Iran

Tehran serves as the political, cultural and economic heart of Iran, positioned in Southern Asia. As the seat of government and often the most populous city, it concentrates the country's main institutions, universities and cultural landmarks. Beyond the capital, major cities include Mashhad, Isfahan, Tabriz — each a hub of regional culture, economy and history. Tehran expanded from a village to a capital in 1786 under the Qajar dynasty and has since accumulated a population of 15 million in a smog-trapped mountain basin — its bazaar, one of the world's largest covered markets, connecting 10 kilometres of vaulted lanes where traditional crafts, electronics, and spice merchants coexist with the architectural ambition of a country navigating modernisation under religious restriction.

With a population of approximately 85.0M, Iran is a vibrant society with a rich mix of traditions and communities. The official language is Persian (Farsi), which reflects the country's cultural heritage and connects it with a wide international community. Internationally, Iran is reached via the dialling code +98. Iranians maintain a Persian civilisation identity of 2,500 years that predates the Islamic Republic by millennia — the Nowruz new year celebration (aligned with the spring equinox, rooted in Zoroastrian tradition), the poetry of Hafez and Rumi quoted from memory in daily conversation, and the Persian language's unbroken literary tradition are markers of cultural continuity that transcend the current political system.

Iran spans 1,648,195 km², in the Southern Asia subregion of Asia. Geographically centred around 32.0°N, 53.0°E, the country offers a diverse range of landscapes shaped by its location, climate and geology. Road traffic follows the right-hand rule, in line with surrounding Asia convention.

The official currency is the Iranian rial (﷼), used for everyday transactions and commerce throughout the country. Iran's economy is shaped by its geography, natural resources and trade relationships. Business and daily life operate under UTC+03:30, aligning the country with its regional neighbours.

The emblematic dish of Iran is Ghormeh Sabzi. Iranian cooking is among the world's most ancient and sophisticated traditions — ghormeh sabzi (herb stew with kidney beans and fenugreek), fesenjan (pomegranate walnut duck sauce), and the saffron that makes Iranian rice dishes glow golden represent a culinary inheritance from Persian imperial court kitchens that influenced cuisine from Spain to India through the Silk Road.

Wrestling / Football holds a special place in the heart of Iran's national identity. Wrestling is Iran's oldest competitive sport, with the traditional varzesh-e bastani (ancient sport) gymnastics performed in the Zurkhaneh (House of Strength) combining acrobatics, music, and Islamic recitation in a physical practice that predates Islam in Iran by centuries and continues as both fitness training and cultural ceremony in gyms across the country.

The highest point in Iran is Mount Damavand, rising to 5,610 metres above sea level. Mount Damavand at 5,610 metres is the highest volcano in Asia and the highest peak in the Middle East — a dormant stratovolcano visible from Tehran on clear days, sulphurous and snow-covered simultaneously at its summit, and central to Iranian mythology as the prison of the tyrant Zahhak chained inside the mountain by the hero Fereydun.