Mount Damavand, Iran's highest point.

Iran, formerly known as Persia in the West, is a southwest Asian country located in the Middle East. Iran borders Armenia, Azerbaijan (including its Nakhichevan exclave) and Turkmenistan to the north, Pakistan and Afghanistan to the east, and Turkey and Iraq to the west. In addition, it borders the Persian Gulf, across which lie Kuwait, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. Shi'a Islam is the official state religion and Persian the official language.

Iran is one of the world's oldest continuous major civilizations. The history of Iran covers thousands of years. Throughout history Iran has been of great geostrategic importance because of its central location in Eurasia. Iran is a founding member of the United Nations, NAM, OIC, OPEC, and ECO. Iran is significant in international politics on account of its large supply of petroleum and influence in the region. Iran is also one of the few states that comprise the so-called Cradle of Humanity. The name Iran is a cognate of Aryan and literally means "Land of the Aryans ."[