Iran, also known as Persia is a supreme ruling country in Western Asia.
It has been officially called as the “Islamic Republic
of Iran” called in Persia as Jomhuri-ye Esl?mi-ye Ir?n.
It is the 18th most populous country in the world which is based
on the motto “Independence, Freedom, the Islamic Republic”.
It covers a total land area of 16,48,195 square kilometers
which is the second largest country in the Middle-East.
It is bordered by Armenia which is to the northwest and Azerbaijan.
It lies to the east by Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Iran has also importance in geophysics since it
is centrally located in Eurasia and Western Asia.
Tehran, which is the largest city and the leading cultural,
commercial, industrial and economic center, is Iran's capital.
Iran has a population of over 81 million people.
It is the only country which comprises of both
Caspian Sea and Indian Ocean coastline together.
The word Iran means “the land of aryans”.
Iran's first parliamentwas established by the Persian
Constitutional Revolution of 1906 within a constitutional monarchy.
The disagreement against the foreign influence and thepolitical repression
led to the establishment of the Islamic republic on 1st April, 1979.
Iran is said to be one of the world's oldest civilizations where its
name was equated with things such as luxury, fine wine, and the arts.
It was initially integrated by Iranian Medes in the seventh century B.C.
and reached its substantial heightby becoming
a stupendous empire in its later phase.
The mount of the Safavids led to the inception of a unified
Iranian state and national identity in the 15th century
which resulted in the overall conversion to Shia Islam,
marking a landmark in Iranian and Muslim history.
Iran is a founding member of the United Nations and
other countries such as ECO, OIC, NAM, and OPEC.
It has large fossil fuelreserves, like other Arab countries,
which comprises of the world's largest natural gas supply
and the fourth-biggest oil reserves that paves way in the
international energy security and the world economy as well.
The country's rich cultural and heritage bequest is showcased by its 22 UNESCO World
Heritage Sites being the third biggest in Asia and eleventh largest in the world.
Iran is a tri-cultural country that includesvarious
ethnic as well as linguistic groups such as
Persians being the largest one acquiring 61%, Azeris
undertaking 16%, Kurds as 10%, and Lurs as 6%.
Iran's Geography:
Iran lies between 24°- 40° N latitudes and 44°- 64° Elongitudes.
It comprises of the Iranian Plateau which is the world's most mountainous countries.
Iran's highest point is at 5,610 m
i.e. 18,406 feet that is again the highest mountain on the
Eurasian landmass which lies to the west of the Hindu Kush.
Iran's highest point is known as Mount
Damavand which is located in Amol, Mazenderan.
The eastern area of the country comprises mostly desert basins wherein
Kavir Desert becomes the country's biggest desert with the Lut Desert.
Iran's climate is diversified ranging from arid to sub-tropical throughout the year.
The wildlife of Iran comprises several animal species from
bears to panthers and also Asian camels, storks, etc.
Asiatic Cheetah is one of the famous animal in in
the country popularly called as “Iranian Cheetah”.
Economic Condition Of Iran:
Iran's economic condition can be seen as a mixture of central planning, state
ownership consisting of oil and trading and service ventures, etc. to a great extent.
The Central Bank of this country is whole sole responsible
for maintaining and development the Rial, Iran's currency.
Iran becomes the leading manufacturing industries in various regions such as
automobiles, transportation,IT industry, and petrochemicals, etc. in the Middle East.
Armed Forces Of Iran:
The Islamic Republic of Iran comprises of two forms
of military that are the daily forces of the
Army, the Air Force, and the Navy, and the Basij
called as Guard corpswith 545,000 active troops.
It also has around 900,000 trained troops.
Iran has the biggest and the most varied ballistic
missile arsenal in the Middle East as well.
Tourism In Iran:
Iran is ranked 68th in tourism revenues throughout the world as per 2003 survey.
Over 1 million tourists visit the Kish Island,
located in Iran, every year from all over the world.
Various tours are being organized every year from Germany, France, and other
European countries to visit Iran's archaeological sites and famous monuments.
Sccording to the latest report of UNESCO and Iran's Tourism Organization, this
country has been ranked 4th among the top 10 destinations in the Middle East.
Art And Culture:
Iranian artworks show a wide range in style from various regions, and periods.
The art and culture of Iran comprises of various disciplines such as architecture,
stonemasonry, metalworking, weaving, pottery, painting, and calligraphy, etc.
Literature:
Iran's literature is greatly influenced by its poetry which enumerates various
classical works by the famous poets such as Saadi Shirazi, Rumi among the famous ones.
Music As An Art:
Music of Iran undertakes both traditional and modern artforms.
Iranian oldest musical instruments includes chang, qanun, santur, etc.
as string instruments and it also covers
modern music as well in the form of pop music.
Cuisine Of Iranians:
With the wide variety in ethnicity and culture, Iran's cuisine is diverse.
Tea is widely consumed by the people of Iran and Chelow Kebab is one of the
most loved dishes of Iran and is counted among the country's national dish.
Sports Of Iran:
Many sports are played in Iran but the national
sports of Iran is freestyle wrestling.
It also includes skiing, rock climbing, and mountain climbing as well.
Thus, it can be said that Iran comprises of rich culture and heritage with the strong
background of supporting military and armed forces and diverse range of wildlife.
Today, Iran may be said to be the only country
where it has a vast constituency and legislation.
It may, hence, be called as the “land of the aryans”.