Country · Asia
Iran
Islamic Republic of Iran
Iran is a country in Southern Asia. Its capital city is Tehran. About 81.8 million people live there, in an area of 1 648 195 square kilometres.
Picture credit: Laurens R. Krol (CC BY 4.0) · Mostafameraji (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Lrkrol (CC BY 4.0) · Amir Pashaei (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Amir Pashaei (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Wikimedia Commons
Where is Iran?
Iran lies in Southern Asia, on the continent of Asia.
It sits in the northern half of the world, roughly 3 562 km from the equator.
Its coastline is about 3 294 km long.
It shares a border with 7 countries: Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iraq, Pakistan, Türkiye and Turkmenistan.
How big is Iran?
Iran covers 1 648 195 square kilometres.
That is about 4.6 times the size of Germany.
Among the world's countries that makes it the 17th largest.
Spread out evenly, that is roughly 49.6 people per square kilometre.
Who lives in Iran?
About 81.8 million people live in Iran.
That is the 19th biggest population in the world.
People here speak Persian (Farsi).
They pay with the Iranian rial (﷼).
On average, people born here can expect to live about 70 years.
The land of Iran
The land in Iran sits on average 1 305 metres above sea level — high enough that much of it counts as mountain country.
Its coast runs for about 3 294 km. Walking it end to end, at twenty kilometres a day, would take roughly 165 days.
It lies between the tropics and the poles, which is the single biggest reason its weather is the way it is.
What makes Iran different?
A dish the country is known for: Chelo kabab and Ghormeh sabzi.
Websites from here often end in .ir.
Iran and the rest of the world
Out of every thousand people alive on Earth, about 11 live in Iran.
It takes up about 1.2 % of all the land that countries stand on.
Within Asia it is the 6th largest of 46 countries, and the 10th most populated.
That is close to the world average of roughly 60 people per square kilometre.
Iran and its neighbours
Iran is about 1.9 times the size of Pakistan, its largest neighbour.
Pakistan has more people: 212.2 million against 81.8 million.
Where this country lands in the record lists
Questions children ask
What is the capital of Iran?
The capital of Iran is Tehran. It is the city where the country's government works from.
How many people live in Iran?
About 81.8 million people live in Iran, which makes it the 19th most populated country in the world. (Source: World Bank, 2018.)
Which countries border Iran?
Iran borders Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iraq, Pakistan, Türkiye and Turkmenistan — 7 neighbours in total.
How big is Iran?
Iran covers 1 648 195 square kilometres, making it the 17th largest country in the world. That is about 4.6 times the size of Germany.
Which continent is Iran in?
Iran is in Asia, in the part called Southern Asia.
Where these numbers come from
Borders and outlines: Natural Earth. Names, capitals, areas, languages and currencies: ISO 3166 data (world-countries). Population: World Bank, 2018. Every derived figure on this page (ranks, density, distance from the equator) is calculated from those values.
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