What do you ACTUALLY know about Iran?

Question

Everybody has an opinion on Iran these days..but I see many infactual answers based in ignorance and hatred...

What to you really know about Iran??


I will give best answer to the person that know the most

No cheating or using wikipedia pls..Or Iranians because that wouldn't be fair:p

There were some very good answers. It was hard choose.

Thankyou everybody who answered :))

Answer 1

Iran is a southwest Asian country consisting mainly of deserts and mountains. Eastern Iran is dominated by a high plateau, with large salt flats and vast sand deserts. The plateau is surrounded by even higher mountains, including the Zagros to the west and the Elburz to the north. Farming and settlement are largely concentrated in the narrow plains or valleys in the west or north, where there is more rainfall. Iran's huge oil reserves lie in the southwest, along the Persian Gulf and this is where I do most of my business!
Under Cyrus the Great, the Persian Empire started a mainly autocratic rule. The Empire reached it's peak around the 6th Century B.C and has had various rulers all following the main principles of autocratic rule.
In 1941, Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi came to power. With help from the U.S., the shah initiated social and economic reforms financed by massive petroleum exports.
The West got all the oil and crude products and Iran got cash..absolutely stacks of it which has helped to make Iran a very rich country.

Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi had opponents who hated what they saw as 'Westernization' for tainting Iran's Cultural identity and what they termed as 'Islamic Purity'

The shah fled the country when revolution broke out in 1978. Ayatollah Khomeini came into power and immediately imposed a fundamentalist theocracy, under which an estimated 70,000 critics were executed. Anyone who dared to speak out got thrown in jail or executed and a number of my friends out there have served time for what you can seriously consider to be 'petty' things,

The official state religion is the Shiite branch of Islam, and is practiced by most Iranians.

The 1980 to 1988 War with Iraq cost a million Iranian lives and devastated the economy but this is coming back in leaps and bounds.

Iran confronts political and social transformation as some promote liberal ideas, while others hold fast to established Islamic traditions. An estimated seven million Iranians now have access to the Internet, which has been used to circumvent government censorship.

There has been a lot of reporting recently on the Iranian ability to produce 'nuclear' items. I believe that this is extremely achievable by the Iranians and that they should have the right to continue. We HAVE to trust that they will do the right thing with their knowledge and materials.

Iranian Industries mainly centre around Petroleum and Petrochemicals, Textiles and Construction Materials.
In the more fertile regions, wheat, grain, rice and beet are all grown. Right up the top end of the country is a booming caviar centre although I still can't like the taste of it!

Iran exports Petroleum (Lots and Lots!), Iron and Steel, Fruit, Nuts, carpets and Chemicals

Iran has a population of 70 million people
Languages spoken are Turkic, Kurdish and Persian mainly.
The capital is Tehran
You wouldn't want to wallpaper across it as it is 640000 square miles...
Religions Shiite and Sunni Muslim with some smaller elements of other religions mixed through.
Currency is the Iranian rial

and Kish Island is absolutely beautiful!

Answer 2

I know it's a big country that was ruled by the Shah's until 1979 when the Ayatollah Khomeni (sorry for spelling, you said no Wikipedia !) took over after President Carter abandoned the Shah.

I know it's a democracy, but also a theocracy.

I know the capital city is Tehran.

I know the main language is Farsi.

I know the prople of Iran are Persians (NOT arabic), also Aryan.

I know that according to legend, Alexander the Great got married there with TEN THOUSAND of his officers in one vast ceremony!

I know that the official religion is Islam, and the Shia sect is dominant.

I know that it shares borders with Turkey, Iraq, Turkmienistan, Armenia, and Afgahnistan ...

I know that the last Shah of Iran tried to modernize too fast, and upset the powerful religious leaders, leading to his ultimate fall from power...

I know that there was a great meeting in Tehran of Stalin, Churchill, and Roosevelt in 1943 (I think) at which the future of Europe was mapped out, and during that meeting the British got an undertaking from the Soviets that after WWII they would leave, but the UN had to force the issue in 1946.

I know that Lend-Lease supplies from the US went to the Soviet Union through Iran...

I know Iran used to be called Persia, and I wish they would change the name back.. so much better!

I know they have vast oil reserves, giving the country great economic security for the future.

I know I want to go there and travel through your wonderful country!

I hope that helped

Philip

Answer 3

It's a democracy
It has got a very high rate of junkies
It has unemployment
There are mainly Persian, not arabic
Iran had a kind -Shah?- until some fanatic did a coup and made himself the most hatred man in the world (ayatola Khomeny)
He supported terrorism
The new president is dull, and diffuses messages of hatred to the western world, saying that Israel should be wiped out of the globe
It has lots of potential but the transition toward modernity is pulled back by fondamentalist
I do not know much about Iran, only that every time they hit the news, it seems like they infuriate everybody

Answer 4

My experience with Iran has been in meeting two of the finest, kindest, cheerful, and witty young ladies in Dubai who had just stepped off the plane from Iran. My being American did not phase them a bit and after some chatter they loosened up and were much cooler than American chicks who I have met. So what I know is, if there are a lot of these cool chicks then it can't be all that bad.

Answer 5

I read the book of Stephen Kinzer, about Iran (Svi Sahovi ljudi :P). This book made me change my way of looking toward this country and the concept of terrorism itself. I have mentioned this book, and its content, several times in my yahoo answers.

Iran, with its rich culture and history, was the colony of England. Under Mosadeg, it started its way toward independence and quite a democracy. It overthrew the English, but had too much trust toward USA, because USA was seen as friendly country. USA missionaries traveled to Iran and helped the people. USA, with CIA, took the English left structures and organized the overthrow of Mosadeg. This later led to political instabily and the rise of radical steams in Iran.

Right now, I have no idea what is going on in Iran. The radicals are still on power. I would like to know if there is any way this country could return to the democratic streams Mosadeg fought for.

Ah yes, I have Persian rugs home :)

Answer 6

All I really know is they used to be called Persia, they speak Farsi, and Iran is the birthplace and host to the biggest population of Zoroastrianism practitioners. That's about all I know, along with the obligatory: "their mostly Middle Eastern and Islamic..."

Answer 7

nothing, and I do not want to either, must be something in it for the ruskies to turn there oppinions about them,maybe we do not have anything against you as a people just your leaders, how do you know its all ignorance, it could be you who is ignorant to the facts,
do you think that wikipidia are right then, and the Irianians that are not ignorant to the facts,
and as some one else said yo are the one who uses wic,
so why not us i never have done i just do it to get the points i think i have more abuse reports than any one else because i say what i think to the Question not all the bumph that follows,
i say you want to write a book do it in m/ word not on here,

Answer 8

It used to be called Persia ... and the main language is Farsi ... that is my basic Iranian information ... !! Oh and the people are very beautiful because they have dark skin and green eyes ...

Answer 9

I know virtually nothing about Iran, but then I don't have an opinion on it either.

Answer 10

nothing and do not want to know like the rest of my Egyptian coleuges, you said no wikipidia right 77% is not bad are u using wick.