|a scrap or morsel of food left at a meal.| |a children's
mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the
best costumes.| |See also Persian Empire Former name (until
1935): Persia, Official name: Islamic Republic of Iran a
republic in SW Asia, between the Caspian Sea and the Persian
Gulf: a monarchy until an Islamic revolution in 1979 headed by
the Ayatollah Khomeini when the Shah was obliged to leave the
country. Consists chiefly of a high central desert plateau
almost completely surrounded by mountains, a semitropical
fertile region along the Caspian coast, and a hot and dry area
beside the Persian Gulf. Oil is the most important export.
Official language: Persian (Iranian or Farsi). Official
religion: Muslim majority. Currency: rial. Capital: Tehran. Pop:
68 789 000 (2004 est). Area: 1 647 050 sq km (635 932 sq miles)|
Republic in the Middle East, bordered by Armenia, the Caspian
Sea, Turkmenistan, and Azerbaijan to the north; Afghanistan and
Pakistan to the east; the Gulf of Oman and the Pe