Iran (Arabbic:ایران‎), also known as Persia and officially the Islamic Republic of Iran since 1980, is a country in Western Asia It is bordered on the north by Armenia, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan, with Kazakhstan and Russia across the Caspian Sea; on the east by Afghanistan and Pakistan; on the south by the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman; on the west by Iraq; and on the northwest by Turkey. With a land area of 1,648,195 km2 (636,372 sq mi), Iran is the 18th-largest country in the world, and a population of over 77 million people makes it the world's 17th-most populous nation.Iran is a mountainous nation of geopolitical significance, as it is located at the crossroads of Central Asia, Western Asia, and South Asia. Tehran is Iran's capital and largest city, and also serves as the country's cultural, commercial, and industrial center. The nation is a major regional power, and, due to its large reserves of petroleum and natural gas,See More