|
Bushehr[bOOsher´] Pronunciation Key or Bushire[–shir´] Pronunciation Key, city (1991 pop. 132,824), SW Iran, on the Persian Gulf. It is one of the chief ports of Iran, handling about 75% of Iran's foreign trade, and is the terminus of a trade route from Shiraz, Esfahan, and Tehran. An oil center for the region, Bushehr has a thermoelectric power plant and a fishing industry. Carpets, agricultural products, cotton, and wool are exported. Bushehr was founded in 1736 by Nadir Shah. It was used by the British as a base for their Persian Gulf fleet in the 18th cent. and became a major commercial port in the 19th cent. It suffered heavy damage during the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia Copyright © 2009, Columbia
University Press.
Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
|
