Iran

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"Persia" redirects here. For other uses, see Iran (disambiguation) and Persia (disambiguation).

Coordinates: 32°N 53°E

Islamic Republic of Iran

‫( جمهوری اسالمی ایران‬Persian)

Jomhuri-ye Eslāmi-ye Irān

Flag

Emblem

Motto:
‫ جمهوری اسالمی‬،‫ آزادی‬،‫استقالل‬
Esteqlāl, Āzādi, Jomhuri-ye Eslāmi

("Independence, freedom, the Islamic Republic")

(de facto)[1]

Anthem:
‫سرود ملی جمهوری اسالمی ایران‬
Sorud-e Melli-ye Jomhuri-ye Eslāmi-ye Irān
("National Anthem of the Islamic Republic of Iran")

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 Capital Tehran
and largest city 35°41′N 51°25′E

Official languages Persian

Recognised
List of languages[show]
regional languages

Ethnic groups
List of ethnicities[show]

Religion State religion:

Islam (Twelver Shia)
Constitutionally recognized minorities:
Islam (Hanafi, Shafi'i, Maliki, Hanbali, Zaydi),
Christianity (Armenian, Assyrian, Chaldean),
Judaism,
Zoroastrianism

Demonym(s) Iranian,
Persian (historically)

Government de jure:
Unitary Khomeinist presidential Islamic
republic
de facto:
Unitary theocratic-
republican authoritarian[3][4][5] presidential
system subject to a Supreme Leader[6]

• Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei

• President Hassan Rouhani
• First Vice President Eshaq Jahangiri
• Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani
• Chief Justice Ebrahim Raisi
• Upper house Expediency Discernment Council[7]
Guardian Council
Assembly of Experts
• Lower house Islamic Consultative Assembly

Establishment history

• Median Empire c. 678 BC

• Achaemenid Empire 550 BC
• Parthian Empire 247 BC
• Sasanian Empire 224 AD[8]
• Buyid dynasty 934 AD
• Safavid dynasty 1501[9]
• Pahlavi dynasty 15 December 1925
• Islamic Revolution 7 January 1978 – 11 February 1979
• Current constitution 24 October 1979
• Latest amendment 28 July 1989

Area
• Total 1,648,195 km2 (636,372 sq mi) (17th)
• Water (%) 7.07

Population
• 2018 estimate 82,531,700[10] (18th)
• Density 48/km2 (124.3/sq mi) (162nd)

GDP (PPP) 2019 estimate

• Total $1.540 trillion[11] (18th)
• Per capita $18,504[11]

GDP (nominal) 2019 estimate

• Total $484 billion[11] (27th)
• Per capita $5,820[11]

Gini (2016) 40.0[12]

medium

HDI (2017) 0.798[13]

high · 60th
 Currency Rial (‫( )لایر‬IRR)

Time zone UTC+3:30 (IRST)

• Summer (DST) UTC+4:30 (IRDT)

Date format yyyy/mm/dd (SH)

Driving side right

Calling code +98

ISO 3166 code IR

Internet TLD  .ir

 ‫ایران‬.

You may need rendering

support to display the Persian
text in this article correctly.

