Iran

Iran sits in Western Asia bordered by Iraq, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, with coastlines on the Caspian Sea, Persian Gulf, and Gulf of Oman. The massive Iranian Plateau includes the Zagros and Alborz Mountains, salt deserts like Dasht-e Kavir, and oases that support pistachio groves, saffron fields, and pomegranate orchards. Tehran, the capital, spreads beneath the Alborz peaks with metro lines, research centers, and bustling bazaars. The climate ranges from snowy slopes to subtropical mangrove coasts near the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran's history spans millennia of innovation. The Achaemenid Empire led by Cyrus the Great built roads, postal systems, and Persepolis palaces. Later, Seljuk, Safavid, and Qajar dynasties fostered Islamic art, astronomy, carpet weaving, and calligraphy. Poets such as Hafez, Rumi, and Ferdowsi wrote verses memorized by students today. In the 20th century, Iran experienced constitutional reforms, oil nationalization, and the 1979 Islamic Revolution, which established the Islamic Republic. Museums preserve cuneiform tablets, astrolabes, and qanat models showing ancient engineering.

Iran's government combines elected and religious bodies. Citizens vote for the president, members of parliament (Majles), and local councils. A supreme leader sets overall direction and appoints key officials, while the Guardian Council reviews new laws. City councils oversee services like libraries, parks, and waste collection, and provincial governors coordinate disaster response in earthquake-prone areas.

The economy draws on oil and gas reserves, petrochemicals, mining, agriculture, and technology. Refineries near the Persian Gulf process crude oil, while offshore platforms pump natural gas from the South Pars field. Farmers grow wheat, rice, dates, pistachios, and saffron supported by irrigation canals and qanats, underground channels that bring mountain water to plains. Engineers cultivate wind and solar projects on plateaus and develop nanoscale materials in university labs. Carpet workshops employ skilled weavers who knot wool and silk into intricate patterns.

Culture emphasizes family gatherings, Nowruz (Persian New Year), storytelling, and shared meals of chelow kebab, herb stews, and flatbread. Music blends classical dastgah modes with modern pop, and artists decorate mosques with turquoise tiles, mirrored mosaics, and calligraphy. Young innovators turn historical caravanserais into libraries and community tech hubs, and environmentalists restore wetlands for migratory birds. Scientists monitor the shrinking Lake Urmia, replant Zagros oak forests, and track Asiatic cheetahs in protected reserves, showing care for landscapes that have inspired inventors and poets for centuries.