The Islamic Republic of Iran is located in southwest Asia, bordered by the Gulf of Oman, the Persian Gulf, and the Caspian Sea, as well as the countries of Iraq, Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. Tehran is Iran's capital and largest city.
The name "Iran" means "land of the Aryans" (the original settlers). Known as Persia until 1935, the country was one of the greatest empires of the ancient world. At its height in the 5th and 6th centuries B.C., Persia (Iran) ruled nearly half of the then civilized world. By maintaining its own language (Persian) and adherence to the Shia interpretation of Islam, Iran has preserved a distinct cultural identity within the Islamic world.
The Iranians are an Aryan people. Their ancestors migrated to the Iranian plateau from Central Asia before 1000 B.C. Iran's official language is Persian (Farsi) and the great majority of Iranians (about 98 percent) are Muslims, or followers of Islam.
Iran is the most populous and the second-largest country in the Middle East after Saudi Arabia, and is a major exporter of oil. The CIA: World Factbook estimates Iran's 2009 population at 66,429,284. Its total area of 1.648 million square kilometers (1.7 million miles) makes it slightly larger than Alaska.
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