Iran

Iran, (Persian: ايران), officially the Islamic Republic of Iran Persian: جمهوری اسلامی ايران), formerly known internationally as Persia, is a Southwest Asian country located in the geographical territories of the Middle East, Southern Asia, Central Asia and the Caucasus. Shi'a Islam is the state religion and Persian the official language. The 18th largest country in the world in terms of area at 1,648,195 km², Iran is about the size of United Kingdom, France, Spain and Germany combined. It has a population of over seventy million people. Iran borders Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Turkmenistan to the north; Afghanistan and Pakistan to the east; and Turkey and Iraq to the west. In addition, it borders the Persian Gulf, an important oil-producing area, Gulf of Oman, and the Caspian Sea.

Iran is one of the world's oldest continuous major civilizations, with historical and urban settlements dating back to 4000 BCE. Throughout history, Iran has been of geostrategic importance because of its central location in Eurasia. Iran is a founding member of the UN, NAM, OIC, OPEC, ECO, and seeks to join the SCO. The political system of Iran, based on the 1979 Constitution, comprises several intricately connected governing bodies. The highest state authority is the Supreme Leader, currently Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. As a a regional power, Iran occupies an important position in international energy security and world economy due to its large reserves of petroleum and natural gas.The country is known for its independent stances in the global arena.

The name Iran is a cognate of Aryan, and literally means "Land of the Aryans". "Land of Kindness" (سرزمين مهر) is used occasionally as an alternative name for Iran in Persian literature and Iranian media.

--wikipedia