FACTS

Location: Middle East, bordering the Gulf of Oman, the Persian Gulf, and the Caspian Sea, between Iraq and Pakistan

Area (only Total) total: 1.648 million sq km

Climate: mostly arid or semiarid, subtropical along Caspian coast

Terrain: rugged, mountainous rim; high, central basin with deserts, mountains; small, discontinuous plains along both coasts

Population: 65,875,223 (July 2008 est.)

Main Language (only first): Persian and Persian dialects

Government type: theocratic republic

Capital (Name): Tehran

Capital (Time Difference): UTC+3.5

Independence: 1 April 1979 (Islamic Republic of Iran proclaimed)

National holiday: Republic Day, 1 April (1979)