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Iran (Persian: ايران) is a Middle Eastern country located in Southwest Asia bordering Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Turkmenistan to the north, Pakistan and Afghanistan to the east, Turkey and Iraq to the west. Although locally called Iran at least since a Sassanian period, until 1935 the country wwhen referred to in the West as Persia. Inside 1959, Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi announced that both terms can be utilized. Inside 1979 a revolution, which was eventually led per Ayatollah Khomeini, established a theocratic Islamic Republic, changing the united states's official title into a Islamic Republic of Iran (جمهوری اسلامی ايران). A title Iran occurs as cognate of the Aryan meaning "Land of the Aryans."

Terminology
By its humans, Iran or even Persia has been known as Aryanam since ancient days & Iran/Eranshahr since a Sassanian period. "Aryanam" is the ancient version of "Iran" & a old possessive plural form meaning (land) of the Aryans. A term Persia is the title utilized for this united states by European countries since the Persian Empire of the Achaemenids in the 6th century BC.

Watch as well: Iran naming dispute

History
Independent article: History of Iran

Iran traces its national origin to Persia, an empire that emerged in the 6th century BC under the Achaemenid dynasty. Cyrus the Great, the founder of the Persian Empire, known as himself "King of Iran". This brobdingnagian empire controlled areas from either present day Greece to what is today Pakistan. Indeed, a title Persia is from either Persis, a ancient Greek title for the empire. Alexander the Great conquered Persia, but shortly when Persia regained its independence in the form of the Parthian and Sassanid Empires. A latter was defeated per Islamic Arab forces in the 7th century.

A 16th century saw renewed independence with a Safavids and then other lines of kings or even shahs. In a period of the 19th century Persia came under pressure from either two Russia and the United Kingdom leading to a run of modernization that continued into a 20th century. Per 20th century Iranians were longing for a vary & so followed the Persian Constitutional Revolution of 1905/1911. Around 1953 Iran's prime minister Mohammed Mossadeq, who experienced been elected to parliament within 1923 and agaaround in 1944 and who experienced been prime minister since 1951, was removed from either power inside the complex plot orchestrated by British & America intelligence service ("Operation Ajax"). Numbers of scholars suspect that this ouster was motivated by British-Me opposition to Mossadeq's attempt to nationalize Iran's oil. Charted Mossadeq's fall, Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi (Iran's monarch) grew increasingly dictatorial. By using hard trend lines from either a USA and the UK, the Shah further modernised Iranian industry but crushed civil liberties. His autocratic rule, including systematic torture and other individual rights violations, led to the Iranian revolution and overthrow of his regime in 1979. When to the higher degree a year of political struggle between a kind of different groups, an Islamic republic was established under the Ayatollah Khomeini by popular vote.

A newly theocratic political system instituted a few conservative Islamic reforms & engaged within an anti-American course. Particularly Iran distanced itself from either a United States due to a American involvement in the 1953 coup, which supplanted an elective government by having the Shah of iran's repressing regime. It too declared its refusal to recognize a being of Israel as a state. the freshly government inspired various groups considered by a big a share of the Western World to be fundamentalist. Following occasionally countries, presently led per United states, assume Iran to become the hostile power.

Inside 1980 Iran was attacked by neighbouring Iraq and the destructive Iran-Iraq War continued until 1988. the struggle between reformer & conservativist all over a first of the united states continues now across electoral politics & was a central American focus in the 2005 Elections in which Conservative Mahmoud Ahmadinejad triumphed.

