Iran (Persia)

Iran (Persia)
Conventional long name	Islamic Republic of Iran
Native name	ایران
Capital	Tehran
Largest city	Tehran
Official languages	Persian
Government	Unitary Islamic republic
Area km2	1648195
Population estimate	85000000
Currency	Iranian rial
Calling code	+98
Time zone	IRST

Iran (Persia) Iran (Persia) is a country in Western Asia with a continuous civilization spanning millennia centered on the Iranian Plateau, influencing and being influenced by neighboring Mesopotamia, Anatolia, Central Asia, Caucasus and Arabian Peninsula. The country has historic capitals such as Persepolis, Susa, Ctesiphon and modern political centers like Tehran and cultural metropoles like Isfahan and Shiraz. Iran's identity reflects legacies from dynasties including the Achaemenid Empire, Parthian Empire, Sassanian Empire, the Safavid dynasty, the Qajar dynasty and the Pahlavi dynasty and revolutionary change associated with the Iranian Revolution.

Etymology and Names

The name derives from the Iranian peoples and the proto-ethnic designation Aryan reflected in Old Persian inscriptions of the Achaemenid Empire and later usage in texts like the Avesta and works by Herodotus, Xenophon, Strabo and Pliny the Elder. European sources long used the exonym Persia from the region of Persis (modern Fars Province) encountered by Alexander the Great, Seleucus I Nicator and chronicled by Arrian, Diodorus Siculus and Plutarch. In 1935 the government of Reza Shah Pahlavi requested the international community use "Iran", a decision discussed in the context of diplomatic practice alongside treaties such as the Treaty of Turkmenchay and the Anglo-Russian Convention of 1907.

History

Iran's prehistoric record includes sites like Tepe Sialk and developments in the Neolithic Revolution intersecting with Elam and later the rise of the Achaemenid Empire under Cyrus the Great, whose conquests met the Battle of Thermopylae era in contacts with Greece and resultant sources by Herodotus. The collapse of the Achaemenid state led to the Hellenistic period and the Parthian Empire; the subsequent Sasanian Empire contended with Byzantine Empire conflicts including the Roman–Persian Wars. The Islamic conquest introduced Islam and Caliphates like the Umayyad Caliphate and Abbasid Caliphate, producing scholars such as Avicenna and Al-Farabi in cities like Ray and Nishapur. Medieval polities including the Safavid dynasty established Twelver Shi'ism as a state religion while cultural florescence paralleled the works of Ferdowsi, Hafez, Rumi and Omar Khayyam. The 19th and early 20th centuries saw the Qajar dynasty confronting imperial pressures from British Empire and Russian Empire culminating in constitutional movements like the Persian Constitutional Revolution and modernization under Reza Shah Pahlavi before the 1953 Iranian coup d'état. The Pahlavi dynasty's policies provoked the Iranian Revolution leading to the establishment of the Islamic Republic of Iran and events such as the Iran hostage crisis, the Iran–Iraq War, the Green Movement and contemporary domestic and regional dynamics involving actors like Qasem Soleimani and institutions such as the Supreme Leader of Iran.

Geography and Environment

Iran occupies the Iranian Plateau bounded by the Caspian Sea, Persian Gulf, Gulf of Oman and mountain systems including the Zagros Mountains and the Alborz. Major rivers and basins include the Karun River and the Dasht-e Kavir and Dasht-e Lut deserts; ecosystems host species noted in studies by IUCN and conservation efforts involving organizations like the United Nations Environment Programme. Iran's climate ranges from arid subtropical along the Persian Gulf coastlines to cold alpine in the Elburz ranges and bioregions overlapping with Turkestan and Caucasus biodiversity hotspots; natural resources include reserves cataloged by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and documented exploitation dating to companies such as the Anglo-Persian Oil Company.

Politics and Government

Iran's political structure includes the office of the Supreme Leader of Iran, the President of Iran, and the Islamic Consultative Assembly (Majles), with oversight bodies like the Guardian Council and the Assembly of Experts. The constitutional framework established after the Iranian Revolution created institutions interacting with political movements such as National Front (Iran), Tudeh Party of Iran, and modern parties endorsing platforms seen in elections contested by figures like Mohammad Mossadegh, Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Hassan Rouhani. Iran's legal system integrates jurisprudence from Ja'fari jurisprudence and revolutionary laws enacted following landmark events such as the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Economy

Iran's economy features significant sectors in hydrocarbon production managed by entities like the National Iranian Oil Company and the National Iranian Gas Company, with export relationships shaped by organizations including the OPEC and sanctions regimes imposed by bodies such as the United Nations Security Council and national actors like the United States Department of the Treasury. Industrial bases encompass petrochemicals, mining documented by the Central Bank of Iran, and manufacturing tied to conglomerates with historical links to concessions like the Anglo-Persian Oil Company; economic reform debates reference policies from White Revolution initiatives and plans overseen by the Plan and Budget Organization.

Society and Culture

Iranian society encompasses diverse ethnic groups including Persians, Azerbaijanis, Kurds, Lurs, Baloch, Arabs (Iran), and religious minorities like Christians in Iran, Jews in Iran, Zoroastrians and Baha'is. Literary and artistic traditions are represented by figures such as Ferdowsi, Saadi, Hafez, Rumi, Sadegh Hedayat and Forough Farrokhzad; musical forms like Persian classical music and visual arts spanning Persian miniature to contemporary cinema with auteurs like Abbas Kiarostami, Asghar Farhadi and festivals such as the Fajr International Film Festival. Educational institutions include University of Tehran, Sharif University of Technology and research centers collaborating with bodies like the World Health Organization and international academies before tensions tied to programs cited in Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action debates.

Foreign Relations and Military

Iran's foreign policy engages regional organizations and states including Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Arab League interactions, and bilateral ties with Russia, China, Iraq, and Turkey. Military forces structured as the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran include the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Iranian Navy and have been involved in conflicts and operations such as the Iran–Iraq War, incidents in the Persian Gulf and proxy activities associated with groups like Hezbollah and Houthis. Nuclear ambitions and diplomacy have centered on negotiations with the International Atomic Energy Agency, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, and international scrutiny resulting in sanctions and agreements with actors including the European Union and the United States.

Category:Iran