Topic outline of Iran

:"For an alphabetical index of this subject, see the List of Iran-related articles."

Iran, officially known as the Islamic Republic of Iran and formerly known internationally as Persia (until 1935), is a country in the Middle East and Southwest Asia. Iran is bounded by the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf to the south and the Caspian Sea to its north. Shi'a Islam is the official religion, and Persian is the official language. [cite web|title=قانون اساسی جمهوری اسلامی ایران|url=http://fa.wikisource.org/wiki/قانون_اساسی_جمهوری_اسلامی_ایران|language=Persian retrieved 23 January 2008] The 18th largest country in the world in terms of area at 1,648,195 km², Iran has a population of over seventy million. Iran borders Armenia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan to the north, Afghanistan and Pakistan to the east, and Turkey and Iraq to the west. Being a littoral state of the Caspian sea (an internal sea and condominium), also Kazakhstan and Russia are Iran's direct neighbours.

Iran is home to one of the world's oldest continuous major civilizations, with historical and urban settlements dating back to 4000 BC. [http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-08/10/content_6508609.htm Xinhua, "New evidence: modern civilization began in Iran", 10 Aug 2007] , retrieved 1 Oct 2007] [http://www.iran-daily.com/1385/2795/html/panorama.htm Iran Daily, "Panorama", 3 Mar 2007] , retrieved 1 Oct 2007] [http://www.iranian.ws/iran_news/publish/article_22427.shtml Iranian.ws, "Archaeologists: Modern civilization began in Iran based on new evidence", 12 Aug 2007] , retrieved 1 Oct 2007] Throughout history, Iran has been of geostrategic importance because of its central location in Eurasia and is a regional power. [http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200607/cmselect/cmfaff/363/36310.htm parliament.uk, "Select Committee on Foreign Affairs, Eighth Report, Iran] , retrieved 1 Oct 2007] [http://www.petro-hunt.com/lectures/LectureOpen.htm IRAN @ 2000 and Beyond lecture series, opening address, W. Herbert Hunt, 18 May 2000] , retrieved 1 Oct 2007] The political system of Iran, based on the 1979 Constitution, comprises several intricately connected governing bodies. The highest state authority is the Supreme Leader, currently Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Iran occupies an important position in international energy security and world economy as a result of its large reserves of petroleum and natural gas. The name Iran is a cognate of "Aryan", and means "Land of the Aryans". [http://www.hinduwebsite.com/hinduism/concepts/arya.asp hinduwebsite.com, "The Concepts of Hinduism — Arya"] , retrieved 1 Oct 2007] [http://imp.lss.wisc.edu/~aoliai/languagepage/iranianlanguages.htm imp.lss.wisc.edu, "Iranian Languages", Political, Social, Scientific, Literary & Artistic (Monthly) Oct 2000, No. 171, Dr. Suzan Kaviri, pp. 26–7] , retrieved 1 Oct 2007] [http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/persianempiremaps/qt/Iran.htm "Iran — The Ancient Name of Iran", N.S. Gill] , retrieved 1 Oct 2007] "Land of Kindness" (سرزمين مهر) is used as an alternative name for Iran in Persian literature and Iranian media. [http://www.chtn.ir/newsShow.aspx?ID=23455 retrieved 23 January 2008] [Ali Akbar Sadeghi, "Iran the Land of Love" ISBN 964 Goya Publishing Company published:1994]

The following topic outline is provided as an overview of and introduction to Iran:

__TOC__

* Pronunciation:
* International rankings of Iran
** 18th largest country
** 17th most populous country

Geography of Iran

: "Main article: Geography of Iran"

* Iran is: a country
* Location:
** Northern Hemisphere and Eastern Hemisphere
** Eurasia
*** Asia
**** Southwest Asia
*** Middle East
**** Iranian plateau
** Extreme points of Iran
* Population of Iran: 70,049,262 people (2006 estimate) - 17th most populous country
* Area of Iran: unit sqkm|1648195|0|lk=on - 18th largest country
*

