Basic Facts & Figures

The territory that is today known as Iran was known as Persia for centuries. In 1935, Persia was renamed Iran by Reza Shah, in an effort to identify and establish ties with Germany prior to the World War II (Iran in Farsi means Arian). Following the 1979 revolution, which saw the assumption of power by the religious government as well as the Shah's exile, Iran became the Islamic Republic of Iran. The name "Persia" was originally given to the Empire by the Greeks. Today, most Iranians outside of Iran choose to introduce themselves as Persian, in many ways, to distance themselves from the current government and negative images of Iranians prominent in western media. In reality, Persians are an ethnic group, but only one of the many ethnicities within the country. Iran is a rich country that is also home to many ethnicities including, among others, the Turks, Lurs, Kurds and Baluchis. The current Islamic Republic of Iran, or the Jomhouri-e Eslami-e Iran, has a population of approximately of 68.3 million. The capital city is Tehran, a sprawling city located in the north of the country, close to the Caspian Sea. Iran covers 1.6 million square kilometers of land, with approximately 12,000 square kilometers of water, making it the 25th largest country in the world. The literacy is 75% among those 6 years old and above. The Currency in Iran is the Rial, which currently is approximately 9500 Rials per Euro.

The Languages of Iran

There are 69 languages and dialects spoken in the Islamic Republic of Iran, or the Jomhouri-e Eslami-e Iran. The national and most popular language, Farsi (also known as Parsi or Persian) has many variations and boasts over 40 million speakers. This is roughly 58% of the total population of the country. Farsi is a West Iranian language of the Indo-European family of languages. Behind Farsi, the most populous languages are Turkish, spoken by 26% of people, Kurdish (Kurdi) by approximately 9%, Luri by 2%, and Baluchi and Arabic by 1% each. In addition to the aforementioned major languages, many smaller groups speak several other regional languages including Azarbaijani, Mazandarani, Armenian, and Khorasani. There are also 2 extincts languages. The first is Avestan, the language of the Zoroastrian scriptures, from 600 B.C. Zoroastrian. The other is Mandaic.

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Geography & The Map of Iran

Iran is located in the continent of Asia, in an area known as the Middle East. Its neighbors to the west are Turkey, Iraq, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia. To the south, there is the United Arab Emirates. Afghanistan, and Pakistan are the eastern neighbors. Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, and Armenia are the northern neighbors.

The Provinces of Iran

Iran has 28 provinces, all of which offer beautiful attractions and places to visit. With different tempertatues, ethnic groups, local foods, and traditions, these provinces are the fabric of a cosmopolitan Iran. Below we have listed the 28 provinces, their capitals, and a map so you can see where each province is located:

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Major iranian Cities & Places

Major Cities in Iran include: Esfahan (Isphahan), Shiraz, Tabriz, Mashhad (left), Kermanshah, Kerman and Rasht. Tehran is the capital, and is one of the largest cities in the world. Esfahan is one of the most beautiful cities in Iran, full of architecture, old mosques and a world of history and literature. It is also the home of the Chehel Sotoon Palace and the famous 33 Bridges called Sio Se Pol. Shiraz, the capital of the Fars province, houses the infamous Persepolis, the ancient city which was the capital of the Achaemenid Empire. The province of Fars (or Pars) is responsible for the language of Iran, Farsi. Tabriz, the capital of Azarbaijan, is the birth place of Zaratushtra and has the fire temple of the Kings and the Nobles of Iran. Mashhad is considered the holiest and most religious city in Iran. It has some of the most beautiful mosques, including the shrine of Imam Reza, a universal place of pilgrimage for all Shiites. It is the capital of the Khorasan province. Kermanshah, located to the west, is the capital of the Kermanshahan province. It was constructed by Bahram of the Sassanid dynasty. The city has historical significance and was a major location from the times of the Archaemid, Safavid and Sassanid dynasties. The city of Kerman, one of oldest cities in Iran, is located in the south and is the Capital of Kerman province. Finally, Rasht, the capital city of Gilan province, is located near the Caspain Sea and has a very humid and mild temperature.

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Population & Ethnicity of Iran

With close to 70 million people living in Iran, the country has a diverse and complicated line of ethinicity and lineage. The most important national and ethnic groups in Iran with specific history, culture, and language are the Persians, the Turks, the Kurds, the Baluchis, the Arabs, the Turkmans and the Lurs. The Persians are most common in Tehran, Isfahan, Fars, Khorasan, Kerman and Yazd. There are also a number of smaller ethnic minorities.

