Iran

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Persia redirects here. For other uses, see Persia (disambiguation).
This article is about the modern nation. For other uses, see Iran (disambiguation).
Islamic Republic of Iran
?????? ?????? ????? (Persian)
Jomhuri-ye Eslami-ye Iran
Flag of Iran
Flag
Emblem of Iran
Emblem
Motto
???????? ?????? ?????? ??????
Esteqlal, Azadi, Jomhuri-ye Eslami
Independence, freedom, the Islamic Republic
(de facto)[1]
Anthem ???? ??? ?????? ?????? ???????
(English National Anthem of the Islamic Republic of Iran)

MENU000
Location of Iran
Capital
and largest city Tehran
3541'N 5125'E
Official languages Persian
Recognised regional languages
[show]

Religion Official
Islam (Shia)
Other recognized religions
Christianity Judaism Zoroastrianism
Demonym Iranian
Government de jure
Islamic Republic
de facto
Theocratic-republican hybrid; unitary presidential republic subject to a Supreme
Leader[3]
Supreme Leader
Ali Khamenei
President
Hassan Rouhani
Vice President
Eshaq Jahangiri
Speaker of the Parliament
Ali Larijani
Chief Justice
Sadeq Larijani
Legislature Islamic Consultative Assembly
Upper house
Guardian Council
Unification
Median Empire
c. 678 BC
Achaemenid Empire
550 BC
Parthian Empire
247 BC
Sasanian Empire
224 AD[4]
Buyid Empire
934 AD
Safavid Empire
1501[5]
Islamic Republic
1 April 1979
Current constitution
24 October 1979
Constitution amended
28 July 1989
Area
Total
1,648,195 km2 (636,372 sq mi) (17th)
Water (%)
7.07
Population
2017 estimate
80,829,192[6] (18th)
Density
48km2 (124.3sq mi) (162nd)
GDP (PPP) 2017 estimate
Total
$1.551 trillion[7] (18th)
Per capita
$19,050[7]
GDP (nominal) 2017 estimate
Total
$438.3 billion[7] (27th)
Per capita
$5,383[7]
Gini (2013) 37.4[8]
medium
HDI (2014) Increase 0.766[9]
high 69th
Currency Rial (????) (IRR)
Time zone IRST (UTC+330)
Summer (DST)
IRDT (UTC+430)
Date format yyyymmdd (SH)
Drives on the right
Calling code +98
ISO 3166 code IR
Internet TLD
.ir
?????.
You may need rendering support to display the Persian text in this article
correctly.
Iran (Persian ??????? Iran [?i?'???n] (About this sound listen)), also known as
Persia[10] ('p??r??),[11] officially the Islamic Republic of Iran
(Persian ?????? ?????? ??????? Jomhuri-ye Eslami-ye Iran (About this sound
listen)),[12] is a sovereign state in Western Asia.[13][14] With over 79.92 million
inhabitants (as of August 2017), Iran is the world's 18th-most-populous country.
[15] Comprising a land area of 1,648,195 km2 (636,372 sq mi), it is the second-
largest country in the Middle East and the 17th-largest in the world. Iran is
bordered to the northwest by Armenia, the de facto independent Republic of Artsakh,
the Republic of Azerbaijan, and the Azerbaijani exclave of Nakhchivan; to the north
by the Caspian Sea; to the northeast by Turkmenistan; to the east by Afghanistan
and Pakistan; to the south by the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman; and to the
west by Turkey and Iraq. The country's central location in Eurasia and Western
Asia, and its proximity to the Strait of Hormuz, give it geostrategic importance.
[16] Tehran is the country's capital and largest city, as well as its leading
economic and cultural center.

