Chabahar County


Chabahar County is a county in Sistan and Baluchestan Province, Iran. The capital of the county is Chabahar. At the 2006 census, the county's population was 214,017, in 41,532 families; excluding those portions, the population in 2006 was 199,766, in 38,468 families. The county is subdivided into three districts: the Central District, Dashtiari District, and Polan District. The county has two cities: Chabahar and Negur.

Population

As of 2008, more than half of the population were living in rural areas; the urban population is 77,128, of which a majority reside in Chabahar city. The aboriginal residents in the city of Chabahar are the Baluchis. In recent years, many people have immigrated to Chabahar from other parts of Iran to find a better life. Immigration changed Chabahar's face dramatically. Today Chabahar has a mix of different ethnicities including Baluchs, Turks, Sistanis, and other peoples of Iran.

Economy

Traditionally, the people of Chabahar County were employed in fishing and agriculture, with some coastal trade. In the 1970s Iran established a naval station and an air base there. In the 1980s the port facilities at Chabahar were developed during the Iran–Iraq War, and further developed in the 1990s. The Chabahar Free Trade-Industrial Zone was established in 1992. These developments changed the county from primarily rural, to an urban–rural mix.
Chabahar County is the site of Iran's ballistic missile test range.

Tourism

Although some opportunities exist in Chabahar County for tourists, such as the village of Tis, folk festivals, and unusual landforms, tourism is undeveloped in Chabahar County.