Iranian Turks are descendants of the Turks who migrated to Persia in the 7th and 11th centuries. They live mainly in Tabriz, Urumiyeh, Ardebil, the Zanjan province, Hamedan, Tehran, Qom and Saveh. Iranian Kurds are mainly situated in Kurdestan, Kermanshah and some parts of Azarbaijan. They total approximately 1.5 million. Next are the Baluchis who reside in the southeastern part of the Iranian plateau, in an area called Baluchestan. The Lurs are thought to be of the same ethnic origin as the Kurds and live in the province of Lurestan. Although a smaller group, the Arabs that live in Iran, in the southwestern region of Khuzestan are thought to have migrated there in the early centuries AD. The Turkmans are considered an ethnic minority and speak the same Turkish dialect as the people of the Republic of Turkmenistan. Iran also has a large nomadic population, which tends to migrate according to geographic and climactic conditions. The tribes are of several ethnic origins including Persians, Turks, Turkmans, Kurds, Lurs, Arabs and Baluchis (left). As such, the nomands tend to speak a variety of languages and dialects and are spread all over the country. The fashions of the many Iranian ethnicities is explored in our Iranian fashion section.

Weather in Iran

The weather in Iran is variable from region to region. The north of the country can be humid, and wet, while the middle and desert areas to the south can be hot and dry. Most of the country generally experiences four seasons. Tehran generally has cold winters, hot summers, mild falls and simply the mosty beautiful springs.

The current weather in Tehran is:

For up to the minute weather in other cities in Iran or else where around the world, simply enter the city name in the search field above. You can get a complete weather guide on the Weather Channel.

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the origins of the Persian Calendar

The Persian calendar, which has 365 days in the year, was introduced in 1925. A similar solar calendar was already in use in pre-islamic Persia. According to this calendar, each year consisted of 12 thirty day months and five additional days. The Persian mathematician, astronomer, and poet Omar Khayyam devised a "leap year" rule where the Persian year would have had a mean length of 3658/33 = 365.2424 days, which would be more accurate than the Gregorian year. The modern Persian calendar uses a complicated leap year rule, defining a 2820-year cycle with 683 leap years, which results a in mean length of a year of 365683/2820 = 365.2422 days. Considering the length of the tropical year being constant, the remaining error would amount to only one day per 2 million years!

The 2820-year cycle is divided into 21 subcycles of 128 years each, and a 132-year subcycle at the end of each 2820-year cycle. A 128-year subcycle consists of a 29-year sub-subcycle, followed by 3 sub-subcycles of 33 years each. Finally, the 132-year subcycle consists of one sub-subcycle of 29 years, followed by two 33-year sub-subcycles and a final sub-subcycle of 37 years. Within each sub-cyucle, all years. In writing the number of a year within a cycle, the year is considered a leap year if n > 1 and n mod 4 = 1.

The first year is counted from the year 622 CE, the year of the Hidjra, Mohammed's escape from Mekkah to Medina. Thus, on March 20 2004, the Persian year 1383 began with 1 Farvardin. The Sal Tahvil, the marking of spring equinox is calculated every year and celebrated at a different time, on the eve of Noruz.

The Persian calendar, which is the official calendar in use in Iran today, has 12 months. These names come from ancient Persia and each have meanings associated with them The names represent various Guardians that protect and help people. Many of the names are nature-based and deal with the elements of life. Other months deal with the world beyond science and reason. In the end, the names represent the key ideals of this ancient civilization, which are not very different from our ideals of justice, equality, individual human dignity, liberty, and rule of law.

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Transportation in Tehran

Though Tehran is a large and polluted city, efforts have been made for better transportation. The most common and perhaps cheapers mode of transportation is the private orange taxis which take many passengers going up and down a street. There are also private, more expensive taxis which will take passengers from one point to another. Public busses are also a common way to commute. Cars are extremely expensive but people do drive them more than they should. The Tehran Metro system, which has been in the works since the time of the Shah has finally had a limited opening. The Tehran Metro map shows which routes are still under construction:

Media & Entertainment

Present day Iran supports freedom of the press provided that the material printed fits within Islamic principles! This makes publishing a very difficult and arbitrary job for the over 100 newspapers that are published in Tehran alone. The major daily newspapers for the country include Jumhori-yi Islami, Resalat, Kayhan, Akhbar and Ettelaat. There are foreign languages papers as well including the Tehran Times and the Kayhan International which are printed daily in English.

In addition to press control, the government controls the media. Many television and radio stations exist in Tehran and major provincial cities. There are stations in Azerbaijan, Kordestan and Baluchistan, which also broadcast in Azeri Turkish, Kurdish and the Baluchi languages.