Environment of Iran

* Climate of Iran
* Ecology of Iran
** Ecoregions in Iran
** Renewable energy in Iran
* Geology of Iran
* Protected areas of Iran
** Biosphere reserves in Iran
** National parks of Iran
* Wildlife of Iran
** Flora of Iran
** Fauna of Iran
*** Birds of Iran
*** Mammals of Iran

Natural geographic features of Iran

* Fjords of Iran: None
* Glaciers of Iran: None
* Islands of Iran
* Lakes of Iran
* Mountains of Iran
** Volcanoes in Iran
* Rivers of Iran
** Waterfalls of Iran
* Valleys of Iran
* World Heritage Sites in Iran

Regions of Iran

Ecoregions of Iran

: "Main article: Ecoregions in Iran"

Administrative divisions of Iran

: "Main article: Administrative divisions of Iran"

* Provinces of Iran
** Counties of Iran
*** Municipalities of Iran

Provinces of Iran

Counties of Iran

Municipalities of Iran

* Capital of Iran: Capital of Iran
* Cities of Iran

Demography of Iran

: "Main article: Demographics of Iran"

Government and politics of Iran

: "Main article: Government of Iran and Politics of Iran"

* Form of government: Islamic republic
* Capital of Iran: Capital of Iran

* Elections in Iran
** (specific elections)
* Political parties in Iran
* Political scandals of Iran
* Taxation in Iran

Branches of the government of Iran

Executive branch of the government of Iran

* Assembly of Experts
** Elects the Supreme Leader
** Has the constitutional authority to remove the Supreme Leader from power at any time
** Supervises the Supreme Leader in the performance of legal duties
* Head of state: Supreme Leader of Iran, Ali Khamenei
* Head of government: President of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
* Vice President of Iran - anyone appointed by the President to lead an organization related to Presidential affairs. There are currently 10 Vice Presidents in Iran:
*#First Vice President, Parviz Dawoodi
*#Vice President and Head of Atomic Energy Organization, Gholam Reza Aghazadeh
*#Vice President and Head of Environmental Protection Organization, Fatemeh Javadi
*#Vice President and Head of Management and Planning Organization, Farhad Rahbar
*#Vice President for Executive Affairs, Ali Saeedlou
*#Vice President and Head of National Sports Organization, Mohammad Aliabadi
*#Vice President for Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, Ahmad Mousavi
*#Vice President and Head of Martyrs and Veterans Affairs Foundation, Hossein Dehghan
*#Vice President and Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization Chief, Esfandyar Rahim Moshaei
*#Vice President and Head of Youth National Organization, Mohammad Javad Ali Akbari
* Council of Ministers of Iran
*# Minister of Agricultural Jihad, Mohammad Reza Eskandari
*# Minister of Commerce, Masoud Mirkazemi
*# Minister of Communication and Information Technology, Mohammad Soleimani
*# Minister of Cooperatives, Mohammad Abbasi
*# Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance, Mohammad Hossein Saffar Harandi
*# Minister of Defense and Logistics, Mostafa Mohammad-Najjar
*# Minister of Economy and Finance Affairs, Davoud Danesh-Jafari
*# Minister of Education, Mahmoud Farshidi
*# Minister of Energy, Parviz Fattah
*# Minister of Foreign Affairs, Manouchehr Mottaki
*# Minister of Health and Medical Education, Kamran Bagheri Lankarani
*# Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Mohammad Saeedikia
*# Minister of Industries and Mines "Supervisor", Ali Akbar Mehrabian
*# Minister of Intelligence and National Security, Gholam Hossein Mohseni-Ejehei
*# Minister of Interior, Mostafa Pour Mohammadi
*# Minister of Justice, Gholamhossein Elham
*# Minister of Labour and Social Affairs, Mohammad Jahromi
*# Minister of Petroleum, Gholamhossein Nozari
*# Minister of Roads and Transportation, Mohammad Rahmati
*# Minister of Science, Research, and Technology, Mohammad Mehdi Zahedi
*# Minister of Welfare and Social Security, Abdolhossein Mesri

