Iran

The Islamic Republic of Iran is the site of one of the World’s oldest civilisations. Situated in Asia bordering Turkey to the north-west and Afghanistan to the east with coastlines on both the Caspian Sea and the Indian Ocean. Iran’s capital city is Tehran. Historically known as Persia, the country was at the pinnacle of its ancient power around 550BC and has many UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Iran has been a Muslim country since 651 AD and was a founding member of the United Nations. As a major producer of oil and natural gas Iran has an extremely influential role in the region, strengthened by the creation of the Islamic Republic following revolution in 1979.