Aras Free Trade - Industrial Zone (AFZ) is situated in East Azarbaijan province, in the north-west of Iran

Iran

Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...

, adjacent to Autonomous Republic Nakhichivan, Armenia

Armenia

Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...

 and the Republic of Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...

. The Aras Free Zone measures 97 km². It is located 137 km from Tabriz

Tabriz

Tabriz is the fourth largest city and one of the historical capitals of Iran and the capital of East Azerbaijan Province. Situated at an altitude of 1,350 meters at the junction of the Quri River and Aji River, it was the second largest city in Iran until the late 1960s, one of its former...

, one of the major academic and industrial hubs of Iran, and 761 km from the capital city Tehran

Tehran

Tehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to...

. Jolfa

Jolfa

Jolfa is a city in and capital of Jolfa County, East Azerbaijan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 4,983, in 1,365 families....

, the center of the Zone, has a century old background in international commercial and customs activities.

Aras Free Trade Industrial Zone Organization (AFTZ)

This Organization was established by the decree of the Islamic Consultative Assembly on 24 August 2003 in order to accelerate the economic development of this region.

Existence of the greenhouse

Greenhouse

A greenhouse is a building in which plants are grown. These structures range in size from small sheds to very large buildings...

 town in the AFTZ, which has been built upon cooperation of Agricultural Jihad Ministry, has paved the ground for presence of investors in the arena of planting hydroponic products.

The 500-megawatt combined cycle power plant project which is currently underway in AFTZ as a joint investment venture with foreign parties.

Geography

Aras Free Zone (AFZ), with Jolfa at its center, is located in north-west Iran. It is located on bank of the Arax river. The Arax river forms the natural border of Iran with the Azerbaijan Republic, Armenia and Nakhjavan. The AFZ covers about 1,000 square kilometres and is located between two of most beautiful protected areas of Iran, namely Kiamaki and Arasbaran. It is about 137 kilometers from Tabriz, the industrial hub of north-west Iran and Iran's second city.

Climate

AFZ is located in semi dry and semi cold North-West part of Iran. Annual rain fall is about 225 t 400 milliliters per year and average temperature is about 15 degree Celsius. In Jolfa, about 50 days per year are considered as cold days. The AFZ is in very close approximately of high mountains which have cold climate.

Major facilities

Facilities include railways and roads, electricity network, irrigation and water distribution network, gas distribution network, communication network, branches of all major banks and insurances, border terminals, customs warehouses, airport (Tabriz), government offices and ministerial branches, hotel, motel and restaurants.

See also

• Foreign Direct Investment in Free Trade Zones and Special Economic Zones in Iran