1. Iran

2. Objectives Identify Iran on a blank map of Asia. Discuss Iran’s transition from a democracy to a Muslim theocracy. Discuss Iran’s minorities and its majority. Discuss the problems with Iran’s nuclear weapons program.

3. Terms and People Zagros Mountains separate Iran from countries to the west. Caspian Sea, on Iran’s north, provides its most fertile area. Tehran is the capital of Iran. Caspian Sea Ayatollah is the title of the Islamic rulers in Iran. Persian is the name of the majority ethnic group in Iran.

4. Most of Iran’s interior is a high, dry plateau.

5. Persian Gulf Caspian Sea However, Iran has large bodies of salt water to the north and south.

6. Persian Gulf The area along the Caspian Seas is the most fertile part of Iran. Caspian Sea

7. What type of map is this? The area gets heavy rainfall from the Caspian Sea.

8. The same area contains Iran’s densest population. Where is the capital city? How is a capital city marked on a map? Tehran

10. With seas north and south, Iran forms an isthmus between eastern cultures and western cultures. China India Europe Turkey Arab Lands Central Asia Caspian Sea When countries east and west want to trade with each other, most of them have traveled through Iran. This is the importance of Iran’s position. Persian Gulf

11. Zagros Mountains Along the west, the Zagros Mountains separate Iraq from Iran. Persian Gulf Caspian Sea Iraq

12. Zagros Mountains Notice that one part of Iran is west of the Zagros Mountains. Persian Gulf Caspian Sea Iraq This area is not only fertile, but it is populated by an ethnic minority – Arabs.

13. Coerced removals of farmers for development project along strategic border This Arab minority also lives where most of Iran’s oil is. Their cities were destroyed in the Iran-Iraq War and are still not rebuilt. Poverty, unemployment-- few benefits from local oil Their complaints: “Persianization” – Iran is changing the names of their geography into the Persian Language.

14. Most of Iran's oil is in the southeast.

15. Which ethnic group holds the majority in Iran? In which areas do most of the minorities live? The most troublesome minority for Iran is the Kurds.

16. The Kurds are not only an ethnic group in Iran, but in Turkey, Syria, and Iraq. Many Kurds support the creation of a state called Kurdistan. Kurdistan

17. 73m 32m 173m 34m 5m 16m 28m 6m 5m Iran has a high population for southwest and central Asia. 74m

19. Iran Zagros Mountains Early in the 1900s, Iran had a democratically elected government. This government was planning to seize control of its oil industry, including millions of dollars worth of equipment belonging to British companies. In 1952, the United States helped overthrow this government and put in a king, called a “Shah.” The Shah was cruel, and the people overthrew him. Muslim religious leaders called ayatollahs seized control of the nation. They also seized control of the US embassy. They held US embassy workers hostage for 444 days. They are still in power today. Long ago, Iran was called Persia.

20. Iran invaded turned back their army and invaded Iraq. In 1980, Iraq invaded Iran. The war lasted for years and killed hundreds of thousands of people.

21. Iran uses dyed fountains to commemorate the blood of the fallen in this war.

22. Many people now fear that Iran is making nuclear weapons.

24. Most Muslims are Sunni Muslims. Iran is not. Iran is Shia Muslim.

27. Persian Baklava Persian kebabs Chicken with rice Persian eggs – poached in tomato sauce

28. Iran A BC D E F G H I J K L Which nation is Iran? Iran lies between these large bodies of water, creating an Isthmus between west and east.

29. What is the name of this body of water? Persian Gulf What is the name of this body of water? The Red Sea The Aral Sea The Arabian Sea The Caspian Sea Iran

30. Which color is closest to the actual position of the Zagros Mountains? Zagros Mountains

31. Which of the following best describes Iran’s population? Iran’s population is almost all Persian. Persian peoples live mostly OPEC tries to regulate the price of oil. Which of the following best describes Iran’s natural resources? Iran has almost no oil. Iran’s oil is in mostly in the area occupied by its Arab minority. Iran’s oil

34. The United States is surrounding Iran with military bases.