Iran is home to one of the world's oldest civilizations,[17][18] beginning with the
formation of the Elamite kingdoms in the fourth millennium BC. It was first unified
by the Iranian Medes in the seventh century BC,[19] and reached its greatest extent
during the Achaemenid Empire founded by Cyrus the Great in the sixth century BC,
stretching from Eastern Europe to the Indus Valley, becoming a larger empire than
previously ever existed in the world.[20] The Iranian realm fell to Alexander the
Great in the fourth century BC, but reemerged shortly after as the Parthian Empire,
followed by the Sasanian Empire, which became a leading world power for the next
four centuries.[21][22]

Arab Muslims conquered the empire in the seventh century AD, ultimately leading to
the displacement of the indigenous faiths of Zoroastrianism and Manichaeism with
Islam. Iran made major contributions to the Islamic Golden Age that followed,
producing many influential figures in art and science. After two centuries, a
period of various native Muslim dynasties began, which were later conquered by the
Turks and the Mongols. The rise of the Safavids in the 15th century led to the
reestablishment of a unified Iranian state and national identity,[4] which followed
the country's conversion to Shia Islam, marking a turning point in Iranian and
Muslim history.[5][23] By the 18th century, under Nader Shah, Iran briefly
possessed what was arguably the most powerful empire at the time.[24] The 19th-
century conflicts with the Russian Empire led to significant territorial losses.
[25][26] Popular unrest culminated in the Constitutional Revolution of 1906, which
established a constitutional monarchy and the country's first legislature.
Following a coup instigated by the United Kingdom and the United States in 1953,
Iran gradually became closely aligned with the West, and grew increasingly
autocratic.[27] Growing dissent against foreign influence and political repression
led to the 1979 Revolution, which followed the establishment of an Islamic
republic,[28] a political system which includes elements of a parliamentary
democracy vetted and supervised by a theocracy governed by an autocratic Supreme
Leader.[29] During the 1980s, the country was engaged in a war with Iraq, which
lasted for almost nine years and resulted in a high number of casualties and
financial loss for both sides.

According to international observers, the current Iranian regime (led by Ali

Khamenei since 1989) is oppressive, with human rights abuses commonplace.[30] Since
the 2000s, Iran's controversial nuclear program has raised concerns, which is part
of the basis of the international sanctions against the country. The Joint
Comprehensive Plan of Action, an agreement reached between Iran and the P5+1, was
created on July 14, 2015, aimed to loosen the nuclear sanctions in exchange for
Iran's restriction in producing enriched uranium.

Iran is a founding member of the UN, ECO, NAM, OIC, and OPEC. It is a major
regional and middle power,[31][32] and its large reserves of fossil fuels which
include the world's largest natural gas supply and the fourth-largest proven oil
reserves[33][34] exert considerable influence in international energy security
and the world economy.

The country's rich cultural legacy is reflected in part by its 22 UNESCO World
Heritage Sites, the third-largest number in Asia and eleventh-largest in the world.
[35] Iran is a multicultural country comprising numerous ethnic and linguistic
groups, the largest being Persians (61%), Azeris (16%), Kurds (10%), and Lurs (6%).
[34]

Contents [hide]
1 Name
1.1 Pronunciation
2 History
2.1 Prehistory
2.2 Classical antiquity
2.3 Medieval period
2.4 Early modern period
2.5 From the 1800s to the 1940s
2.6 Contemporary era
3 Geography
3.1 Climate
3.2 Fauna
3.3 Regions, provinces and cities
4 Government and politics
4.1 Leader
4.2 Guardian Council
4.3 President
4.4 Legislature
4.5 Law
4.6 Foreign relations
4.7 Military
5 Economy
5.1 Tourism
5.2 Energy
6 Education, science and technology
7 Demographics
7.1 Languages
7.2 Ethnic groups
7.3 Religion
8 Culture
8.1 Art
8.2 Architecture
8.3 Weaving
8.4 Literature
8.5 Philosophy
8.6 Mythology
8.7 Music
8.8 Theater
8.9 Cinema and animation
8.10 Observances
8.10.1 Public Holidays
8.11 Cuisine
8.12 Sports
8.13 Media
9 See also
10 Notes
11 References
12 Bibliography
13 External links