Economy of Iran - Major banks. Bank Melli Iran Bank Saderat Iran Bank Sepah Bank Tejarat Iran-Europe Commercial Bank Bank Keshavarzi Bank Mellat Bank Refah Kargaran Export Promotion Bank of Iran Sanat va Madan bank Maskan Bank hoviat-talab private Bank Bank Saman Parsian Bank ...

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Economy of Iran, Economy of Iran - History, Economy of Iran - Sectors of the Economy, Economy of Iran - Oil sector, Economy of Iran - Agriculture, Economy of Iran - Other sectors, Economy of Iran - Current status, Economy of Iran - Foreign trade and economic relations, Economy of Iran - Iran and the World Trade Organization, Economy of Iran - Other statistics, Economy of Iran - Banks of Iran, Economy of Iran - Major banks, Economy of Iran - Relevant links, Economy of Iran - Official, Economy of Iran - Semi-official

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Iran, Iran - History, Iran - Government and Politics, Iran - The Supreme Leader Rahbar, Iran - The President Ra'is-e Jomhoor, Iran - The Parliament Majles, Iran - The Assembly of Experts, Iran - The Council of Guardians, Iran - The Expediency Council, Iran - The Judiciary, Iran - Provinces, Iran - Geography, Iran - Climate, Iran - Economy, Iran - Demographics, Iran - Ethnic groups, Iran - Religion, Iran - Major cities, Iran - Culture, Iran - Miscellaneous topics, Iran - Notes and references

Read more here: » Iran: Encyclopedia II - Iran - Provinces

Iran - Ethnic groups. The majority of Iran's population speak one of the Iranian languages, though Persian is the official language. While the number, percentage, and definition of the different Iranian peoples is disputed, the major ethnic groups and minorities in Iran include the Persians (51%), Azeris (24%), Gilaki and Mazandarani (8%), Kurds (7%), Arabs (3%), Baluchi (2%), Lurs (2%), Turkmen people (2%), Qashqai, Armenians, Georgians, Persian Jews, Assyrians and others (1 %). These percentages however are onl ...

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Iran, Iran - Name, Iran - History, Iran - Government and Politics, Iran - Geography, Iran - Climate, Iran - Provinces, Iran - Economy, Iran - Demographics, Iran - Ethnic groups, Iran - Religion, Iran - Major cities, Iran - Culture, Iran - Miscellaneous topics, Iran - Notes and references

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"Astara is an area where Zoroaster(zartosht)may have visited and there were Its history dates back to 6000 years ago.The spoken language was talyshi but due to commerce with Azeri Turks and migration of Azeris into town the use of Taleshi reduced significantly." There is also a city with this name just on apposite side of the border, inside the Azerbaijan Republic territory. The Northern Astara (azerbaijani Astara) was ceded from Persia by the Gulistan T ...

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Astara, Iran, Astara, Iran - Etymology:, Astara, Iran - History, Astara, Iran - People

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Written history in Iran begins with the Proto-Elamites around 3000BC, and continues with the arrival of The Aryans and the establishment of the Median dynasty, followed by the Achaemenids, who built the world's first global empire, under Cyrus the Great in 546BC. The name Persia is derived from Persis, the ancient Greek name for the empire, although Eratosthenes also mentions the name "Iran". Alexander the Great conquered Persia in 331 BC, soon only to be succeeded by the Parthian and Sassanid dynasties, who followed the Achaemenids a ...

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Iran, Iran - Name, Iran - History, Iran - Government and Politics, Iran - Geography, Iran - Climate, Iran - Provinces, Iran - Economy, Iran - Demographics, Iran - Ethnic groups, Iran - Religion, Iran - Major cities, Iran - Culture, Iran - Miscellaneous topics, Iran - Notes and references

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Sometime around 1500 to 1000 BC, the Iranian nomads of Indo-European stock emigrated to the Iranian plateau possibly from Central Asia. In 8th century BC, the first Iranian government was established under the Median dynasty and under the following dynasty, the Achaemenids, Iranians built the first world empire. Their empire emerged in the 6th century BC under Cyrus the Great, the founder of the Persian Empire, who called himself "King of Iran and beyond". Indeed, the name Persia is derived from Persis, the ancient Greek name for the ...

