42
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Hari Rud
Valley
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43
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Tayebad Plains
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44
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Namakazar Basin
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45
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Sahlabad Area
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46
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Divandareh Owbatu
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47
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Lake Zaribar
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48
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Western
Zagrob
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49
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Dasht-I Gaz
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50
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Plains near Ghorev
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51
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Assadabad Pain
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52
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Hashelan Marsh
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53
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Telesm Plain
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54
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Ilam Area
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55
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Oshtroankuh
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56
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Mooteh
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57
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Dez Dam
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58
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Karkheh River
Marshes
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59
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Dez River
Marshes
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60
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Karun River
Marshes
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61
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Horeh Bamdej
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62
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Hamidieh Plains
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63
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Susangerd Marshes
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64
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Khor-al Omaya, Khur Musa
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65
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Izeh, Sheikho
Lakes
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66
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Choghakor Marsh
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67
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Gandoman Marsh
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68
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Gav khoni Lake
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69
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Kalmand
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70
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Kuhi-Dena
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71
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Dorudsan Dam
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72
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Kaftar Lake
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73
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Haft Barm
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74
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Dasht-e Arjan
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75
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Bamou
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76
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Lake Maharlu
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77
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Lake Bakhtegan
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78
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Harm Lake
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79
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Hormod
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80
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Bahram-e-Gour
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81
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Khabr-va-Rouchoon
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82
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Deh Bakhri Area
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83
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Mehrouyeh
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84
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Kuh-I Bazman
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85
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Hamoun-I Gabi
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86
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Kuh-I Taftan
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87
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Hamoun-I-Sabari
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88
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South
Hamoun-I
Puzak
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89
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Kharku Island
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90
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Hilleh River
Delta
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91
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Bushire Bay
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92
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Monde River
Delta
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|
93
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Nakhilu Islands
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94
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Sheedvar Island
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95
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Faror Island
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96
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Khouran Straits
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97
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Geno
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98
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Hormoz Island
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99
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Rud-I-Shur Delta
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100
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Rud-I-Gaz, Har Delta
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101
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Khor Jask
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102
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Rud-I-Jagin Delta
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103
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Pozam-Maytab Coast
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104
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Chahhahar Bay
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105
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Lower Sarbaz River
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