Province of southwest Iran, on the northern shores of the Gulf; area 66,560 sq km/25,700 sq mi; population (1996 est) 3,746,800. It has Iran's chief oil resources. Cities include the administrative centre of Ahvaz and the ports of Abadan and Khorramshahr. A large proportion of the population is Arab. The province is often referred to by Arabs as Arabistan.
The blue and white triband is based on the flag of the Central American Federation (CAF), a grouping of African states imposed by the British government in 1953. The stars represent the Federation's five original members. Effective date: 18 January 1949.