173 Interesting Iran Facts: Everything You Should Definitely Know!

The first thing when we think about vacations, probably won't be Iran.

For people that don't know, Iran has a lot of culture and history associated with the country and is known as the Land of the Aryans. The Islamic Republic of Iran, also called Persia, is a West Asian country with a population of over 82 million, where many known powerful empires have ruled and made their mark.

People are often mistaken, but Iran is not an Arab country. In fact, Iranians are known to speak Persian.

The language of Persian is also known as Farsi. Some of the ancient world's most powerful empires were known to have ruled Persia and forever influenced the culture, art, and architecture of the Persian country.

Iran is known for having some of the most beautiful human-made creations and there is a lot of ethnic diversity in the country. All this started as Iran was the place where one of the world's oldest civilizations came to be.

Some of the oldest civilizations in the world were the Elamite kingdoms of the fourth millennium BCE. The country Iran was part of the first Persian Empire or the Achaemenid Empire from 550-330 BCE.

The Iranian region was also ruled later by Hellenistic states, Parthian and Sasanian Empires, and at last the Muslim Arabs in the seventh century BCE for many many years.

The dominant religion or the state religion is Shia Islam. Around 90% of the Iranian population follow this religion.

Sunni Muslims are also present in the Persian nation, but they constitute only 4-8% of the population. There are also Jews, Christians, Zoroastrians, Baha'is, and other religions present in the Islamic Republic of Iran.

With time the dominant religions in Iran have changed as, during the Median and Sasanian times, the religions of Zoroastrianism and Manichaeism were followed. Only after the Muslim conquest, Islam became the main religion in Iran.

Fossil fuels have kept the Islamic Republic of Iran a dominant force in the world. Iran is only after Russia when it comes to gas reserves and is the third-largest producer of natural gas in the world.

The oil reserves of Iranian oil are the fourth-largest in the world. There are also many World Heritage Sites depicting Persian culture in the country of Iran. Iran is known for its rich history of many thousands of years.

Iran's past can be very well seen in the historical buildings in the country. There are 24 UNESCO World Heritage Sites present in Iran. Iran's numbers are only behind China and India when it comes to these magnificent sites.

Twenty-two of these sites in Iran are cultural sites which include monuments and the other two are natural sites. The Iranian government is doing everything to protect these World Heritage Sites.

There's one more fact that many people don't know about this country in the Middle East. The Persian cheetah or the Asiatic cheetah is one of the subspecies of cheetah that is only found in Iran.

Once abundant in the Arabian Peninsula and the Indian subcontinent, the Persian cheetah is now on the brink of extinction and is only found in the Persian country now.

Iran's eastern-central arid regions see a lot of the population of this spectacular creature of the wild. Less than 50 cheetahs are now said to be alive in Iran's jungles.

Everyone must have heard about the carpets of Persia. Iran's carpet weaving craft goes back to the Bronze Age. Since ancient times, the trade of these carpets from Iran has boomed. They are treated as luxury items and are known for their finesse and exquisite beauty.

In different parts of the world, these carpets are used in royal palaces and rich households. The capital of Tehran sees a lot of these carpets in markets. Iran has a 7.9% market share in the handwoven carpet business all over the world.

The cuisine of Persia is also praised worldwide. The cooking traditions of Persia are very famous all over the world.

Dishes like kebab, pilaf, salad Shirazi, mast-o-khiar, and torshi show the real food of the Persian Empire. Various spices are used in preparing the most-loved dishes of Iran and that is what attracts a lot of people all over the world. The food is so good that many other cuisines have been influenced by Iranian cuisine.

Iranian geography is unique too as its high mountains differentiate it from the neighbors of Iran in the west, while the eastern side has a salty barren desert.

The north side of Iran is covered with a narrow strip that borders the Caspian Sea, while on the south side of Iran, the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman are seen. The majority of the population is seen living near the edges of a high plateau that is in the middle of the country of Iran.

Tehran is the most populated city in Iran.

If you enjoy this article, why not also read about Iranian culture facts and Iranian history facts here on Kidadl?

Fun Facts About Iran

Iran has a rich history and Iran is known for many different cultures as well as fun facts too. Let us learn about a few of them.

Did you know, the unique Pahlevani and Zoorkhaneh rituals were formed in the Iranian culture? These were traditional systems of athletics used to train Persian warriors of the past. Even today, these practices are seen in Iran, Iraq, and Azerbaijan. The rituals are a combination of martial arts, music, strength training, and calisthenics. This is even recognized by UNESCO.

The Persian cat from Persia known as Persian Longhair is a breed of cat with long hair, a short muzzle, and a round face. This is a pet always in high demand.