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Iran, Iran - History, Iran - Government and Politics, Iran - The Supreme Leader Rahbar, Iran - The President Ra'is-e Jomhoor, Iran - The Parliament Majles, Iran - The Assembly of Experts, Iran - The Council of Guardians, Iran - The Expediency Council, Iran - The Judiciary, Iran - Provinces, Iran - Geography, Iran - Climate, Iran - Economy, Iran - Demographics, Iran - Ethnic groups, Iran - Religion, Iran - Major cities, Iran - Culture, Iran - Miscellaneous topics, Iran - Notes and references

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Zarand is a town in the Kerman province of Iran. With a population of about 15,000 people, it is located about 55 km northwest of the provincial capital of Kerman. On February 22, 2005, a major earthquake killed hundreds of residents in the town of Zarand and several nearby villages in north Kerman. (See 2005 Zarand earthquake.) Southwest of Tehran, Iran, halfway between Tehran and Saveh, there is a plain also called Zarand. Zavyeh and Mamounieh are two small towns on this plain. ...

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The cuisine of Iran is diverse, with each province featuring dishes, as well as culinary traditions and styles, distinct to their regions. Cuisine of Iran - Traditional Iranian table settings. The traditional Iranian table setting firstly involves the tablecloth, called sofreh, which is often generally embroidered with traditional prayers and/or poetry, and is spread out over a Persian rug or table. Main dishes are concentrated in the center, surrounded by smaller dishes containing appetizers, condim ...

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• Cuisine of Iran - Traditional Iranian table settings
• Cuisine of Iran - Essential accompaniments
• Cuisine of Iran - Varieties of rice
• Cuisine of Iran - Methods of cooking rice
• Cuisine of Iran - Varieties of bread
• Cuisine of Iran - Regional cuisines
• Cuisine of Iran - Gilan
• Cuisine of Iran - Khuzestan
• Cuisine of Iran - Fast food imported and adapted foods
• Cuisine of Iran - Alcoholic beverages
• Cuisine of Iran - Vegetarianism in Iran

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See main article: Iranian art Culture of Iran - Persian language and literature. See main article: Persian literature. See main article: Persian language. The Persian language has been in continuous use for over 2500 years. Yet it is a subset of the superset of Iranian languages. Persian literature inspired Goethe, Ralph Waldo Emerson and many others, and it has been often dubbed as a most worthy language to serve as a conduct for poetry. ...

Including:

• Culture of Iran - Persian Art
• Culture of Iran - Persian language and literature
• Culture of Iran - Iranian Cinema
• Culture of Iran - Persian Music
• Culture of Iran - Persian Architecture
• Culture of Iran - Persian rugs
• Culture of Iran - Persian Gardens
• Culture of Iran - Persian Cuisine
• Culture of Iran - Women in Persian culture
• Culture of Iran - Iranian traditional holidays
• Culture of Iran - Traditional cultural inheritors of the old Persia
• Culture of Iran - Persian contributions to humanity
• Culture of Iran - Sources

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Christianity in Iran has had a long history. It has always been a minority religion, overshadowed by the majority state religions - Zoroastrianism in the past, and Shia Islam today. Christians of Iran have played a significant part in the history of Christian mission. Christians in Iran - Main denominations. A number of Christian denominations are represented in Iran. Many members of the larger, older churches belong to ethnic groups with their own distinctive culture and language. The members of the newer, ...

