Iran is a sovereign country in Southern Asia, in the wider region of Asia. Its full official name is Islamic Republic of Iran. Its seat of government is Tehran.
The population is about 91.6 million, placing it 17th of 250 by population — between Vietnam above it and Türkiye below. Among the 9 entries in Southern Asia it ranks 2nd by area and 4th by population.
The land area is 1,648,195 km², which ranks it 19th of the 250 countries and territories in this dataset — just behind Libya and just ahead of Mongolia. For scale, it is a little larger than Mongolia.
Iran on the map
Plotted on a globe it falls at 32.0° north, 53.0° east, which puts it in the northern hemisphere, roughly 3,562 km from the equator, in what geographers would call subtropical latitudes.
Follow that same latitude east or west and you reach Morocco, Tunisia and Bermuda — places that share its distance from the equator but little else.
It borders 7 neighbours: Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iraq, Pakistan, Türkiye and Turkmenistan. The largest of them by area is Pakistan, which is also the most populous. Together those neighbours hold about 446.2 million people.
Unlike its landlocked neighbours it reaches the sea directly, while also sharing land frontiers.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors
How crowded Iran is, and what is spoken there
Spread across 1,648,195 km², that works out at about 56 people per square kilometre, which makes it less crowded than the typical entry on this list. Half the entries in this dataset fall below roughly 90 per square kilometre.
Persian (Farsi) is the only official language. No other entry in this dataset lists Persian (Farsi), so on this list it stands alone.
The demonym is Iranian, so residents are Iranians.
Against Asia as a whole it is the 9th most populous of 50 entries, and it accounts for 4.4% of everyone living in Southern Asia.
The practical details for Iran
It uses the Iranian rial (ï·¼, IRR). It is issued for Iran alone.
Tehran is the city to remember for this country.
The top-level domain is .ir. Calls from overseas start with +98. In ISO terms it is ir in two letters and IRN in three.
Iran is one of the 193 UN member states in this dataset. The other 57 entries are territories, dependencies or observers, which is why totals on this site run to 250 rather than the familiar 195.
Neighbouring countries
Iran shares borders with 7 countries:
Fun facts about Iran
- It is 17th of 250 by population, with about 91.6 million residents.
- It shares land borders with 7 countries: Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iraq, Pakistan, Türkiye and Turkmenistan.
- Its capital city is Tehran.
- The Iranian rial is used here and nowhere else on this list.
- People from Iran are known as Iranians.
- Morocco and Tunisia sit at almost the same latitude, on the far side of the globe.
Iran — frequently asked questions
- What is the capital of Iran?
- The capital of Iran is Tehran.
- How big is Iran?
- Iran covers 1,648,195 km², ranking 19th of 250 by land area. That makes it a little larger than Mongolia.
- Where is Iran located?
- Iran is in Southern Asia, part of Asia. Its reference coordinates are 32.0° north and 53.0° east, roughly 3,562 km from the equator in subtropical latitudes.
- What language is spoken in Iran?
- The official language of Iran is Persian (Farsi). No other entry on this list gives it official status.
- Is Iran a country?
- Yes. Iran is a sovereign state and one of the 193 UN members listed on this site.
- What is the population of Iran?
- Iran has a population of about 91.6 million, which makes it the 17th most populous of the 250 countries and territories listed on this site. Vietnam sits just above it and Türkiye just below.
- Which countries border Iran?
- Iran borders 7 countries: Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iraq, Pakistan, Türkiye and Turkmenistan. Pakistan is the largest of them by area.
- What currency does Iran use?
- Iran uses the Iranian rial, written ï·¼ (currency code IRR). No other entry in this dataset uses it.
