Country · Asia
Iran
Islamic Republic of Iran
Iran is a country in Southern Asia. About 81.8 million people live there, in an area of 1 648 195 square kilometres. Its capital city is Tehran.
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 everybody out evenly and you get about 49.6 people on every square kilometre.
That is close to the world average of roughly 60 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 of 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?
Dishes 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 the country ranks 6th of 46 by size, and 10th by population.
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.
Nature and animals
Of the animals on this site, 3 live wild in Iran: Beluga sturgeon, Leopard gecko and Caracal. The highest mountain in the country is Mount Damavand, at 5 609 metres. The longest river in the country is the Karun. The largest lake in the country is Caspian Sea.
Photographs from Wikimedia Commons under free licences — every credit is on the page itself and in the picture credits.
Where this country lands in the record lists
How big is Iran compared with the United States?
- The United States is about 5.7 times as big as Iran: 9 372 610 km² against 1 648 195 km². See both on one map
- Iran is about 6.8 times as big as the United Kingdom: 1 648 195 km² against 242 900 km². See both on one map
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.
What is the highest mountain in Iran?
The highest mountain in Iran is Mount Damavand, 5 609 metres above sea level. It is the country's highest point.
What is the longest river in Iran?
The longest river in Iran is the Karun, about 950 kilometres long.
What is the largest lake in Iran?
The largest lake in Iran is Caspian Sea. The whole lake covers about 371 000 km², and part of it belongs to neighbouring countries.
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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