Legislative branch of the government of Iran

* Majlis of Iran (unicameral parliament)
** drafts legislation
** ratifies international treaties
** approves the national budget
* Guardian Council
** 12 members
*** 6 appointed by the Supreme Leader
*** 6 elected by the Majlis
** Powers and responsibilities:
*** Supervises elections
*** Approves or rejects candidates for President, Majlis, and the Assembly of Experts
*** Reviews all bills passed by the Majlis for constitutionality and compatibility with Islamic law, and approves or vetos them
* Expediency Discernment Council
** Appointed by Supreme Leader
** Main purpose is to mediate disputes between between the Majlis and the Council of Guardians
** Also serves as an advisory board to the Supreme Leader

Judicial branch of the government of Iran

* Supreme Court of Iran
* Special Clerical Court - for trying Muslim clerics, and accountable only to the Supreme Leader

Foreign relations of Iran

* Iran-Arab relations
* Diplomatic missions in Iran
* Diplomatic missions of Iran
* United States-Iran relations

International organization membership

Iran is a member of:
* Group of 15 (G-15)
* OPEC (Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries)
* United Nations (UN)
* World Trade Organization (observer)

Law and order in Iran

: "Main article: Law of Iran"

* Capital punishment in Iran
* Constitution of Iran
* Crime in Iran
* Human rights in Iran
** LGBT rights in Iran
** Freedom of religion in Iran
* Law enforcement in Iran

Military of Iran

: "Main article: Military of Iran"

* Command
** Commander-in-chief: Supreme Leader of Iran, Ali Khamenei
*** Ministry of Defence of Iran
* Defense industry of Iran
* Forces (Iran has two armies)
** Army of Iran
** Navy of Iran
** Air Force of Iran
** Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution
*** Ground Forces of the Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution
*** Navy of the Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution
*** Air Force of the Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution
*** Quds Force (Special Forces)
** Basij Resistance Force (paramilitary force. Compare with National Guard)
* Iran and weapons of mass destruction
* Military history of Iran
* Military ranks of Iran

Local government in Iran

* City and Village Councils of Iran

History of Iran

: "Main article: History of Iran, Timeline of the history of Iran, and

* Iran hostage crisis
* History of fundamentalist Islam in Iran
* Military history of Iran
** Iran–Iraq War
* Timeline of the Iranian Islamic revolution

Culture of Iran

: "Main article: Culture of Iran"

* Architecture of Iran
* Cuisine of Iran
* Ethnic minorities in Iran
* Festivals in Iran
* Humor in Iran
* Languages of Iran
* Media in Iran
* National symbols of Iran
** Coat of arms of Iran
** Flag of Iran
** National anthem of Iran
* People of Iran
* Prostitution in Iran
* Public holidays in Iran
* Records of Iran
* Religion in Iran
** Buddhism in Iran
** Christianity in Iran
** Hinduism in Iran
** Islam in Iran
** Judaism in Iran
** Sikhism in Iran
* World Heritage Sites in Iran

The Arts in Iran

* Art in Iran
* Cinema of Iran
* Literature of Iran
* Music of Iran
* Television in Iran
* Theatre in Iran

Sports in Iran

: "Main article: Sports in Iran"

* Football in Iran

Economy of Iran

: "Main article: Economy of Iran"

* Economic rank (by nominal GDP): 29th (twenty-ninth)

* Agriculture in Iran
* Banking in Iran
** National Bank of Iran
* Communications in Iran
* Companies of Iran
* Currency of Iran: Iranian rial
* Economic history of Iran
* Energy policy of Iran
* Mining in Iran
* Oil industry in Iran
* Tourism in Iran
* Transport in Iran

* Iran Stock Exchange

Education in Iran

: "Main article: Education in Iran"

