Location Ardabil is located on the Baliqly Chay River, about from the Caspian Sea (Khazar), and from the city of
Tabriz. It has an average altitude of and total area of . Neighbouring on the
Caspian Sea. It has been of great political and economic significance throughout history, especially within the
Caucasus region. It is located on an open plain about above sea level, just east of Mount
Sabalan (4,811 m), where cold spells occur until late spring.
Climate Ardebil has a
cold semi-arid climate (
Köppen:
BSk), bordering a
humid continental climate (
Köppen:
Dsb,
Trewartha:
Dc), with warm, very dry summers and cold, snowy winters. Many tourists come to the region for its mild climate during the hot summer months. The winters are long and bitterly cold, with record low temperature of −33.8 °C. The annual rainfall is around . }}
Geology The hot springs and natural landscapes in the Ardabil area attract tourists. The mineral springs of Ardabil (Beele-Darreh, Sar'eyn, Sardabeh and Booshloo) are notable throughout Iran for their therapeutic qualities. Of the many lakes in the area, the largest include Ne'or,
Shorabil, ShoorGel, NouShahr and Aloocheh that are the habitats of some species of water birds. The Lake Ne'or is located in a mountainous area 48 km south-east of the city of Ardabil. It covers an area of 2.1 km2 and has an average depth of 3 metres. It is fed by springs in the lake bed.
Earthquakes Ardabil is associated with historical confusion between the
893 Dvin earthquake which was often wrongly documented as the
893 Ardabil earthquake due to the similarity of the Arabic name for city of
Dvin in
Armenia, 'Dabil' to Ardabil. On 28 February 1997, a
destructive earthquake hit the Ardabil area. At least 965 people were killed, 2,600 injured, 36,000 homeless, 12,000 houses damaged or destroyed and 160,000 livestock were killed. Severe damage was incurred on roads, electrical power lines, communications and water distribution systems around Ardabil. ==Economy==