View likewise: Full list of Iranian Kingdoms

Politics

  • Politics of Iran
  • Iranian Foreign Affairs
  • U.S.-Iran relations

    Introduction

    Iran occurs as constitutional Islamic Republic, whose political body is placed call at the 1979 constitution called Qanun-e Asasi. Iran's makeup has many elaborately attached establishment, occasionally of which are then democratically elected & a bit of of which work by co-opting population according to their religious inclinations. A construct of velayat-e faqih (guardianship of the jurist) plays an influential role in the governmental structure. These are vital to understanding occasionally of a inspiration, basis, & institutions like a position of the Supreme Leader & the Council of Guardians. [http://countrystudies.us/iran/81.htm] [http://www.kadivar.com/Htm/English/Papers/Velayat-e%20Faghih.htm]

    The Supreme Leader (Rahbar)

    Based on data from [http://www.salamiran.org/IranInfo/State/Constitution/ Iran's Constitution], a Supreme Leader of Iran is responsible for the delineation & oversight of "the general policies of the Islamic Republic of Iran." In the absence of one leader, the council of religious leaders is appointed. A Supreme Leader is commander-within-chief of a armed forces & controls the Islamic Republic's intelligence & security operations; he alone potty declare war. He has a power to appoint & forget about a leaders of a judiciary, a state radio & television networks, & the supreme commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. He too appoints captain hicks of the 12 members of the Council of Guardians. He, or even a council of religious leaders, come elected per Assembly of Experts, on a basis of their qualifications & the high popular esteem where it is held.

    The President (''Ra'is-e Jomhoor)

    When a professional of Leadership, a President of Iran is the highest official in the united states. His is a responsibility for implementing a Constitution & acting when a head of a executive, except within matters directly caring by having (the professional of) the Leadership. Based on data from a law, completely presidential candidates must exist as approved per Council of Guardians prior to running, when which he is elected by universal vote to the Little joe-month term by an absolute majority of votes. Fallowing his election, a president appoints & supervises a Council of Ministers'' (the cabinet), coordinates government decisions, and selects government policies to be placed before the parliament. Eight vice presidents help under a president, likewise as a cabinet of Twenty-one ministers. A Council of Ministers must become confirmed by Parliament. Unlike numbers of more states, a executive office of a president inside Iran doesn't control the armed forces.

    The Parliament (Majles)
    A unicameral Iranian parliament, the Islamic Consultative Assembly or even "Majles-e Shura-ye Eslami", consists of 290 members elected to the Iv-season term. A members come elected by directly & secret ballot. It drafts legislation, ratifies international accord, & approves a united states's budget. Tons legislation from either a assembly must exist as reviewed per Council of Guardians. Candidates for the seat in the Majles call for approval per Council of Guardians.

    The Assembly of Experts

    A Assembly of Experts, which meets for one week yearly, consists of 86 "virtuous and learned" ecclesiastic elected per public to eight-season terms. Rather presidential & parliamentary elections, a Council of Guardians determines eligibility to run for the seat in that assembly.

    Members of a Assembly of Experts successively elect the Supreme Leader from within their have ranks & sporadically reconfirm him. A assembly has never been known to challenge any of the Supreme Leader's decisions.

    The Council of Guardians

    Twelve jurists comprise a Council of Guardians, six of whom come appointed per Supreme Leader. A head of a judiciary recommends the odd captain hicks, which are then officially appointed by Parliament.

    A Council of Guardians is vested by owning a authority to interpret a constitution & determines whenever a laws passed by Parliament come inside line sustaining sharia (Islamic law). Hence a council could exercise veto power on top Parliament. In case a law go past Parliament is deemed incompatible by having a constitution or even sharia law, these are referred back to Parliament for revision.

    the council as well examines presidential & parliamentary candidates to determine their fitness to run a seat.

    The Expediency Council

    Created by Ayatollah Khomeini around 1988, a Expediency Council has a authority to in-between disputes between Parliament & the Council of Guardians. Presently, based on data from a constitution, a Expediency Council serves as an consultative immune system to a Supreme Leader, making it one of the virtually all mighty organization in the united states, at least in name only.

    The Judiciary
    Independent article: Judicial system of Iran

    A head of a judiciary is appointed per Supreme Leader, world health organization successively appoints a head of the Supreme Court & the principal prosecuting officer.

