The Caspian Sea, the biggest lake of the world, is of great importance to its neighboring countries, including Iran, Azerbaijan, Russia, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan.Therefore, planning for and the management of its natural resources are what these countries should carefully deal with. In this article, the author gives an account of some geographical features of the Caspian Sea and the rivers which support its water supply. Moreover, its major problems, ie its pollution and the uncontrolled exploitation of its resources by humans, and its water fluctuation that sometimes damages the surrounding lands are mentioned. Besides, the Qarah Boghaz Gulf, located on the eastern part of the sea, is described and the changes in its amount of water are studied. In conclusion, the author considers the causes of the sea’s transgression and the damages it has to the coastal areas of Iran.

In recent years the term “Shiite Crescent” was first applied by king Abdullah II king of Jordan through which he put forth the threat of Shiites’ empowerment. In their opinion, Islamic Republic of Iran is capable of controlling geopolitical developments in the middleeast via its influence on Iraqi Shiites and change the power balance to Shiites’ interests and against American and Israeli interests. This article is aimed at addressing these questions: 1-What denomination do they mean by Shiite? 2-What is the role of “Shiite Crescent” in geopolitical developments in the middle-east? 3-Is “Shiite Crescent” a geographical crescent or a political one? 4- Is “Shiite Crescent” aimed at Iran-o-phobia? 5-What are strategic concerns of US about the element of Shiite Islam in the middle-east? 6- Has “Shiite Crescent” been formed.

Background: We aimed to determine the geographical features and seroprevalence of Borrelia burgdorferi in Erzincan, Turkey, which has a high tick population due to its geographical position and climatic conditions. Methods: From January to December 2014, 368 people living in Erzincan, northeastern Turkey were enrolled. B. burgdorferi IgG antibodies were investigated in the collected serum samples using the ELISA method in 2015. Positive and borderline results were confirmed using the Western Blot (WB) method. Results: Borrelia burgdorferi IgG positivity was found to be 4. 1% by ELISA and 2. 17% by WB. Of the seropositive people according to WB, 25% resided in areas within 2000m of rivers, 50% in areas with a slope of 0– 5° , and 62. 5% in areas with an altitude of lower than 1500 meters. Conclusion: The seroprevalence of Lyme borreliosis was high in Erzincan, particularly among people engaged in animal husbandry in rural areas. In addition, the seroprevalence of Borrelia varied according to geographical features, increasing in areas with a lower slope and altitude.

Studying the human settlements and the range of natural resources consumption is a part of research done in the Geographical landscape field which is part of historical geography. In such studies, however, human’s attitude towards the landscape and the way it reflects in human-made artifacts has not received serious attention yet. Pottery ware, in this regard, is considered the oldest objects remained from ancient civilizations decorated with various motifs. Geographical and environmental elements are among the commonest motifs applied on such ware. Shahr-e Sukhteh in Sistan and Baluchistan Province is an ancient settlement in Iran plateau where many pottery works have been gained in excavations. The way ecological and geographical features reflected on the pottery ware obtained from Shahr-e Sukhteh is the main subject to be discussed in this research. Therefore, the main question would be this: What are the ecologically-and geographically-inspired motifs painted on the pottery from Shahr-e Sukhteh? And which phenomena and features have been particularly emphasized? A qualitative analysis of the motifs shows that although the artists had been occasionally dedicated to the realistic representation of environmental elements, such procedure in most cases has been performed symbolically. Therefore, painting the landscapes on the works had been done according to their symbolic significance. Quantitative study of the motifs on the burnt city pottery shows that the depiction of water and its related elements has the highest number and the man-made works have the lowest number.

Development can be considered as one of the main concern of Iranian society in contemporary history. The development, especially economic development, is subjected to the numerous and intertwined factors. In this study, the relationship between the geographical aspects of political power construct and economic development has come into focus. This research is based on quantitative approach and descriptive-analytical method. Data are collected using library and filed findings. The co-occurrence analysis is used to analyze the data. Sampling was performed by snowball sampling. The sample size is 30 people and the Minitab software is used to analyze the data. Although various dimensions and components in political power construct are complex in Iran, in this study, the components and indicators of the geographical dimensions in political power construct are considered and its indicators in relation to economic development is studied, measured, and analyzed. Five components of development indicators which are related to the geographical dimension of political power construct affect Iran’, s economic development. Five evaluation components of geo-economy, geopolitics political geography, the environment and human geography (culture and society) have high priority in relation to the geographical dimension of political power constrict and economic development.

The geographical features of Torsina are expressed under the topics of educational interpretation and with the methods used in this emerging field for the cultivation and training of the individual. Objectives: The purpose of the present survey is educational interpretation of the verses related to the mention of the name of Sina by examining the geographical features of this place. Method: It is a combination of educational interpretation in a thematic and interdisciplinary method, the most important element of which is the study of possible evidence and then the actual discovery of the educational message of the verse. Results: The Sinai Desert includes mountains, the most famous of which is called "Toor Sinai" and for this reason the whole island is attributed to this name. Geologically, the changes in the Sinai Peninsula have been so gradual that researchers believe that the Sinai Peninsula has changed little compared to when the Israelites were wandering in the desert. Studies have shown that the origin of olives in the ancient world was the Mediterranean basin and the importance of the Sinai Peninsula roots in its historically function as a transportation route from Asia to Africa and vice versa. Conclusion: The authors of the article conclude that the four following educational components are indicators of suitability of Sinai for training: sanctification and honoring the Prophet Moses (pbuh) as a mentor, mercy and compassion for the trainee and punishments when necessary.