Including:

• Christians in Iran - Main denominations
• Christians in Iran - History
• Christians in Iran - Current situation
• Christians in Iran - The Bible in Iranian languages
• Christians in Iran - Further Literature

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Astara is a city in the Iranian province of Gilan. It lies on the border with Azerbaijan Republic. It is a relatively important border trade center between Iran and the Caucasus. Astara Iran - Etymology:. Its name is derived from the Tukic words AST (=lower)+ ARA (or ARALIQ =land); means "The lower land", beacause it's located in one of the lowest lands of azeri populated areas. There is also another idea about Astara :Its name is derived from the Persian or taleshi word Including:

• Astara Iran - Etymology:
• Astara Iran - History
• Astara Iran - People

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If one were to trace the first visual representations in Iranian history, the bas-reliefs in Persepolis (c.500 B. C) would be one of the earliest examples. There were many dramatic performance arts popular before the advent of cinema in Iran. A few examples include: Khaymeshab-bazi (puppet shows), Saye-bazi (shadow plays), Rouhozi (comical acts), and Ta'zieh (a form of Persian passion play, presenting tragic dramas based on the martyrdom of Hossein, an extremely important figure in Shi'asm). The first Persian filmmaker was like ...

Including:

• Cinema of Iran - Early Persian cinema
• Cinema of Iran - Contemporary Iranian cinema
• Cinema of Iran - Persian cinema in Afghanistan
• Cinema of Iran - Persian cinema in Tajikistan

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total: 6,130 km broad gauge: 94 km 1.676-m gauge (connected to Pakistan Railways) standard gauge: 6,036 km 1.435-m gauge (187 km electrified) note: broad-gauge track is employed at the borders with Azerbaijan Republic and Turkmenistan which have 1.524-m broad-gauge rail systems; 41 km of the standard-gauge, electrified track is in suburban service at Tehran (2001) City with underground railway system: Tehran In 2002, the Iran Parliament approved the funding of a new line from Mash ...

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Transportation in Iran, Transportation in Iran - Railways, Transportation in Iran - Railway links with adjacent countries, Transportation in Iran - Highways, Transportation in Iran - Waterways, Transportation in Iran - Pipelines, Transportation in Iran - Ports and harbors, Transportation in Iran - Merchant marine, Transportation in Iran - Airports, Transportation in Iran - Airports - with paved runways, Transportation in Iran - Airports - with unpaved runways, Transportation in Iran - Heliports

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Iran (Persia) consists of rugged, mountainous rims surrounding high interior basins. The main mountain chain is the Zagros Mountains, a series of parallel ridges interspersed with plains that bisect the country from northwest to southeast. Many peaks in the Zagros exceed 3,000 meters above sea level, and in the south-central region of the country there are at least five peaks that are over 4,000 meters. As the Zagros continue into southeastern Iran, the average elevation of the peaks declines dramatically to under 1,500 meters. Rimming the C ...

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Geography of Iran, Geography of Iran - Topography, Geography of Iran - Climate, Geography of Iran - Area and boundaries, Geography of Iran - Resources and land use, Geography of Iran - Environmental concerns, Geography of Iran - Sources

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Sports in Iran - Football in Iran. Main article: Football in Iran Football (soccer) is by far the most popular sport in Iran. Iran has been able to reach the Football World Cup finals three times, and it is among the football elite in Asia. Particularly, in the past 10 years, with the privatization for ownership of soccer clubs, and the launch of Iran's Premiere Football League, considerable progress has been made, and many Iranian players now play in major European leagues, and ...

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Sports in Iran, Sports in Iran - Traditional Persian sports, Sports in Iran - Pahlavani wrestling, Sports in Iran - Polo, Sports in Iran - Backgammon, Sports in Iran - Popular sports in Iran, Sports in Iran - Football in Iran, Sports in Iran - Wrestling in Iran, Sports in Iran - Weightlifting in Iran, Sports in Iran - Skiing in Iran, Sports in Iran - Martial Arts, Sports in Iran - Hiking and the climbing sports, Sports in Iran - Others

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Pre-revolutionary Iran's economic development was rapid. Traditionally an agricultural society, by the 1970s, Iran had achieved significant industrialization and economic modernization. However, the pace of growth had slowed dramatically by 1978, just before the Islamic revolution. Since the revolution, growth has been rather slow. Iran's current difficulties can be traced to a combination of factors. Economic activity, severely disrupted by the revolution, was further depressed by the war with Iraq and by the decline of oil prices be ...

