Iran, officially Islamic Republic of Iran, republic in the Middle East, bordered to the north by Armenia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, and the Caspian Sea; to the east by Afghanistan and Pakistan; to the south by the Gulf of Oman, the Strait of Hormuz, and the Persian Gulf; and to the west by Iraq and Turkey. The nation was a constitutional monarchy governed by a shah from 1906 until 1979, when a popular uprising led by Islamic religious leaders resulted in the establishment of an Islamic republic. The area of Iran is 1,648,000 sq km (636,296 sq mi). Until the 1930s Iran was known abroad as Persia. The capital and largest city is Tehran.

Population
        66,231,000
        (1996 estimate)
Population Density
        38 people/sq km
        (98 people/sq mi)
        (1996 estimate)
Urban/Rural Breakdown
        58% Urban
        42% Rural
Largest Cities
        Tehran6,475,527
        Mashhad1,759,155
        Esfahan1,127,050
        Tabrìz1,088,985
        Qom681,253
        (1991 census)
Ethnic Groups
        51% Persian
        21% Other
        20% Azeri
        8% Kurdish
        including Afghani refugees, Gilaki, Lur, Mazandarani, Balochi, Arabs,
Languages
Official Language
        Farsi (Persian)
Other Languages
        Azeri Turkish, Kurdish, Arabic, Balochi, Turkmen,
Religions
        90% Shiite Islam
        9% Sunni Islam
        1% Other
        including Armenian Eastern Orthodoxy, Judaism, Bahai, Zoroastrianism