Iran

Iran (Persian: ?????) is a Middle Eastern country located in Southwest Asia bordering Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Turkmenistan to the north, Pakistan and Afghanistan to the east, Turkey and Iraq to the west. Although locally known as Iran at least since the Sassanian period, until 1935 the country was referred to in the West as Persia. In 1959, Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi announced that both terms could be used. In 1979 a revolution which was eventually led by the Ayatollah Khomeini, established a theocratic Islamic Republic, changing the country's official name into the Islamic Republic of Iran (?????? ?????? ?????). The name Iran is a cognate of the Aryan meaning "Land of the Aryans."

Related Topics:
Persian - Middle East - Southwest - Asia - Azerbaijan - Armenia - Turkmenistan - Pakistan - Afghanistan - Turkey - Iraq - Sassanian - 1935 - Persia - 1959 - Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi - 1979 - Revolution - Ayatollah Khomeini - Theocratic - Islamic Republic - Cognate - Aryan

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