Iran
Asia · Capital: Tehran
How it is run: Iran is a member of the United Nations, so it gets one vote in the General Assembly. Use the research links below to find out exactly who makes the laws there.
Iran is home to 92.4 million people in Southern Asia, where people speak Persian (Farsi).
Numbers that tell a story 🔢
👥 People
92.4 million people
That is 1.1% of everybody alive (counted in 2025).
🗺️ Land
1,648,195 km²
One of the world's large countries: flying across it takes hours.
🏙️ How crowded
About 56 people per square kilometre — a comfortable mix of cities and open land.
📊 Size in its region
9th most people in Asia
6th largest by land in Asia.
🗣️ Official languages
Persian (Farsi)
💰 Money
Iranian rial (﷼)
Life here today 🩺
These come from World Bank open data — the same numbers governments use when they argue about budgets.
❤️ How long people live
77.9 years on average
Doctors, clean water and food supply all change this number over time.
💼 Money made per person each year
about US$3,924
A lower-income country: money for schools, clinics and roads has to stretch a very long way.
🏢 Living in cities
77.4% of people
Mostly a city country — think buses, trains and apartment blocks.
🎒 Kids under 15
22% of the population
A fairly balanced mix of young and old.
Everyday details 🧭
📞 Phone code
+98
Dial this before the number to call from another country.
🌐 Websites end in
.ir
🧑 People here are called
Iranian
🏷️ Name at home
ایران
Also written: Islamic Republic of Iran, Iran, Islamic Republic of, Jomhuri-ye Eslāmi-ye Irān.
🌊 Coast or inland
Has a coastline
🕊️ UN voting group
Asia and the Pacific Group
Countries in the same group often plan votes together.
Neighbours & borders 🤝
Iran touches 7 neighbours by land. Neighbours share rivers, roads and usually a lot of trade.
Say its name around the world 🗣️
Countries have different names in different languages. Try these with a penpal.
Spanish
Iran
French
Iran
Arabic
إيران
Chinese
伊朗
Japanese
イラン
Russian
Иран
Portuguese
Irão
German
Iran
Put it in perspective 📏
- India — the most populated country in Asia — has about 15.8× as many people as Iran.
- Iran covers roughly 15,697 times the area of Hong Kong Island.
- If everyone in Iran lined up shoulder to shoulder, the line would stretch about 46,209 km.
Flags through time 🎏
A flag is a country telling you what it believes. Scroll the timeline and watch Iran change.
Imperial Iran
The Lion and Sun flew under the Shah.
Islamic Republic
The centre emblem is the word 'Allah' shaped like a tulip.
Fast facts 🧠
Fact of the day: Iran sits in Southern Asia, in the northern and eastern half of the globe.
🏷️ Official name
Islamic Republic of Iran
🏙️ Capital
Tehran
🌍 Region
Asia · Southern Asia
🔤 Country code
IR
🕊️ UN status
UN member state
🚩 Independence
Independent country
More about Iran 🔎
Naqsh-e Jahan Square
A giant 1600s square framed by tiled mosques in a hundred shades of blue. People once played polo across it.
See it in Street View🧭 Where on the map
32.0° N, 53.0° E
🌐 Half of the world
Northern & Eastern hemisphere
🕰️ Clock check
Roughly UTC+4 — when it is noon in London it is about 16:00 in Tehran.
- Iran shares its part of the world with Bangladesh. Countries close together often trade the most with each other.
- Iran is an independent country, meaning it makes its own laws.
- Iran sits in Southern Asia, in the northern and eastern half of the globe.
- Iran sits in the temperate zone, the belt where most of the world's farms and big cities are.
- Iran is close to the line of 0° longitude, so its clocks are near the world's reference time (UTC).
Countries nearby 🤝
Talk about it 💬
- Iran has 1 official language. How would your school day change if lessons were taught in more than one language?
- Iran can trade by sea. What should a country protect first: its ports, its fishing waters, or its beaches?
- If Iran spoke at the General Assembly tomorrow, what one problem should its delegate ask the world to help fix?
Quick quiz 🧪
Guess first, then tap to check your answer.
What is the capital of Iran?
Tehran
Which money do people spend in Iran?
Iranian rial (﷼)
How many countries share a land border with Iran?
7 — Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iraq, Pakistan, Türkiye, Turkmenistan.
Roughly how many people live in Iran?
92.4 million people
Keep researching 🔍
Everything here is a starting point. These trusted sites, databases and libraries will take you further — and they are the kind of sources a teacher will accept in a report.
Start here — kid-friendly encyclopedias 📚
Short articles written for students, with maps and photos you can use in a report.
Official data & government sources 🏛️
Primary sources. Cite these when your teacher asks for real data.
News & current policy 📰
Use two different outlets before you decide what you think.
Your library card 🏫
Libraries give you books, databases and librarians — all free.
Library tip: Ask your school or public librarian for their online databases (like Gale in Context or EBSCO Explora). Your library card unlocks them for free at home, and they are already checked by adults for school use.