Iran, officially The Islamic Republic of Iran, is the world's 18th largest country and the 17th most populous. Prior to 1935, Iran was known as Persia. Iran is home to one of the oldest continuous civilizations, having been inhabited by humans for over 4,000 years. Its location places it along many vital trade routes, and the plethora of natural resources contained within its borders have made it a significant trade partner in both ancient and modern times.

Located in the Middle East, Iran is bordered by the Caspian Sea to the north, the Gulf of Oman to the south, the Persian Gulf and Iraq to the west, and Afghanistan and Pakistan to the east.

With the exception of the Caspian coastlines, Iran is predominantly mountainous, with rugged mountain ranges acting as borders between various deserts, plateaus, and saline basins.

The climate is mostly arid or semiarid, with subtropical regions along the Caspian coast.

Known as Persia until 1935, Iran is home to one of the oldest continuous civilizations, having been inhabited by humans for over 4,000 years. Its location places it along many vital trade routes, and the plethora of natural resources contained within its borders have made it a significant trade partner in both ancient and modern times.

On January 16, 2009 the United States Treasury Department zeroed-in on four alleged Al-Qaeda operatives with ties to the organization's operations in Iran. The department issued executive order 13224, freezing the men's assets and prohibiting transactions between them and U.S. citizens. The purpose of such an order is to target the operatives as well as those that support them, and forces Iran to publicly accept responsibility for how it is meeting its international obligations regarding Al Qaeda. The four men, Mustafa Hamid, Muhammad Rab'a al-Sayid al-Bahtiyti, Ali Saleh Husain, and Osama Bin Laden's son Saad bin Laden, were allegedly detained by Iranian authorities in 2003, though it is believed Sa'ad bin Laden has been away from the country since at least September of 2008.Google News (AFP): US Treasury Targets Bin Laden Son, Al Qaeda with Iran Ties (January 16, 2009)

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  Creative Commons image by "CIA World Factbook"

• Wikipedia: Geography of Iran | Agriculture | Wildlife

• Parstimes.com: Iran Geography

• The Metropolitan Museum of Art: The Geography of Iran

• World Atlas Travel: Iran