    Public courts treat by having civil & criminal shells. "Revolutionary" courts try certain categories of offenses, including crimes against national security, narcotics smuggling, & acts that weaken a Islamic Republic. Decisions rendered within radical courts come final & can't become appealed.

    A Favorite Clerical Court handles crimes allegedly committed by divine, although it has likewise taken in lawsuits involving lay humans. A opinion of the Favorite Clerical Court, which functions independently of the regular judicial framework & is accountable simply to the Supreme Leader, come likewise final & just can not exist as appealed.

    Based on data from Amnesty International's 2004 report, at least 108 people were executed that season, virtually all of whom with been political prisoners. [http://web.amnesty.org/report2004/irn-summary-eng] Amnesty has besides described lawsuits where adolescent youngsters were sentenced to the demise penalty. [http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGMDE130382005] Though officially illegal, torture is typically carried call at Iranian prisons. Homophile come habitually flogged & threatened using execution. [http://outrage.org.uk/pressrelease.asp?ID=314]

    Geography
    Independent article: Geography of Iran

    Iran borders Azerbaijan (length of border: 500 kilometer) & Armenia (35 km) to a northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan (1000 kilometre) to the northeast, Pakistan (909 km) & Afghanistan (936 km) to the east, Turkey (500 kilometer) & Iraq (1458 km) to a west, & eventually the waters of the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman to the south. Iran's amount land mass is Single.648 million sq kilometre (Land: Unity.636 million sq kilometer, A water supply: 12,000 sq klick).

    Iran's landscape is dominated by rugged chain of mountains that separate various basins or even tableland from either of these a second. A thickly settled american a portion is a virtually all mountainous, by owning ranges like the Zagros and Alborz Mountains, the latter of which besides contains Iran's greatest point, a Damavand at 5,671 m. A eastern half consists mostly of uninhabited desert basins with a occasional salt lake.

    A sole big plains come discovered along a coast of the Caspian Sea and at the northern prevent of the Persian Gulf, where Iran borders on the mouth of the Arvand flow of any stream (Shatt al-Arab). Little, discontinuous plains come observed along a odd coast of a Persian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz and the Sea of Oman. A Iranian climate is mostly arid or semiarid, though subtropic along a Caspian coast. Iran is considered to become one of a 15 states that comprise a thus-supposed "Cradle of Humanity".

    Climate
    Iran's varied landscape produces many different climates. On a northern edge of a united states (the Caspian coastal plain) the temperatures nearly fall below freezing & remains humid for the rest of the season & summertime temperatures seldom exceed Xxix degrees Celsius. Annual precipitation is 68Millimeter (Twenty-six around) within the eastern section of the plain & supplementary than 1700 millimeter (75 in) in the american side of the plain. At higher elevations to the west, settlements in the Zagros mountains basins experience frigidness. These areas develop severe winters, sustaining typical every day temperatures following freezing & keep around heavily snowfall. A eastern & central basins come arid & acquire less than 200 millimetre ( Eight around) of rain & use at times occasional desert. A typical summertime temperatures exceed above 38 degrees Celsius. A coastal plains of the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman in southern Iran have modest winters & super humid & hot summers. Annual precipitation ranges from either 135 millimetre to 355 millimetre (6 to 14 inside).

    Understand likewise: List of cities in Iran.

    Economy
    Independent article: Economy of Iran The Rial is Iran's official currency. Iran's Central Bank, Tehran. A economy occurs as mixture of central planning, state ownership of oil and other big enterprises, village agriculture, & microscopic-shell personal day trading and service ventures. A todays administration has continued to watch a market reform plans of the last one and has indicated that it might pursue diversification of Iran's oil-reliant economy. Iran is attempting to diversify by investing revenues within more areas, including petrochemicals. Iran likewise is hoping to attract billions of dollars worth of foreign investment by creating the extra favorable investment climate (i personally.e., decreased restrictions & duties in imports, creation of absolutely free!-trade zones).