Infrastructure of Iran

* Communications in Iran
** Internet in Iran
* Energy in Iran
* Health care in Iran
* Transportation in Iran
** Airports in Iran
** Rail transport in Iran
** Roads in Iran
* Water supply and sanitation in Iran

See also

* List of basic geography topics
* List of Iran-related articles (alphabetical index)
* List of international rankings

References

External links

* [http://www.president.ir/eng/ The President of Iran]
* [http://www.majlis.ir/mhtml/ The Majlis (Legislature) of Iran] fa icon
* [http://www.iran.ir/ Iran.ir]
* [http://www.persianlanguage.ir Persian language] (Persian)
*
*
*
* [http://www.jazirehdanesh.com/find.php?item=1.601.897.en Iranian Innovations]
* "Faces of Iran: The World in One Nation" (a sequence of still photographs, showing the richness of the ethnic and religious diversity of the people of Iran), [http://www.youtube.com/v/OjtGr1Qqhng&hl=en&rel=0&border=1 YouTube] .
* "Rageh Inside Iran", a BBC Four production, 17 February 2007, [http://video.google.co.uk/videoplay?docid=9161934809152225169&q=Rageh+inside+Iran&total=26&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=1 Google] (1 h 30 min).
* Farhad Nabipour, "From Persia to Iran", Part I, AMIR Productions, 4 November 2006 (slide show accompanied with Pink Floyd and Persian music — 28 min 8 sec), [http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2032099907583727317 Google] . Highly recommended!
* Farhad Nabipour, "From Persia to Iran", Part II, AMIR Productions, 10 November 2006 (slide show accompanied with Pink Floyd and Persian music — 21 min 46 sec), [http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1936128339543074566 Google] .
* Some Iranian folk-songs sung by Shusha Guppy in the 1970s:
[http://www.iranian.com/ram/Shusha/1.ram "Silver Gun"] (from Shiraz), [http://www.iranian.com/ram/Shusha/2.ram "Wheat Flower"] (a harvest song), [http://www.iranian.com/ram/Shusha/3.ram "The Rain"] (from the Gilan Province), [http://www.iranian.com/ram/Shusha/4.ram "The Stars in Heaven"] (from Shiraz), [http://www.iranian.com/ram/Shusha/5.ram "On Top of the Hill"] (from Shiraz), [http://www.iranian.com/ram/Shusha/6.ram "The Silken Handkerchief"] (from the Fars Province), [http://www.iranian.com/ram/Shusha/7.ram "Darling Leila"] (from the Gilan Province), [http://www.iranian.com/ram/Shusha/8.ram "I Have Come to Ravish My Heart"] (from the Lorestan Province), [http://www.iranian.com/ram/Shusha/9.ram "The Lor Youth"] (a Bakhtiari-Tribe song), [http://www.iranian.com/ram/Shusha/10.ram "Lullaby"] (from Gorgan), [http://www.iranian.com/ram/Shusha/11.ram "Girl from Boyer-Ahmadi Tribe"] (from the Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province), [http://www.iranian.com/ram/Shusha/12.ram "My Beloved is Short"] (from the Fars Province), [http://www.iranian.com/ram/Shusha/13.ram "The Water Pipe"] , [http://www.iranian.com/ram/Shusha/14.ram "You Must Come to Me"] (from Mamasani County), [http://www.iranian.com/ram/Shusha/15.ram "Darling Dareyne"] (from the Mazandaran Province).
For further details see: [http://www.iranian.com/Music/Shusha/ "Iranian"] .
* Nir Rosen, "Selling the War with Iran", The Washington Note, Thursday, May 1 2008, [http://www.thewashingtonnote.com/archives/2008/05/selling_the_war/] .
* The Second International Festival of Peace Poetry, Iran, 16 May 2009: [http://www.peacepoetryfest.com/en/index.htm (English)] , [http://www.peacepoetryfest.com/pe/index.htm (Persian)] .
* [http://venus.unive.it/riccardozipoli/demo/galleries_part.php?a=26&n=1&d=IRAN Photography gallery: People, roads and landscapes of Iran]