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...In Persia first arises that light which shines itself and illuminates what is around... The principle of development begins with the history of Persia; this constitutes therefore the begining of history. |
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Name: Islamic Republic of Iran National Day: Day of Islamic Republic, April 1, 1979 (12th of Iranian calendar month of Farvardin in 1358 solar hegira)1 Population: 65,397,521 in 2007 Capital city: Tehran Flag: Made of three equal horizontal bands, green at the top, white in the middle, and red at the bottom. The national emblem (Allah) decorates the flag in red in the middle of the white band. Allahh-u-Akbar (God is the Greatest) written in white and Arabic is repeated eleven times along the lower edge of the green band and also the upper edge of the red band. Metropolitan cities: Iran has 30 provinces, the most important of which are: Tehran, Mashad, Tabriz, Isfahan, Shiraz, Hamedan, Yazd, Qom, Ahvaz, Kerman, Ardebil, Urumia, and Abadan. Important Ports: Bandar Abbas, Bushehr, Chabahar, and Khorramshahr located in the south on the coasts of the Sea of Oman and the Persian Gulf, and ports of Turkmen, Nowshahr, Anzali and Astara stretching along the north, on the brim of the Caspian Sea, are the most important ports of Iran. Official Language: Iran's official language is Persian (Farsi) which is spoken in different dialects. Other Languages: In addition to Persian, some other languages such as Turkish (26%), Kurdish (9%), Luri (2%), Baluchi (1%) and Arabic (1%) are spoken in Iran. Most of the educated people, especially in big cities, are familiar with English language as well. Religions and their followers: Most of the Iranians are Muslim who are mostly Shiite (Jafari Sect). Jafari Shia Muslims make up the majority of the population (95%), Sunni Muslims about (4%) and Christians, Jews, and Zoroastrians altogether about (1%). Currency: Iran's currency is Rial abbreviated as Rls. However, in most transactions, Tuman which equals ten Rials is the prevailing currency. Monetary denominations: One Tuman equals ten Rials. Notes of 1000, 2000, 5000, 10000, and 20000 Rials printed in different sizes are used in daily business activities. The common coins are 10, 20, 50, 100, 250and 500 Rials. One American dollar (in 2006) is changed for 9,000 Rials. Iran's international telephone code: +98 Internet domain: ir |