    Iran is OPEC's second big oil producer & holds 10% of the globe's proven oil reserves. It as well has the world's 2nd big natural flatulence reserves (when Russia). A hard oil market within 1996 helped ease financial pressures in Iran & leave Tehran's well-timed debt service payments. Iran's fiscal situation tightened around 1997 because of lower oil cost. A subsequent rise around oil numbers inside 1999/2000 afforded Iran fiscal breathing space. Iranian budget deficits stand been the chronic condition, within a share due to big-shell state subsidies -- totaling a few $7.25 billion each year -- including foodstuffs & especially petrol. around March 20, 2006, Iran plans to participate in the recently International Oil Bourse, trading oil priced when Petroeuros, rather than Petrodollars, as oil is trade wholly more markets (as of 2005). This attempt to rebalance long term trading relationships in the world economy may trigger a series of far reaching symptoms. Two or three observers, especially among peak oil production theorizer world health organization think that an oil crisis is at hand, argue that there is the possible for a resource war with a United states all over the flow of two dollars and oil. Others, including war machine leaders & peak oil theorizer world health organization imagine that the crisis is farther murder, argue that the final effect of war game scenarios cast doubt on the arguement that a war is the virtually all probably result of the Oil Bourse.

    A services sector has seen a greatest long-semipermanent incubation inside terms of its part of GDP, however a sector remains volatile. State investment has boosted agriculture, nevertheless, by having a relaxation of production & a improvement of packaging & marketing helping to evolve freshly exportation markets. Big-shell irrigation schemes, together by owning a wider production of export-depending agrarian things like dates, flowers & pistachios, produced a fastest economic incubation of any sector inside Iran on top very much of the Nineties, although sequent years of severe drought inside 1998, 1999, 2000, & 2001 keep around held back output incubation substantially. Agriculture remains one of a big employers, accounting for 22% of everthing jobs based on data from a 1991 nosecount. Based on data from a U.North. Globe Drug Report for 2005, Iran has a greatest proportion of opiate addicts in the globe -- Two.8 percent of the people above age Fifteen. Sole Two more countries -- Mauritius & Kyrgyzstan -- pass a 2 percent mark. Sustaining a people of astir 70 million & occasionally agency putting the total of regular users about Four million, Iran hwhen there is no rattling competition as globe leader within by the capita addiction to opiates, including diacetylmorphine.

    Demographics
    Independent article: Demographics of Iran

    A majority of Iran's people speak one of a Iranian languages, though only Persian is an official language . When a total, percentage, & definition of a different Iranian peoples is disputed, a major ethnic groups within Iran include the Persians (51%), Azeris (24%), Gilaki and Mazandarani (8%), Kurds (7%), Arabs (3%), Baluchi (2%), Lurs (2%), Turkmen people (2%), Qashqai, Armenians, Persian Jews, Assyrians and others.¹ View as well: Ethnic minorities in Iran.

    Virtually all Iranians come Muslims; 89% belong to the Shi'a branch of Islam, the official state religion, and about 10% belong to the Sunni branch, which predominates in most Muslim countries. Non-Muslim religious minorities include the Bahá'í Faith, Zoroastrians, as well as Jews, Christians, and Mandeans. A latter tierce come officially recognised minority religions & keep around reserved seats in the Majlis (Parliament). Iran's people size increased dramatically when you took a latter half of the 20th century.

    ¹ ''Please note that a totals come based on data from a 2004 edition of CIA's The World Factbook. Different claims include higher prices for even Persian-speaking groups & severally moo cost for Turkic-speaking groups or contrariwise. A bit of humans in a number one class action claim that the CIA savings comparisons come according to guesses manufactured in 1964, while a CIA claims that their statistics come according to references from either January 2004.