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Economy of Iran, Economy of Iran - History, Economy of Iran - Sectors of the Economy, Economy of Iran - Oil sector, Economy of Iran - Agriculture, Economy of Iran - Other sectors, Economy of Iran - Current status, Economy of Iran - Foreign trade and economic relations, Economy of Iran - Iran and the World Trade Organization, Economy of Iran - Other statistics, Economy of Iran - Banks of Iran, Economy of Iran - Major banks, Economy of Iran - Relevant links, Economy of Iran - Official, Economy of Iran - Semi-official

Read more here: » Economy of Iran: Encyclopedia II - Economy of Iran - History

Iran has a variable climate. In the northwest, winters are cold with heavy snowfall and subfreezing temperatures during December and January. Spring and fall are relatively mild, while summers are dry and hot. In the south, winters are mild and the summers are very hot, having average daily temperatures in July exceeding 38° C. On the Khuzestan plain, summer heat is accompanied by high humidity. In general, Iran has an arid climate in which most of the relatively scant annual precipitation falls from October through April. In most of ...

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Geography of Iran, Geography of Iran - Topography, Geography of Iran - Climate, Geography of Iran - Area and boundaries, Geography of Iran - Resources and land use, Geography of Iran - Environmental concerns, Geography of Iran - Sources

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Shiraz is accessible via freeways to Isfahan, roadways to Bushehr, railways, and air. Shiraz Iran - Airports. Shiraz International Airport ...

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Shiraz Iran, Shiraz Iran - Geography, Shiraz Iran - Attractions of Shiraz, Shiraz Iran - History of Shiraz, Shiraz Iran - Shiraz in poetry, Shiraz Iran - Baba Taher, Shiraz Iran - Hafez The Nightingale of Shiraz, Shiraz Iran - Universities of Shirāz, Shiraz Iran - Notable people, Shiraz Iran - Transportation, Shiraz Iran - Airports, Shiraz Iran - Useful references about Shiraz

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Iran has had an observer status at the World Trade Organization (WTO) since 2005. The United States has consistently blocked Iran's bid to join the WTO since Tehran first asked for membership several years ago. The veto comes as no surprise - Washington claims that Iran is a terrorist nation and maintains trade sanctions against it. And despite the backing of countries like China for Iran's membership, ...

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Economy of Iran, Economy of Iran - History, Economy of Iran - Sectors of the Economy, Economy of Iran - Oil sector, Economy of Iran - Agriculture, Economy of Iran - Other sectors, Economy of Iran - Current status, Economy of Iran - Foreign trade and economic relations, Economy of Iran - Iran and the World Trade Organization, Economy of Iran - Other statistics, Economy of Iran - Banks of Iran, Economy of Iran - Major banks, Economy of Iran - Relevant links, Economy of Iran - Official, Economy of Iran - Semi-official

Read more here: » Economy of Iran: Encyclopedia II - Economy of Iran - Iran and the World Trade Organization

Economy of Iran - Oil sector. Iran is OPEC's second largest oil producer and holds 10% of the world's proven oil reserves. It also has the world's second largest natural gas reserves (after Russia). The strong oil market in 1996 helped ease financial pressures on Iran and allowed for Tehran's timely debt service payments. Iran's financial situation tightened in 1997 because of lower oil prices. The subsequent rise in oil prices in 1999/2000 afforded Iran fiscal breathing room. Iranian budget deficits have been a ...

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Economy of Iran, Economy of Iran - History, Economy of Iran - Sectors of the Economy, Economy of Iran - Oil sector, Economy of Iran - Agriculture, Economy of Iran - Other sectors, Economy of Iran - Current status, Economy of Iran - Foreign trade and economic relations, Economy of Iran - Iran and the World Trade Organization, Economy of Iran - Other statistics, Economy of Iran - Banks of Iran, Economy of Iran - Major banks, Economy of Iran - Relevant links, Economy of Iran - Official, Economy of Iran - Semi-official

Read more here: » Economy of Iran: Encyclopedia II - Economy of Iran - Sectors of the Economy