Karaj

Karaj is a big city in Iran, close to the city of Tehran.

Tall mountains rise to the north of it.

Karaj lies 36 kilometers west of Tehran, on the southern slopes of the Alborz Mountains, says Store norske leksikon, Norway's big encyclopedia. It calls Karaj the fourth largest city in Iran.

Iran's 2016 census counted 1,592,492 people in Karaj. It is the main city of Alborz Province.

Store norske leksikon ('Karaj', Babak Ghassim): a city in Iran 36 km west of Tehran, on the southern slopes of the Alborz (Elburs) Mountains; the fourth largest city in the country, with a population of nearly 2 million; often called 'Little Iran' because of its varied population, including Persian speakers, Azerbaijanis, Kurds, Gilaks and Lurs; the country's youngest population. City Population (Statistical Centre of Iran): Karaj 442,387 (1991), 940,968 (1996), 1,386,030 (2006), 1,614,626 (2011), 1,592,492 (census 24 September 2016), fourth in Iran; Alborz Province, capital Karaj, 2,712,400 (2016).

Look at all the pale buildings, packed close together!

Behind them rise big, brown mountains.

Civilaut took this photo on 8 September 2019. In his own words, it shows the Azimieh area of Karaj from the air, looking from south to north. Rows of pale buildings fill the view, green trees grow in front, and bare brown mountains rise behind under a hazy blue sky.

Karaj also has gardens. On Wikidata, the Jahanshahr Gardens, listed as national heritage, are about 0.9 kilometers west of the city's point, and Little Iran Park about 1 kilometer west.

Commons: File:Azimieh Aerial View.jpg, by Civilaut (own work, CC BY-SA 4.0), taken 8 September 2019 11:34, uploaded 18 September 2019; the current version is a crop of it (4,640 x 2,060 pixels from 4,640 x 3,480) uploaded on 21 June 2021 by another user (Matin abdavi); his Persian description: an aerial view of the Azimieh area of Karaj from south to north; the first page version had no categories (the current ones are Commons filings). Seen in the 1,280-pixel copy: dense pale buildings, a long avenue at the left, trees in front, bare mountains behind, a hazy sky. Wikidata from the city point (Q36529): Family Park (Q107214482) 0.26 km WNW; Jahanshahr Gardens (Q42701695), a national heritage site, 0.86 km W; Little Iran Park (Q107211069) 0.98 km W; Fateh Garden (Q66161135), a national heritage site, 1.36 km W.

Farmers around Karaj grow peaches, melons, strawberries and tulips.

The city also has many factories.

Store norske leksikon says Karaj has many factories, mostly in industrial parks, making chemicals, food, medicines, metal goods and machines. Thanks to fertile soil and good groundwater, there is also a lot of farming: wheat, barley, cotton, tomatoes, melons, peaches, tulips and strawberries, as well as farm animals and poultry.

Karaj is often called 'Little Iran' because people from many parts of the country live there, and it has several universities, many of them for farming and natural resources.

Store norske leksikon: many production and industrial units, mainly in several industrial parks; main industries chemical, food, pharmaceutical, metal and machinery; extensive farming thanks to fertile soil and good groundwater, with wheat, barley, cotton, tomatoes, melons, peaches, tulips and strawberries; livestock and poultry very prominent; several universities and colleges, especially in agriculture and natural resources; called 'Little Iran' for its varied population (Persian speakers, Azerbaijanis, Kurds, Gilaks and Lurs); the country's youngest population. Wikidata: Alborz University of Medical Sciences (Q5940463) 1.76 km NE.