Iran Flag

Iran's population is made up of numerous ethnic groups, the Persian being the largest. Persians had migrated to Iran from Central Asia in the beginning of 7th century BC. They include such groups as the Gilaki, who live in Gilan Province, and the Mazandarani, who live in Mazandaran Province. Accounting for about 60 percent of the total population, Persians live in cities throughout the country, as well as in the villages of central and eastern Iran. The official language of Iran is Modern Persian.

Iran's rich musical tradition is marked by unique vocal styles and rich solo instrumental performance. After he revolution in 1979 there has been a major revival of interest in Iranian traditional and folk music. Traditional musical instruments include the kamánche or spiked fiddle; the santur, a stringed instrument similar to the hammer dulcimer; the setar, which resembles a lute; and the tar, an ancestor of the guitar. Many Iranian musicians have acquired international reputations as virtuoso performers of these instruments.

The flag of Iran has three equal horizontal bands of green at the top, then white, and then red. The national emblem (a stylized representation of

Initially, agriculture used to form the backbone of Iran's economy but now it has taken a back seat, giving way to the manufacturing industry. Factory manufacturing in Iran has experienced periods of both rapid growth and stagnation. Trade and commerce activities grew with the urbanization of the country. The mining sector, which produces oil, has also grown rapidly since the country nationalized its oil fields in the 1950s. In the late 1970s, the Iranian economy looked poised to grow to a level on par with the world's developed countries, but the dream was shattered by the 1979 revolution and the subsequent eight-year war with Iraq. These periods led to an economic stagnation but the country began to recover slowly. In 2001 the GDP was estimated at $114 billion, or $1,770 per capita, in which the service sector contributed the largest percentage of the GDP, followed by industry (mining and manufacturing) and then agriculture. About 45 percent of the government's budget came from oil and natural gas revenues, and 31 percent came from taxes and fees.