More languages
More actions
جمهوری اسلامی ایران | |
|---|---|
Motto: Independence, Freedom, Islamic Republic | |
| Capital and largest city | Tehran |
| Official languages | Persian |
| Religion | Islam |
| Government | Capitalist presidential republic |
• Leader[1] | Great Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Khamenei |
• President | Dr. Hassan Rohani |
• Vice President | Eshaq Jahangiri |
• Speaker of the Islamic Consultative Assembly | Mohammad Ghalibaf |
| History | |
| 1979 Feb 12th | |
| Population | |
• 2017 estimate | 79,926,270 |
| Currency | Iranian Rial |
The Islamic Republic of Iran, also called Persia[2] and Iran, is a country in Western Asia. It is the second-largest country in the Middle East, and its capital and largest city is Tehran.
Iran is home to one of the world's oldest civilizations,[3][4] beginning with the formation of the Elamite kingdoms in the fourth millennium BC.
The modern Government of Iran is an Islamic republic which includes elements of a presidential democracy, which was installed by a popular revolution against the US-backed Monarchy of the Shah.
Iran's geography makes it geo-strategically important for the modern global oil markets, as it is the northern coast of the Straight of Hormuz which is a maritime chokepoint through which a third of the world's liquefied natural gas and a quarter of global oil trade passes through.
Iran's economy is dominated by state-owned enterprises, which make up 60% of the total GDP.
A unique feature of Iran's economy is the presence of large religious foundations called Bonyad, whose combined budgets represent more than 30 percent of central government spending.[5]
After the 1979 Iranian revolution, the Bonyads were nationalized and renamed with the declared intention of redistributing income to the poor and families of martyrs.[6]
Historically, Iran has had ties with the Black liberation movement and the Nation of Islam.[7]
External links
References
- ↑
- ↑
- REDIRECT Template:Cite
- ↑
- REDIRECT Template:Cite
- ↑
- REDIRECT Template:Cite
- ↑ Bonyad-e Mostazafan va Janbazan Oppressed and Disabled Veterans Foundation (MJF). Globalsecurity.org. Retrieved February 6, 2011.
- ↑ https://www.mei.edu/publications/iranian-para-governmental-organizations-bonyads
- ↑ The Nation of Islamic Republic of Iran with Setareh Sadeqi on Historic.ly podcast by Esha Krishnaswamy and Robert Grannies - Aug 22