The province is divided into two parts: a mountainous region and the plains at the foot of the mountains. The former offers a scope for recreational activities as well as being a source for minerals, whereas the latter encompasses some ancient cities of Iran as one of the capitals of the Parthian Empire was located there. In Semnan, people have local language with special words and slang. the base of this language which it derived from is Pahlavi language the ancient language form Parthian.
The province neighbors Golestan and Mazandaran to the north, Tehran and Qom to the west, Isfahan to the south and Razavi Khorasan to the east.
Abr forest
See also: Environmental issues in Iran
This forest lies in the central province of Semnan, near its border with Golestan Province. It is one of the oldest forests in Iran which is a remnant of the third geological age. The Iranian Roads Ministry's decision to build a road through the forest sparked widespread protests last year.[when?]
The environmentalists, backed by the country's media, began a wide campaign against the ministry's decision, which finally led the Prosecutor General to order a halt in the construction of the road. However, all these efforts came to naught when it was announced in April 2008 that the government granted permission to the Roads Ministry to construct the road
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