Golestan province is one of the 31 provinces of Iran, located in the northeast of the country and southeast of the Caspian Sea. Its capital is the city of Gorgan, formerly called Esterabad until 1937. Golestan was split off from Mazandaran Province in 1997.
Golestan Province borders Turkmenistan to the north. One of the key border points between the two countries is Incheh Borun, which serves as a vital crossing point.
Mazandaran province is one of the 31 provinces of Iran. Its capital is the city of Sari. Located along the southern coast of the Caspian Sea and in the adjacent Central Alborz mountain range and Hyrcanian forests, it is bordered clockwise by Russia (across the sea), Golestan, Semnan, Tehran, Alborz, Qazvin, and Gilan Provinces. Mazandaran covers an area of 23,842 km.
The province has diverse natural resources, notably large offshore reservoirs of oil and natural gas. The diverse natural habitats of the province include plains, prairies, forests and rainforest stretching from the sandy beaches of the Caspian Sea to the rugged and snowcapped Alborz sierra, including Mount Damavand, one of the highest peaks and volcanoes in Asia.
Northern Iran (Persian: شمال, romanized: Shomal, lit. 'North'), is a geographical term that refers to a relatively large and fertile area, consisting of the southern border of the Caspian Sea and the Alborz mountains.
It includes the provinces of Gilan, Mazandaran, and Golestan (ancient kingdom of Hyrcania, medieval region of Tabaristan). The major provinces, Gilan and Mazandaran, are covered with dense forests, snow-covered mountains and impressive sea shores.
Khorasani Turks (Persian: ترکهای خراسان; Khorasani Turkic: خوراسان تؤرکلری) are a Turkic ethnic group inhabiting part of North Khorasan, Razavi Khorasan and Golestan provinces of Iran, as well as in the neighboring regions of Turkmenistan up to beyond the Amu Darya River and speak Khorasani Turkic. Some can also speak Kurdish due to intermarriages with Khorasani Kurds, and they can also speak Persian as it is the lingua franca of Iran.
The Khorasani Turks are not to be confused with other Turkic groups which have arrived in Khorasan more recently, especially Iranian Azerbaijanis, who had a presence in the area, especially in Mashhad, from about the early 20th century.
Iranian Turkmens (Persian: ترکمنهای ایران; Turkmen: ایران تۆرکمنلری, romanized: Eýranly Türkmenler) are a branch of Turkmen people living mainly in northern and northeastern regions of Iran. Their region is called Turkmen Sahra and includes substantial parts of Golestan Province of Iran. The number of Turkmens in Iran is estimated at 0.5 to 2.4 million people.