The Middle Eastern nation of Iran has a recorded history that dates back more than 2,500 years, to the great Persian Empire. After centuries of living under various governments and ruling families, the country became the Islamic Republic of Iran in 1979. Since then Iran has sought to mix traditional religion with modern development. The capital is Tehran. GeographyIran lies within Southwest Asia and is part of the region known as the Middle East. Seven countries share borders with Iran. Iraq and Turkey lie to the west. Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Turkmenistan are to the north. To the east are Afghanistan and Pakistan. Iran has a northern coastline on the Caspian Sea and a southern coastline on the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. The land area of the country is 629,315 square miles (1,629,918 square kilometers). Iran also controls several islands in the Persian Gulf. - With a height of 18,606 feet (5,671 meters), Mount Damavand is the tallest peak in Iran.
Iran is high in elevation, except for narrow regions along the coasts. The Elburz Mountains extend across the north, and the Zagros Mountains run along the southwestern border. The highest point in Iran is Mount Damavand in the Elburz Mountains. It reaches 18,606 feet (5,671 meters) above sea level. Like many other mountains in Iran, Mount Damavand was formed from a volcano. Some of the country's volcanoes are still active. In addition, damaging earthquakes occur frequently in Iran. The mountain ranges surround a large central plateau of rocky highlands and deserts. The Kavir Desert and the Lut Desert dominate the eastern regions. Parts of the vast deserts are sandy, while other parts are covered with a crust of salt. The temperatures in Iran vary greatly, depending on location and season. They range from a summer high of about 130° F (54° C) near the Persian Gulf to a winter low of −35° F (−37° C) in the northwest. Most of the country is dry, except for the fertile region around the Caspian Sea Plants and animalsLess than one tenth of Iran is forested. The largest forests are in the rainy Caspian region. Oak, beech, elm, walnut, and ash trees grow in this region. The Zagros Mountains are covered with oaks and other trees. In the dry interior, the vegetation is shrubby and grassy. However, a few areas of the desert, called oases, are watered by underground springs. These oases support grape vines, oleander, date palms, and mulberry trees. Among Iran's wildlife are bears, wild boars, gazelles, wild asses, rabbits, and many kinds of rodents. Sheep and goats are common herded animals. Iran has seagulls, ducks, and geese as well as a number of rare and endangered birds. People and cultureIran is an ethnically diverse nation. Persians make up about half of the population. Azerbaijanis make up about one quarter of the population. They live primarily in the northwest, near the border with Azerbaijan. The mountainous regions are inhabited by groups of Kurds, Lurs, and other peoples. Small groups of Turkmen and Baluchis live in the east. Small groups of Arabs live in the southwest, near the Persian Gulf. The official language of Iran is Farsi (Persian). Languages of the Turkic family are spoken by more than one quarter of the population, including the Azerbaijani and the Turkmen. Each of the different ethnic groups has its own language, but most of the people also know Farsi. The vast majority of the Iranian people are Muslim. Islam has two major branches. About 90 percent of the people of Iran belong to the Shi?ah branch of Islam, which is the official state religion. (In most Muslim countries, Sunnah is the most important branch of Islam.) A small percentage of Iranians practice Zoroastrianism, the religion of ancient Persia. Nearly two thirds of the Iranian people live in cities or towns. Tehran, the capital and commercial center, is the largest city in Iran, followed by Mashhad, Esfahan, and Tabriz. Iran has a rich artistic heritage, passed down from ancient Persia and later Islamic cultures. The elaborate shrines at Mashhad attract more than 100,000 religious pilgrims each year. Nearby is the birthplace of the poet, mathematician, and astronomer Omar Khayyam. The country is known for its richly ornamented architecture. The 17th-century capital Esfahan has majestic bridges and blue-tiled mosques and palaces. Ruins from the ancient Persian Empire, preserved in Persepolis, are an impressive reminder of Iran's distant past. EconomyIran is one of the world's leading producers of petroleum. Natural gas is also present in large quantities. Petroleum accounts for the great majority of the country's export revenue. This makes Iran dependent on high oil prices for its prosperity. In addition, Iranian factories produce chemicals from oil and gas, called petrochemicals. The country's factories produce sugar and food products, cloth, cement, bricks, tiles, and chemicals. Traditional crafts also play an important role in the Iranian economy. Many people are employed in the making of carpets, which are an important export. Because temperature and rainfall vary widely between regions, many different crops are grown in Iran. However, these crops are not sufficient to provide the country with all its food. The chief crops include grains, sugar beets, cotton, and many kinds of fruits and nuts. Commercial fisheries operate in the Persian Gulf and the Caspian Sea. The eggs of the Caspian sturgeon provide the caviar