Tehran, the capital of Iran is found south of the Elburz Mountains. Iranian shops in the Grand Bazaar of Tehran are still famous.

When you notice an Iranian rug, there will always be a design flaw in it. It is done on purpose and to focus on the Iranian belief that only God is perfect. These rugs have been part of the culture of the Iranians for more than 2500 years.

The name Islamic Republic of Iran was given in 1979 after the overthrow of the monarchy. Supreme leader Ayatollah Khomeini along with his religious clerics took control of the government and renamed the country of Iran.

After the supreme leader came into power, there was a long war with Iraq, along with political tensions with the US and other countries. Even after Khomeini died in 1989, the tensions between the countries still exist.

Iran in the Middle East is the 18th largest country in the world. The total land area of Iran is 636,372 sq. mi (1,648,195 sq. km). The huge size of Iran ensures that there are different weather conditions for the Iranians to enjoy.

Around 10% of oil reserves in the world are controlled by Iran. Around 60% of the oil reserves in the world are found in the Persian Gulf.

Iran has one of the oldest civilizations dating back to 7000 BCE. Among the Iranians, 61% are Persians. The majority of the country's population are Iranians under the age of 30. Before 1988, the government of Iran gave incentives to families to have more babies. These included vehicles, food, and televisions.

The founder of the popular company eBay, Pierre Omidyar, is Iranian among many other famous personalities.

Some Bible characters like Cyrus the Great, Daniel, Darius the Great, Esther, and St. Thaddaeus are known to be buried in Iran.

Iran also has the largest population of immigrants. There are many migrant workers that have fled from Afghanistan and Iraq due to the tensions going on.

There are two kinds of armies in Iran. One is the regular armed forces while the other is the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps. There are a total of 800,000 personnel currently in the armies (active and reserve).

The estimated GDP of Iran in 2017 hit $447.7 billion in USD. The hydrocarbon, agriculture, and service sectors constitute the economy of Iran.

Poetry is one of the main cultural aspects of Iran. People love poetry in the Middle East and especially in Iran.

There was an attempt to westernize Iran in 1936 when Reza Shah Pahlavi tried to outlaw the Islamic law of hijab and other veils. Islamic laws did not allow Iranian women to be equal to men, legally or mentally. The law made by Reza Shah was meant to bring Islamic revolution.

Soccer is considered the most popular sport in Iran. The national soccer team has won the Asian Cup three times and even participated in the World Cup finals three times.

The women's team is not that lucky, as the International Federation of Association of Football (FIFA) banned the hijab in 2007, and as a result, the women's team could not play in the 2007 World Cup.

The presidential election chooses the people's representatives. June 2005 saw that the mayor of Tehran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is elected president of Iran. However, in 2009, Ahmadinejad won the reelection too in a highly controversial way.

Facts About Iran's Economy

The economy of Iran is helped by different sectors including service and manufacturing.

The GDP of Iran is almost the same size as Maryland. Iran's GDP in 2017 was $454 billion according to the World Bank. Thailand, Austria, and Venezuela have a similar economy to Iran.

Due to economic sanctions put by the US, the economy dropped 3.9% in 2018.

The annual inflation rate is also expected to rise which will lead to unemployment. Anyway, most employment opportunities are found in Tehran.

To balance out its books, Iran would need the fuel price to be doubled all over the world. Millions of gallons of fuel are smuggled out of Iran every day due to the ban imposed on trading.

China is responsible for around 25% of Iran's economic activity in imports and around 20% in exports. Even after the US sanctions, China decided not to decrease the oil purchases from Iran, and Turkey and India followed suit.

Facts About Iran's Tourism

Religious leaders have ruled Iran since 1979 after the shahs were forced to run. This is why you will notice a lot of religious activities in Iran when you visit.

From beautiful landscapes to historical monuments, from delicious food to Islamic masterpieces, Iran has it all. In terms of tourist potential, Iran ranks 15th all over the world.

However, not many people know about the potential the country has, and therefore it ranks 45th in terms of tourist inflow. There are many reasons for that. Women are required to cover their heads and body at all times, cannot share a hotel room if unmarried, and alcohol is banned.

This takes a toll on tourism. Even western credit cards do not work in the country.

Religious places and historical sites in the country have helped the tourism sector a lot. People from neighboring countries also come for treatment to Iran. European tourists prefer to visit the natural sites in the north and the deserts in the south.

Facts About Iran's Population

Among the population, 61% are Persians and the other 39% consists of people of other religions.

The current population of the country is around 85 million. Of this, 43 million are males and 42 million are females. There is growth in the population of around 1 million people every year.

Iran's population amounts to 1.08% of the total world population. It ranks 18th in the list of countries (and dependencies) by population.

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