Definition of the coastal zone for purposes of integrated coastal zone management

In integrated coastal zone management, the question of what coastal zone, is seems very important. In relation to this, definitions of coastal zone were presented using the experiments of world and especially the experiments that were done in Iran. In this way, first, the physical, human and management approaches were investigated and then, the definitions presented and related to coastal zones of Iran were analyzed. To prepare the related figures and maps, freehand software was used. The study and investigations show that in scale of the world, there is not one definition of the coastal zone and different criteria have been applied in definition of coastal zone. In a way that different boundary types of coastal zone have been presented. The existence of a great diversity of the definition of coastal zone is because of the use of criteria types, existence of conditions of physical, issues, approaches and activities. In Iran the criteria that have been offered to determine the boundary of coastal zone management in land, are two criteria of boundary first coastal district and fixed distances presented, are 5, 10, 20 and 50 kilometers.