Dasht-e Kavir, the Great Salt Desert

In northeast IRAN lies Dasht-e Kavir, aptly named the Great Salt Desert because of its salt deposits and salt dome formations. According to the NASA Earth Observatory which provides a detailed satellite image of Dasht-e Kavir, an ancient ocean formerly inhabited the area where Dasht-e Kavir currently is. As it evaporated, the water's salts remained on land and created a desert land with an abundance of salt. At the western edge of this desert lies the Kavir National Park and Lake Namak. Communities surrounding Dasht-e Kavir include Ārādān, Jandaq, Jow Khvāh, Khvor, Robāţ-e Khān, Semnān, Ţabas, and Ţorūd.

Geographic Location
Most of Dasht-e Kavir is found in northern Eşfahān, extreme southwestern Khorāsān, southern Semnān, and northern Yadz provinces. There is a western extension extending westward into Tehrān province (where Iran's capital, Tehrān, is located), and a small, isolated section of the desert exists at the Eşfahān-Yadz border. Previously, Khorāsān possessed a larger section of the Dasht-e Kavir until Yadz gained more of Khorāsān's territory. Interestingly, Google Maps shows a strange border that is not attached to Khorāsān province, probably because Google Maps wants to make sure the new boundary is correct. However, National Geographic's MapMaker Interactive shows the new borders of Khorāsān and Yadz provinces. National Geographic is known for its accurate cartographic expertise stemming from its research on border alterations and disputes, so it is likely that the MapMaker Interactive boundary is correct. Finally, the desert is approximately 200 kilometers and 300 miles east-southeast of Iran's capital.