Iran or the Islamic Republic of Iran is a Central Asian country. It is the 17-th largest country of the world, which area is 1,648 thousand km2. The capital is Teheran. Iran shares borders with Azerbaijan, Armenia and Turkey in the northwest, with Iraq in the west, with Turkmenistan in the north, and with Afghanistan and Pakistan in the east. Iran borders the Caspian Sea in the north and - the Persian Gulf in the south. Iran is one of the most ancient states in the world.

A basic administrative unit of Iran is ostan (province) that is divided into shahrestans (counties) and they in turn - into bakshes (districts). The largest city of ostan is its capital as usual. Each ostan is governed by the governor. Iran is divided into 30 ostans.

After the Islamic Revolution the country experiences a permanent baby boom. From 1979 the population increased 2-fold and in 2006 has reached 70 million people. However in the 90-s the birthrate significantly decreased. According to forecasts, by 2050 the population of Iran will be 90 million people with a density of 42/km2.

In accordance with the Constitution adopted in 1979, Iran is an Islamic republic. The head of state is the Supreme Leader of the State (Rahbar). He determines the general policy of the country. The Rahbar is the Supreme Commander in Chief of the Iranian Armed Forces, chief of the military intelligence service. The Supreme Leader of the State appoints key persons in the state – the supreme judicial authority, chief of the police and supreme commanders of the armed forces as well as six of twelve members of the Guardian Council. The Supreme Leader is elected by the Assembly of Experts and accountable to it.

The second in rank leading official of Iran is the President. The President is the guarantor of the Constitution and head of the executive authority. All decisions on key matters are subject to approval of the Supreme Leader of the State. The President nominates the members of the Council of Ministers and coordinates the work of the Government. Ten vice-presidents and 21 ministers of the government are approved by the Parliament. Though the President nominates ministers of defense and intelligence, the nominees should be are beforehand approved by the Supreme Leader of the State. The President is elected by the direct national vote for four years. The candidates should be previously approved by the Guardian Council.

The legislative authority is represented by the unicameral parliament, Medjlis. The upper house was dismissed after the Revolution of 1979. The Mejlis consists of 290 members elected by the national vote for four years. The Parliament is responsible for elaboration of laws, ratification of international agreements and drawing-up of the state budget. All candidates for the members of the Medjlis are also subject to approval by the Guardian Council.

Iran is an agrarian-industrial country with a developed petroleum industry. There are oil refineries and petrochemical enterprises. The country produces crude oil, coal, gas, copper, iron, Mg and Pb/Zn ores. The mechanical engineering and metal working, as well as the food and textile industries are also developed. Iran is a well-known producer of carpets and metalware. The major agricultural products include wheat, barley, rice, beans, cotton, sugar-beet, sugar cane, tobacco, tea, nuts, and pistachio. The livestock farming is based on the farming of sheep, goats, camels, and large horned livestock. 7.5 million hectares of lands are irrigated.

45 % of revenues to the budget proceed from the oil and gas export, and 31 % - from taxes and levies. In 2006, the GNP totaled 610.4 billion Dollars. In 2007, the GDP increased by 5 %, a growth rate of 7% is predicted for 2008. The inflation rate is 15.8 %.

The key exported commodities include crude oil and petroleum products, metal ores, and agricultural products. The key imported commodities include products of heavy machine-building and chemical industries, motor vehicles, iron, steel, mineral raw material, textiles and paper.

Iran has 16 % of world natural gas reserves. The main fields are located in the shelf of the Persian Gulf and in the northeast of the country. The first protoiranian state, Elam, emerged in Huzestan in the III millennium BC. In the time of Darius the Great of the Achaemenids the Persian Empire extended from Greece and Cyrenaica to the Indus River. Iran is a native land of the first monotheistic religion, Zoroasrism (Mazdaism) that had an impact on Judaism, Christianity and Islam. In the XVI century Islam became a state religion in Persia. The modern name, Iran, was accepted in 1935.

In 1979, the Islamic Revolution headed by Ayatollah Khomeini won a victory in Iran. The Revolution overthrew the monarchy and established the Islamic Republic. Nowadays, Iran is one of the most economically and technologically developed nations of the Middle East, situated in the strategically important region of Eurasia.