1 Politics

Main article: Politics of Iran

Since the revolution of 1979 the Supreme Leader is the rahbar, or in absence of a single leader a council of religious leaders. They are elected from the clerical establishment on the basis of their qualifications and the high popular esteem in which they are held. The supreme leader appoints the six religious members of the 12-member Council of Guardians, as well as the highest judicial authorities and is commander-in-chief of the armed forces.

The head of state is the president, elected by universal suffrage to a 4-year term by an absolute majority of votes and supervises the affairs of the executive branch. All presidential candidates must be approved by the Council prior to running. After his election, the president appoints and supervises the Council of Ministers (the cabinet), coordinates government decisions, and selects government policies to be placed before the parliament. The Council of Guardians certifies the competence of candidates for the presidency and the parliament.

The unicameral Iranian parliament, the Islamic Consultative Assembly or Majles-e-Shura-ye-Eslami, consists of 290 members elected to a 4-year term. The members are elected by direct and secret ballot. All legislation from the assembly must be reviewed by the Council of Guardians. The Council's six lay-members, all lawyers appointed by parliament, vote only on limited questions of the constitutionality of legislation; the six religious members consider all bills for conformity to Islamic principles.

2 Geography

Main article: Geography of Iran

Iran's landscape is dominated by rugged mountain ranges that separate various basins or plateaus from one another. The populous western part is the most mountainous, with ranges such as the Zagros and Alborz Mountains, the latter of which also contains Iran's highest point, the Damavand at 5,607 m. The eastern half consists mostly of uninhabited desert basins with the occasional salt lake.

The only large plains are found along the coast of the Caspian Sea and at the northern end of the Persian Gulf, where Iran borders on the mouth of the Arvand river ( Shatt al-Arab). Smaller, discontinuous plains are found along the remaining coast of the Persian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz and the Sea of Oman. The Iranian climate is mostly arid or semiarid, though subtropical along the Caspian coast. Iran is considered to be one of the fifteen states that comprise the so-called " Cradle of Humanity"

3 Economy

Main article: Economy of Iran

The economy is a mixture of central planning, state ownership of oil and other large enterprises, village agriculture, and small-scale private trading and service ventures. The current administration has continued to follow the market reform plans of the previous one and has indicated that it will pursue diversification of Iran's oil-reliant economy.

The strong oil market in 1996 helped ease financial pressures on Iran and allowed for Tehran's timely debt service payments. Iran's financial situation tightened in 1997 and deteriorated further in 1998 because of lower oil prices. The subsequent rise in oil prices in 1999/ 2000 afforded Iran fiscal breathing room but does not solve Iran's structural economic problems, including the encouragement of foreign investment.

4 History

History of Iran and Persia
Median Empire
Achaemenid dynasty
Seleucid dynasty
Parthian Empire
Sassanid dynasty
Samanid dynasty
Buwayhid empire
Seljuk Turkish empire
Khwarezmid Empire
Ilkhanate
Safavid dynasty
Zand dynasty
Qajar dynasty
Pahlavi dynasty
Iranian Revolution
Islamic Republic of Iran

Main article: History of Iran

Persia, derived from Persis, the ancient Greek name for Iran, emerged in the 6th century BC under the Achaemenid dynasty as a vast empire that controlled an area from northwestern India to Greece. It was defeated by Alexander the Great after three attempts, but soon after Persia regained its independence in the form of the Parthian and Sassanid Empires. The latter was defeated by Islamic Arab forces in the 7th century AD, who were followed by Seljuk Turks, the Mongols, and Tamerlane.

The 16th century saw renewed independence with the Safavids and then other lines of kings or shahs. During the 19th century Persia came under pressure from both Russia and the United Kingdom and a process of modernisation began that continued into the 20th century. Iranians longed for change and this resulted in the Persian Constitutional Revolution of 1905/1911. In 1953, Iran's prime minister Mohammed Mossadeq, who had been elected to parliament in 1923 and again in 1944, and who had been prime minister since 1951, was removed from power in a complex plot orchestrated by British and US intelligence agencies (" Operation Ajax"). Following Mossadeq's fall Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi (Iran's monarch) grew increasingly dictatorial. With strong support from the USA and the UK, the Shah further modernised Iranian industry but crushed civil liberties. His autocratic rule, including systematic torture and other human rights violations, led to the Iranian revolution and overthrow of his regime in 1979. After over a year of struggle between a variety of different political groups, an Islamic republic was established under the Ayatollah Khomeini.

The new theocratic political system instituted some conservative but some more repressive Islamic reforms, as well as engaging in an anti-Western course, in particular against the United States. The new government collaborated with various groups considered by the most of the Western World to be terrorist, and was allegedly involved in violent attacks in countries such as France. Involvement by senior Iranian security officials in the murder of several Kurdish exile politicians in the Myconos affair has been confirmed by German courts. As a consequence, the Western World largely considered Iran to be a hostile power, and treated it as such until a certain détente after Khomeini's death.

Strict Islamic law was implemented, women lost many of their rights, and in numerous confirmed cases, human rights abuses such as torture and violent executions continued. In 1980 Iran was attacked by neighbouring Iraq and the destructive Iran-Iraq War continued until 1988. However, in more recent years, the democratic political structure has led to the election of many reformist politicians, including the president, Mohammad Khatami. During the first decade of the 21st century, the struggle for power between reformists and conservatives over the future of the country continues through a mix of electoral politics and restrictions on civil liberties.

5 Demographics

Main article: Demographics of Iran

A majority of Iran's people are of Aryan origin. Most speak one of the Iranian languages, though only Persian is an official language. While the number, percentage, and definition of the different Iranian peoples is disputed, the major groups in the Iranian languages category include Persians (51%), Gilaki and Mazandarani (8%) (considered Persian by some people, including some of themselves), Kurds (7%), Lurs (2%), and Baluchi (2%). The remainder are primarily Turkic-speaking people such as the Azeris (24%) and Turkmens (2%), but also include Arabs (3%), Armenians, Jews, and Assyrians and others. (Please note that the numbers are according to 2004 edition of CIA's The World Factbook, which may be more neutral that other sources. Different claims include higher numbers up to 70% for Persians and a respectively lower numbers for Turkic peoples or a higher number for Turkic peoples, even more than 50%, and a lower one for Persians and other ethnicities. Some people in the first group claim that the CIA statistics are based on guesses made around 1964, while CIA claims that the edition is based on January 2004 information.)

Most Iranians are Muslims; 89% belong to the Shia 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 Bahá'ís and Zoroastrians, both being religions that originated in Iran, as well as Jews and Christians. Only the latter three are officially recognised minority religions. Iran's population size increased dramatically in the latter part of the 20th century.

6 Provinces

Main article: Provinces of Iran

Iran consists of 28 provinces (ostan-haa, singular - ostan):