    Provinces
    Independent article: Provinces of Iran

    Iran consists of Xxx provinces (ostan-haa, singular form: ostan):

    Culture
    Farhang ("culture") has always been the focal point of Iranian civilization. Most Iranians consider themselves the proud inheritors and guardians of an ancient and sophisticated culture. Independent article: Culture of Iran''

    Such as wholly ancient civilizations, culture is a focal point & heart of Iranian civilization. the art, music, architecture, poetry, philosophy, traditions, & ideology of this united states keep close at hand processed it a day and night significant united states in the spherical community. As a matter of fact, numbers of Iranians guess their culture to exist as a one and merely understanding how come their civilization has day and night survived hundreds to thousands of years of overabundant tragedy.

    Iranian art Ey Iran Persian poetry Full list of Iranian Kingdoms List of famous Iranians Music of Iran Higher education in Iran List of universities in Iran Islam in Iran Iranian Architecture Persian rugs Education in Iran Persian Gardens Persian language Persian cuisine Cuisine of Iran Cinema of Iran Persian Women List of all things Persian Iranian languages List of Iranian scientists of the pre-modern age. List of Iranian scientists and engineers of the modern age. Major cities in Iran List of mountains in Iran

    Miscellaneous topics
    Foreign relations of Iran U.S.-Iran relations Iran-Contra Affair Iran-Iraq War Iran-Israel relations Communications in Iran Iranian Blogs Internet censorship in Iran Iranian Media Persian Transportation in Iran Minorities Ethnic minorities in Iran Religious Minorities Sports: Football in Iran History: White Revolution Parthia More topics: Iran's nuclear program Iran and weapons of mass destruction Military of Iran List of Iranian celebrities Family Planning in Iran Airlines of Iran Holidays in Iran

  • The Deh Luran Project
    Online exhibit and bibliography of the Research on the Deh Luran Plain, Southwestern Iran.

    Ancient Khuzistan
    Archeological images.

    History of Ancient Iran
    Online versions of texts about ancient Iran.

    Dahaneh-Gholaman is the gate to Iran's history of Sassanid and Islamic eras
    Located in Iran's Sistan-Baluchestan province, the city of Dahaneh-Gholaman two kms from Ghal'e-Nau village in the suburb of Zabol is one of the provincial touristic attractions.

    Restoration of Neishabour historical site
    Deputy Head of Khorassan province Cultural Heritage Department for research Rajab-Ali Labbaf-Khaniki declared here on Wednesday a recently-approved project on restoration of the historical site in the ancient city of Neishabour.

    3rd Season of Excavation Gets Underway
    From Payvand, third season of archaeological excavation gets underway in Takab, West Azarbaijan.

    Western Team Allowed in Iran for Expedition
    From Chicago Chronicle, for the first time since 1979, a University archaeological expedition has begun digging in southwest Iran, an area known as Khuzestan.

    Bullae from the Pahlavi Archive at the University of California, Berkeley
    Article by Guitty Azarpay. The Pahlavi Archive at Berkeley comprises 260 silk and leather manuscripts, 82 of which still have one or more clay bulla attached.

    Conference on Iran Shows Scientific Interest in Iranian World
    From Payvand, an international congress on "The Iron Age in the Iranian World" was held with "big success" in the historical Belgian city of Ghent this week, IRNA reported from Brussels.

    Jiroft Artifact Reveals Influence
    From Iranmania, Characters etched on artifacts discovered in the archeological zone around Jiroft have proved that the culture of the area greatly influenced Sumerian civilization.


    Arts: Literature: Myths and Folktales: Myths: Persian
    Recreation: Collecting: Coins: Ancient: Parthian
    Recreation: Collecting: Coins: Ancient: Sassanian
    Regional: Middle East: Iran: Society and Culture: History
    Science: Social Sciences: Linguistics: Languages: Natural: Indo-European: Indo-Iranian: Iranian
    Society: History: By Time Period: Ancient: Persia
    Society: History: By Topic: Social History: Religion: Ancient: Mithraism
    Society: Religion and Spirituality: Zoroastrianism




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