Iran

Iran, also known as Persia and officially as the Islamic Republic of Iran, is a country located in West Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmenistan to the north, by Afghanistan and Pakistan to the east, and by the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf to the south. It covers an area of 1.64 million square kilometres, making it the 17th-largest country. With an estimated population of 86.8 million, Iran is the 17th-most populous country in the world, and the second largest in the Middle East. Its largest city is the capital Tehran, followed by Mashhad, Isfahan, Karaj, Shiraz, and Tabriz.

Iran is home to one of the world's oldest civilizations, beginning with the formation of the Elamite kingdoms in the fourth millennium BC.