Iran

Description of Iran

Covering an area of 1,648,000 square kilometers, the Islamic Republic of Iran is situated in south-western Asia. The country shares borders with the Caspian Sea, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan and Armenia in the north, with Afghanistan and Pakistan in the east, and with Turkey and Iraq in the west. Iran is washed by the Persian and Oman Gulfs in the south. The total length of the land border is of 5.170 kilometers and the sea one - 2.510 km.

Located in the heart of the Middle East, Iran, like a bridge, connects the Caspian Sea, the largest water mass of the world with no access to the ocean, with the Persian Gulf. Moreover, it is an important crossroads between East and West. For a long time, Iran, being unique, was the meeting place of cultural, intellectual and political manifestations of West and East.

Iranian landscapes are diverse and unique. Landscapes of clear mountain streams, pomegranate and pistachio orchards, avenues of Lombardy poplars, seasonal camps of nomads, starry nights, rocky mountains, infinitely high peaks and lowlands, volcanoes covered with eternal snow, lush forests of mountain ranges of the Alborz and the Zagros Mountains, shores of the Caspian Sea, the Persian and Oman Gulfs are attractive and unforgettable. So, in winter in the warm waters of the Persian Gulf, you can go swimming and water skiing; the winter sports, such as skiing, can successfully be held in the northern and western mountains of the country, and at the same time on the coast of the Caspian Sea is pleasant spring weather.

According to the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the common official language and script (alphabet) is the Farsi (Persian) language. The starting point for the official Iranian calendar is considered to be the Ascension of the Prophet Mohammed in 622 A.D., which marks the beginning of the Islamic calendar. Farvardin 1 (March 21) is considered the beginning of the new year in Iran, according to the solar calendar. Iran's national flag consists of horizontal green, white and red bands, depicting the symbol of the Islamic Republic of Iran and with the phrase "Allahu Akbar" (“God is great”) 22 times repeated on the edges of the bands.

More than half of Iran's population speaks the language of Farsi (Persian) and various dialects of the Persian language. The Persian language is notable for its inimitable brilliance and flexibility. As a result, many of the great literary works of the Eastern countries, especially which were under the influence of Iranian culture, from India to Asia Minor, were written in Farsi. Rich Iranian culture and the Persian language left its mark on numerous tribes of Central Asia, despite the briefly domination of Iran on them. Among them we find the greatest poets and writers who created their immortal works in Farsi, without being Persians.

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