Iran is situated in south-western Asia. It borders with Armenia (35 km), Azerbaijan (Azerbaijan-proper 432 km, Azerbaijan-Nakhichevan enclave 179 km), Turkmenistan (992 km) and Caspian Sea (740 km) to the north, Turkey (499 km) and Iraq (1,458 km) to the west, Pakistan (909 km) and Afghanistan (936 km) to the east and the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman to the south.

Iran is the 18th largest country in the world in terms of area which is 1.648 million km² in total area and 1.636 million km² in land area. It is a country of particular geostrategic significance owing to its location in the Middle East and central Eurasia.

Iran is also rich in natural resources such as petroleum, natural gas, coal, chromium, copper, lead, iron ore, manganese, zinc, sulfur and holds an important position in international energy security and world economy as a result of its large reserves of petroleum and natural gas.

Owing to its varied landscape, Iran’s climate is also subjected to various variations. While the Caspian coastal plain on the northern edge of the country remains humid through out the year due to an average elevation at or below sea level, the higher elevations areas towards the west experience lower temperatures. Winter temperatures rarely fall below zero degrees, and maximum summer temperatures rarely exceed 29°C. Annual rainfall averages 650 mm in the eastern part of the plain (Mazandaran Province) and more than 1,900 mm in the western part (Gilan Province). The eastern part consists mostly of desert basins such as the Dasht-e Kavir, Iran’s largest desert, in the north-central portion of the country, and the Dasht-e Lut, in the east, as well as some salt lakes. The large plains are found along the coast of the Caspian Sea and at the northern end of the Persian Gulf, where Iran borders the mouth of or the Arvand Rūd river.

Iran is also the 18th country in the world in terms of population by over 74 million population. Iran has a larg portion of young educated population which is a great potentiality and has made Iran unique in the region.

Persian (Farsi) is the most widely spoken language. Arabic is spoken in Khuzestan in the southwest, and Turkish in the northwest around Tabriz. English, French and (to a lesser extent) German are spoken by many businessmen and officials.

The predominant religion is Islam; mostly Shi’ite, with a minority of Sunnis. Many Christians, Jews and Zoroastrians also live in Iran.

Finally Iran’s currency is Iranian Rials (IRR).