Khorasan

Guarded Domains of Iran ممالک محروسه ایران (Persian) Mamâlek-e Mahruse-ye Irân
Flag Emblem
Capital and largest city	Isfahan
Official language and national language	Persian
Religion	Shi'a Islam (Twelver)
Demonym(s)	Iranians
Government	Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy
Establishment
• Achaemenid dynasty (first dynasty)	550 bc
• Safavid dynasty (current dynasty)	1501
Population
• 2021 estimate	200,266,748 (TBD)
• 2020 census	197,744,506 (TBD)
GDP (PPP)	2020 estimate
• Total	$6.575 trillion (TBD)
• Per capita	$33,250 (TBD)
GDP (nominal)	2020 estimate
• Total	$2.233 trillion (TBD)
• Per capita	$11,294 (TBD)
Gini (2020)	35.3 medium
HDI (2020)	0.813 very high
Currency	Iranian rial (﷼) (PER)
Time zone	UTC+3:30 (Iranian Standard Time)
Date format	yyyy/mm/dd (SH)
Driving side	right
Calling code	+98
ISO 3166 code	IR
Internet TLD	.ir ایران.

Iran (Persian: ایران), officially known as the Guarded Domains of Iran (Persian: ممالک محروسه ایران‎, translit. Mamâlek-e Mahruse-ye Irân), is a sovereign state in Western Asia. It is the nth-most populous country with a population of over 142 million people. By area, it is the nth-largest country, spanning tbd square kilometers (tbd square miles). Iran is bordered to the northwest by Georgia and Russia; to the north by the Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan; to the northeast by Tajikstan; to the east by China; to the southeast by India; to the south by the Gulf of Oman; to the southwest by Persian Gulf; and to the west by Iraq. The country's central location in Eurasia and its close proximity to the Strait of Hormuz, gives it vast geostrategic importance. Iran's capital, Mashhad is the largest city in Western Asia; other major urban centers include Isfahan, Kandahar, and Tabriz.

Iran was first unified in the sixth century BCE by Cyrus the Great, the founder of the Achaemenid Empire. Stretching from the Bosporus to the Indus, it became the largest state to ever exist in the world at that time. The empire eventually fell to Alexander the Great, but reemerged shortly after as the Parthian Empire, followed by the Sasanian Empire in the third century, which became a leading world power for the next four hundred years.

Exhausted by continuous war and civil strife, Iran was subjugated by the Rashidun Caliphate, leading to the gradual replacement of Zoroastrianism with Islam as the prevailing religion in the region. Persians contributed greatly to the Islamic Golden Age, producing many influential figures in art, science, and philosophy. Following the decline of the Abbasid Caliphate, Iran was ruled by various native dynasties, such as the Samanids and Buyids, prompting a revival in Persian culture and tradition. This period was ended by the conquests of the Seljuk Turks and the Mongols soon after, although the flourishing of Persian culture and tradition continued for centuries to come.

Etymology

The name Iran is derived from the writings of Greek historians, who referred to the entire country as Persis, though it originally denoted what is today defined as Fars. As the most significant power at the time was the Achaemenid Empire, the term persisted, even long after the conclusion of the Greco-Persian Wars. Persians refer to their own country as Irân (ایران), which derives directly from Middle Persian Ērān (𐭠𐭩𐭥𐭠𐭭), meaning "of the Iranians". This term is ultimately a derivative of Proto-Indo-Iranian *áryas, meaning "Aryan", the self-designation of the Indo-Iranians.

History

Modern

Shah Ismail I, founder of modern Iran. Portrait by Cristofano dell'Altissimo kept at the Uffizi.

Geography

Iran is bounded natural borders in almost every direction. To the west lays the Zagros Mountains, a long range which stretches from the coastline to the northwestern border with Turkey. The Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman comprises almost all of Iran's southern border. Iran's boundary with India is the Indus River and Pamir Mountains, while the country's northern border follows the Oxus River. Iran is one of the world's most mountainous countries, consisting of the aforementioned Zagros Mountains, the Caucasus, the Kopet Dag, the Alborz, and the Hindu Kush. The interior of the country is dominated by the Iranian Plateau, which extends for over 2,000 km (1,248 miles).

Wildlife

An Asiatic lion, the national animal of Iran, in Arzhan National Park, Fars.

Culture

Literature

The Court of Keyumars, the first king. Illustration from the Shahnameh of Shah Tahmasp.