Yazd Province
Yazd Province (Persian: استان یزد, Ostān-e Yazd ) is one of the 31 provinces of Iran. It is in the centre of the country, and its administrative center is the city of Yazd. In 2014 it was placed in Region 5.
The province has an area of 131,575 km², and according to the most recent divisions of the country, is divided into ten counties: Abarkuh County, Ardakan County, Bafq County, Behabad County, Khatam County, Mehriz County, Meybod County, Ashkezar County, Taft County, and Yazd County. According to the 1996 census, Yazd province had a population of about 750,769, of which 75.1% were urban residents while 24.9% resided in rural areas. At the 2011 census, its population (including Tabas County, which was transferred to South Khorasan Province) was 1,074,428, in 258,691 families; excluding Tabas County, its population (as of 2006) was 895,276, in 241,846 families.
The city of Yazd is the economic and administrative capital of the province and therefore the most heavily populated.
Yazd
Yazd (Persian: یزد [jæzd] 
pronunciation ) is the capital of Yazd Province, Iran, and one of the main cities of Zoroastrian culture. The city is located 270 km (170 mi) southeast of Esfahan. At the 2011 census, the population was 1,074,428 in 270٬575 families.
Because of generations of adaptations to its desert surroundings, Yazd has an unique Persian architecture. It is nicknamed the city of windcatchers (Persian: شهر بادگیرها Shahr-e Badgirha) because of its ancient windcatchers. It is also very well known for its Zoroastrian fire temples, ab anbars, qanats, yakhchals, Persian handicrafts, silk weaving, and its high quality confectionery.
Climate
Yazd is the driest major city in Iran, with an average annual rainfall of only 60 millimetres (2.4 in), and also the hottest north of the Persian Gulf coast, with summer temperatures very frequently above 40 °C (104 °F) in blazing sunshine with no humidity. Even at night the temperatures in summer are rather uncomfortable. In the winter, the days remain mild and sunny, but in the morning the thin air and low cloudiness cause very cold temperatures that can sometimes fall well below 0 °C (32 °F).
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