Iran (Persian: ‫ ایران‬Irān [ʔiːˈɾɒːn] ( listen)), also called Persia,[14] and officially the Islamic Republic of
Iran (Persian: ‫ جمهوری اسالمی ایران‬Jomhuri-ye Eslāmi-ye Irān ( listen) [dʒomhuːˌɾije eslɒːˌmije ʔiːˈɾɒn]),
is a country in Western Asia.[15][16] With 82 million inhabitants,[10] Iran is the world's 18th most populous
country.[17] Its territory spans 1,648,195 km2 (636,372 sq mi), making it the second largest country in
the Middle East and the 17th largest in the world. Iran is bordered to the northwest by Armenia and
the Republic of Azerbaijan,[a] 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. Its central location in Eurasia and Western Asia, and its proximity to
the Strait of Hormuz, give it geostrategic importance.[18] Tehran is the political and economic center of
Iran, and the largest and most populous city in Western Asia with more than 8.8 million residents in
the city and 15 million in the larger metropolitan area.[19]
Iran is home to one of the world's oldest civilizations,[20][21] beginning with the formation of
the Elamite kingdoms in the fourth millennium BCE. It was first unified by the Iranian Medes in the
seventh century BCE,[22] and reached its territorial height in the sixth century BCE under Cyrus the
Great, whose Achaemenid Empire stretched from Eastern Europe to the Indus Valley, one of the
largest empires in history.[23] The empire fell to Alexander the Great in the fourth century BCE and
was divided into several Hellenistic states. An Iranian rebellion established the Parthian Empire in
the third century BCE, which was succeeded in the third century CE by the Sasanian Empire, a
leading world power for the next four centuries.[24][25]
Arab Muslims conquered the empire in the seventh century CE, and the subsequent Islamization of
Iran led to the decline of the once dominant Zoroastrian religion. Iran's major contributions to art,
philosophy, and science spread throughout the Muslim world and beyond during the Islamic Golden
Age. Over the next two centuries, a series of native Muslim dynasties emerged before the Seljuq
Turks and the Ilkhanate Mongols conquered the region. The rise of the native Safavids in the 15th
century led to the reestablishment of a unified Iranian state and national identity,[8] with the country's
conversion to Shia Islam marking a turning point in Iranian and Muslim history.[9][26]
Under Nader Shah, Iran was one of the most powerful states in the 18th century,[27] though by the
19th century, a series of conflicts with the Russian Empire led to significant territorial
losses.[28][29] The Persian Constitutional Revolution in the early 20th century created a constitutional
 monarchy and the country's first legislature. A 1953 coup instigated by the United Kingdom and
the United States resulted in greater autocratic rule under Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and growing
Western political influence.[30] A far-reaching series of reforms known as the White Revolution was
launched by the Shah in 1963, prompting industrial growth, land reforms, and increased women's
rights.[31] Nevertheless, widespread dissatisfaction and unrest against the monarchy persisted,
leading to the Iranian Revolution, which established the current Islamic Republic.[32] For most of the
1980s, Iran fought a war with Iraq that resulted in severe casualties and economic devastation for
both sides.
Iran's political system has elements of a presidential democracy with a theocracy governed by an
autocratic "Supreme Leader".[33] It has been described as authoritarian, with significant constraints
and abuses against human rights.[34][35][36][37]
Iran is a founding member of the UN, ECO, NAM, OIC, and OPEC. It is a major regional and middle
power,[38][39] and its large reserves of fossil fuels—including the world's largest natural gas supply and
the fourth largest proven oil reserves—exert considerable influence in international energy
security and the world economy.[40][41] The country's rich cultural legacy is reflected in part by its
22 UNESCO World Heritage sites, the third largest number in Asia and 11th largest in the
world.[42] Historically a multi-ethnic country, Iran remains a pluralistic society comprising numerous
ethnic, linguistic, and religious groups, the largest
being Persians, Azeris, Kurds, Mazandaranis and Lurs.[43][2]

Contents

 1Name
o 1.1Pronunciation
 2History
o 2.1Prehistory
o 2.2Classical antiquity
o 2.3Medieval period
o 2.4Early modern period
 2.4.1Safavids
 2.4.2Afsharids
 2.4.3Zands
 2.4.4Qajars
 2.4.5Pahlavi dynasty
o 2.5Contemporary era
 3Geography
o 3.1Climate
o 3.2Fauna
o 3.3Administrative divisions
 4Government and politics
o 4.1Supreme Leader
o 4.2Guardian Council
o 4.3President
o 4.4Legislature
o 4.5Law
o 4.6Foreign relations
o 4.7Military
 4.7.1Mandatory military service
 5Economy
 o 5.1Tourism
o 5.2Energy
 6Education, science and technology
 7Demographics
o 7.1Languages
o 7.2Ethnic groups
o 7.3Religion
 8Culture
o 8.1Art
o 8.2Architecture
o 8.3Weaving
o 8.4Literature
o 8.5Philosophy
o 8.6Mythology
o 8.7Music
o 8.8Theater
o 8.9Cinema and animation
o 8.10Observances
 8.10.1Public holidays
o 8.11Cuisine
o 8.12Sports
o 8.13Media
 9See also
 10Notes
 11References
 12Bibliography
 13External links