- published: 09 Apr 2015
- views: 46396
Coordinates: 32°N 53°E / 32°N 53°E / 32; 53
Iran (i/ɪˈrɑːn/ or /aɪˈræn/;Persian: ایران [ʔiˈɾɒn] ( listen)), officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (Persian: جمهوری اسلامی ایران Jomhuri-ye Eslāmi-ye Irān), is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran", which in Persian means "Land of the Aryans", has been in use natively since the Sassanian era. It came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia ( /ˈpɜrʒə/ or /ˈpɜrʃə/). Both "Persia" and "Iran" are used interchangeably in cultural contexts; however, "Iran" is the name used officially in political contexts.
The 18th-largest country in the world in terms of area at 1,648,195 km2 (636,372 sq mi), Iran has a population of around 79 million. It is a country of particular geopolitical significance owing to its location in the Middle East and central Eurasia. Iran is bordered on the north by Armenia, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan. As Iran is a littoral state of the Caspian Sea, which is an inland sea, Kazakhstan and Russia are also Iran's direct neighbors to the north. Iran is bordered on the east by Afghanistan and Pakistan, on the south by the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, on the west by Iraq and on the northwest by Turkey. Tehran is the capital, the country's largest city and the political, cultural, commercial and industrial center of the nation. Iran is a regional power, and holds an important position in international energy security and world economy as a result of its large reserves of petroleum and natural gas. Iran has the second largest proven natural gas reserves in the world and the fourth largest proven petroleum reserves.
On the banks of Lough Graney, saw the paster inviting me
I heard the ghosts of kings and queens whispering my name
I thought I'd blink it all away, surely it could never stay
But still the hunts of yesterday, stood proud before my eyes
Something had me in its spell, my hands and feet were frozen still
And what it was I couldn't tell, that captive there I was
Forward came the granded steed, righteous shown of dignity
And on this mounty was indeed a power to behold
He offered me a kingly hand and in his steel gray eyes I saw the man
That showed me how to love the land and make our living my home
To whatever brought me here, we'd hope or need or fear
I offered thanks and said a prayer that this will always be
At last the future is taking hold and every dream will soon unfold
My love and I will just grow old on the banks of Lough Graney