A period of relative stability has put the Iranian capital No1 on the list of world cities that have achieved biggest improvements in liveability over the past five years, as calculated by the Economist Intelligence Unit. The “most improved” top 10 contains some unexpected names. So, eg, the fourth place: Abidjan, Ivory Coast. Latest ranking: 128; Ranking five years ago: 131; Five-year index movement: 3.8%. Here: A supporter of Ivory Coast president Alassane Ouattara campaigns in a market in the city’s Koumassi quarter. (Photo by Sia Kambou/AFP Photo)

A military band prepares to play the national anthems before Cuban President Raul Castro welcomes U.S. President Barack Obama at the Palacio de la Revolucion in Havana March 21, 2016. Barack Obama on Sunday became the first US president in 88 years to visit Cuba, touching down in Havana for a landmark trip aimed at ending decades of Cold War animosity. (Photo by Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)

People take part in a lowrider car show celebrating lowriding culture and supporting immigration, in San Francisco, California, U.S., September 20, 2025. (Photo by Manuel Orbegozo/Reuters)

Unforgiving temperatures of up to 60℃ (140℉) beat down on these saltminers on a daily basis. The mines, situated in the Afar Triangle in Ethiopia, stretch across 38,000 sq miles and at their lowest point are more than 300ft below sea level. Joel Santos travelled to capture the area’s dry, brutal beauty. Here: Dromedaries and donkeys are used to transport the salt. (Photo by Joel Santos/Barcroft Images)

A camel yawns as a tourist checks images on her camera following a ride on a camel safari alongside the Pacific Ocean on Lighthouse Beach, north of Sydney, December 4, 2014. For 25 years camel rides on this beach have given visitors to Australia's holiday coast a rare experience available only in a handful of locations in the country. Australia's long history with the “ships of the desert” goes back to the 1800s when they were imported from Afghanistan and India for use as transportation across Australia's vast deserts before being released into the wild following their replacement by motorised transport. (Photo by Jason Reed/Reuters)

Shoppers walk past crocodiles for sale at a market in Bata on February 3, 2015. Markets in Equatorial Guinea sell a variety of animals including pangolins, monkeys and crocodiles as food. (Photo by Carl De Souza/AFP Photo)

A Participant attends the opening of the first Jordanian International Horseback Archery competition, also known as the Al Faris competition and organized by the Public Security, to mark the country's 65th Independence Day June 9, 2011 in Amman, Jordan. The Al Faris competition involves showcasing different archery styles and competitors from more than fifteen countries. (Photo by Salah Malkawi/ Getty Images)

A body surfer rides a high wave at the Wedge on September 1, 2011 in Newport Beach, California. Waves measuring up to 20 feet pounded the beach. A winter storm off the coast of Australia and New Zealand brought unusally hgh serve to the Southern California beaches. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)