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(U) Cultural Geography
Schwarz Kathryn(U) Effects of Geographic Location
This section describes how geography affects the migration pattern of the tribes.(U) The geographic isolation of the Lur and Bakhtiari allows them to keep political distance between themselves and the government in Tehran. The Zagros mountain range is rugged and arduous, made up of more than 29,000 square miles, 60 percent of which is mountainous. Due to the inaccessibility of the region, the Bakhtiari are usually beyond the direct or indirect control of the central government.
(U) The location of the Lur and Bakhtiari have also created opportunities for Westerners to visit and influence them. The British first arrived in southwestern Iran because of their interests in the Indian subcontinent. Because the Bakhtiari lived on the land along the road between European markets and Indian goods, the British gave more attention to the Bakhtiari tribes than they did to the Persians in Tehran.
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