Iran

Iran is ethnically diverse — Persians are the largest group, alongside Azeris, Kurds, Arabs, and others — united by the Persian (Farsi) language and a deep civilizational heritage stretching back millennia.

The overwhelming majority are Shia Muslims, and Iran has been an Islamic republic under clerical rule since the 1979 revolution, with Sunni and small religious minorities.

Society

Iran has high literacy and a young, well-educated population, including many women in universities, whose aspirations have repeatedly clashed with the restrictions of the theocratic state.