that symbolizes wealth and luxury around the world. HistoryFor much of its history, Iran was known as Persia to the outside world. However, the people of the region have called their country Iran for thousands of years. Iran means “land of the Aryans.” The Aryans, or Iranians, arrived in the region from central Asia sometime after 2000 BC. The Persian EmpireThe two main groups of Aryans were the Medes and the Persians. The Medes flourished at first. However, the Persians took control in about 550 BC, led by Cyrus II the Great. He founded Iran's first great dynasty, or ruling family. The Achaemenid Dynasty ruled until 330 BC. The Persians conquered vast territories and established what was then the world's largest empire. The empire reached its height under Darius the Great in about 500 BC. The Persian Empire then stretched from North Africa to the Indus River in South Asia. Changes of ruleAlexander the Great conquered the Persian Empire by 330 BC. After a period of Macedonian and Greek rule, Iran came under Iranian control again with the Parthian Dynasty. The Parthian Dynasty (247 BC–AD 224) was followed by the Sassanid Dynasty (AD 225–640). The Sassanid kings revived old Persian culture, including the Zoroastrian religion. An invasion by Arab conquerors brought Islam to Iran in 640. Islam soon became the dominant religion. For 850 years Iran was ruled by non-Iranian Muslim princes. The Iranian Safavid Dynasty ruled Iran from 1502 to1736. The Safavids made the Shi?ah branch of Islam the official state religion. Besides ruling as kings, the Safavids were religious leaders. The Qajar DynastyIn 1779 the Qajar Dynasty took control of the country. The Qajars were tribes from the north who wanted to make the country more modern. They introduced political reforms and new technologies. However, during their reign Russia and Britain both sought to gain control over Iran and its rich resources. These two European powers began to play a role in Iran's economy by offering the country financial and military assistance. The first quarter of the 20th century in Iran was a time of turmoil and weak, corrupt leadership. Popular anger boiled over against the Iranian king, known as the shah, in 1905–6. The shah was forced to grant a constitution and to create a parliament. The discovery of large deposits of oil in Iran in 1908 made the country more attractive to foreign powers. The Pahlavi DynastyReza ShahIn 1921 Reza Khan, an Iranian army officer, seized control of the country. In 1925 he became the shah of Iran, taking the name Reza Shah Pahlavi. The new shah was a reformer who established Western-style schools and built the country's first railroad. He also gave Iranian women more rights. Fear of British and Soviet influence led Reza Shah to favor the German side when World War II broke out in 1939. British and Soviet troops invaded the country two years later and forced Reza Shah to step down. His son then became shah, as Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi. Mohammad Reza ShahMohammad Reza Shah embraced Western influences. The Allied troops left Iran after the war, but Western companies remained in the country. The shah was briefly ousted in the 1950s by people who wanted to end foreign control in Iran. Following his return to power with the help of the United States, Mohammed Reza Shah banned political opposition and strengthened the secret police. In the 1960s the shah introduced a series of major reforms called the White Revolution. Some of its many programs gave land to poor peasants and distributed profits to industrial workers. However, Islamic religious leaders objected to reforms that they felt threatened the country's traditional values, such as giving women the right to vote. One of these religious leaders, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, was thrown out of the country in 1964 for protesting against the shah. From outside Iran, Khomeini led a revolution against the shah. By the 1970s, many people in Iran began to oppose the shah's mixture of Westernization and harsh rule. In 1978 mass demonstrations broke out and were put down with much loss of life. The Islamic RepublicThe shah fled the country in 1979. Khomeini returned to Iran and quickly established an Islamic Republic. He declared himself both political and religious leader of Iran for life. Radical ruleThe new government killed hundreds of people for political and religious reasons. In November of 1979, supporters of the revolution seized the United States Embassy in Tehran and took 66 Americans as hostages, holding most of them for more than a year. Conservative Muslim codes were rigorously enforced, and Western influences were banned. War with IraqIn 1980 Iraq invaded Iran, beginning a long war. More than a million people died on each side before the countries declared a cease-fire in 1988. The petroleum industries of both countries were severely damaged during the war. Changes in leadershipFollowing the death of Khomeini in 1989, Islamic leaders chose Ali Khamenei to be the new spiritual leader of Iran. A conservative, Khamenei continued the government's strict policies. In 1997 the moderate Mohammad Khatami won Iran's presidency in a landslide victory. Khatami was a reformer who encouraged greater political openness. However, the president in Iran does not hold as much power as the religious leaders, who continued to control much of the government. Population (2001 estimate), 63,442,000. |