'Military Report on Persia' [‎20v] (45/134)

22
January, which are the coldest months, the temperature
has been known to fall below zero F.
The low-lying portions of the provinces of Gbilan
and Mazanderan, between the Elburz Mountains and the
Caspian Sea, are notoriously unhealthy, owing to the
damp, tropical heat of the plains, and the mass of dense
vegetation which covers them.
In the deserts of Eastern Persia the heat of the sun
is intensified by the absence of shade and by the scarcity
of water, as well as by the presence of the all-pervading
salt and sand. For the climate of Sistan, see page 30.
Rainfall. In north-western Persia and along the shores of the
Caspian Sea the annual rainfall considerably exceeds
that in other parts of the country. The rainy season
lasts from October to the end of April.
The following
table, based on the observations of
recent years, gives
places:—
the mean annual rainfall at various
Station.
Rainfall in Inches.
Resht
- 56-45
TJrumiah
- 21-51
Astrabad
- 16-28
Bushire
- 13-36
Teheran -
- 10-71
Meshed
- 6-43
Jask
- 3-24
Isfahan
- 3-23
Diseases. Tbe diseases most prevalent in Persia are malaria,
cholera, typhus, typhoid fever, plague, dysentery, small
pox, measles, scarlet fever, ophthalmia, pneumonia, and
venereal. Malaria is the scourge of Arabistan and
of the shores of the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. and Caspian Sea,
but is almost unknown in the highlands of Western Persia.
Epidemics of cholera are frequent in Teheran, Meshed,
and other large towns.
Provinces. The larger provinces are called mamlikats, the
smaller vilayets.
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