Iran

Iran, formerly Persia, can be considered part of the Middle East or Central Asia; indeed the Persian Empire was the dominant Central Asian power for many centuries. The wellspring of one of the world's great civilizations, Iran is a country of striking natural beauty and gorgeous tiled mosques. Once the center of a pro-Western monarchy, it became an Islamic Republic in 1979, and since then, its history has been tumultuous. Iran is a modern Islamic theocracy whose laws are based on Ja'fari Shia Islam. Today, Iran is a melting pot of different cultures, with Persians, Azerbaijanis, and Kurds constituting the largest ethnic groups. Shia Islam is the state religion, although there is a sizeable portion of Sunnis, as well as long-established Christian, Jewish and Zoroastrian minorities.