LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Iran: Countries
built 650 days ago
Iran is a country of over 2500 years of written history and organized civilization. It was conquered three times by the Greek, Arabs and Mongols. "Persia" is a name of Greek origin attributed to Iran; hence, "Persian" means Iranian. Arab conquest of Iran has been the most destructive of all on the Iranian culture as it affected Farsi, the Iranian language, by banning its official and public use for two centuries. The ban resulted in the disappearance of many basic Farsi words from the language.
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In the outside world the official name of Iran from 6th century BC until 1935 was Persia. In this year Reza Shah asked International community to call this country by its native name "Iran". A few years later some Persian scholars protested the government that changing the name has separated the country from its past so in 1959 Mohammad Reza Shah announced both terms can be used interchangeably. Now both terms are common but "Iran" mostly in modern political context and "Persia" in cultural and historical context.
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In general, Iran has an arid climate in which most of the relatively scant annual precipitation falls from October through April. In most of the country, yearly precipitation averages 25 centimeters or less. The major exceptions are the higher mountain valleys of the Zagros and the Caspian coastal plain, where precipitation averages at least 50 centimeters annually. In the western part of the Caspian, rainfall exceeds 100 centimeters annually and is distributed relatively evenly throughout the year.
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In 1977, Iran played Tatooine in the film 'Star Wars'. After failing to win an Oscar for its performance, Iran became rabid with anger. This anger grew among the populace for several years, growing to the point that men in the country were taking out their rage on the women in their home and community. In 1979, disgruntled citizens underwent the Very Pissed Off And Rather Sexist Revolution. Iran's new leaders immediately ordered women to cover themselves with black sheets to hide their horrible bruises. It is worth noting that some historians have an alternate theory as to why the new regime demanded that woman cover themselves.
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Iran continued its voluntary suspension of enrichment until August of 2005, when nuclear activities resumed at the Isfahan Uranium Conversion Facility. Iran said resumption was due to the European Union's lack of inclusion of Iran's inalienable right to the nuclear fuel cycle, as guaranteed in the NPT, in the proposal for negotiations. The IAEA passed a resolution asking Iran to halt their nuclear program, but Tehran refused to, stating that the nuclear fuel cycle was its right as a member of the NPT. On 24 September 2005, the IAEA found Iran in non-compliance of the NPT. The resolution did not contain an explicit threat that Iran would be referred to the UN Security Council, but did leave the door open for future referral. Tehran does not believe there is any legal basis for referral to the UN Security council and believes the current drive by the United States as well as some European countries are political in nature.
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Today Iran is once again in the headlines. Reputed to be developing nuclear weapons, the future of Iraq's next-door neighbor is a matter of grave concern both for the stability of the region and for the safety of the global community. President George W. Bush labeled it part of the "Axis of Evil," and rails against the country's authoritarian leadership. Yet as Bush trumpets the spread of democracy throughout the Middle East, few note that Iran has one of the longest-running experiences with democracy in the region.
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