The Persian Republic

The Persian Republic (Persian: جمهوری فارسی  - Jomhuri-ye fārsi), also known as Iran (Persian:  ایران - Irān‎), is a republic in Western Asia. It is bordered by the Soviet Union (Azerbaijani, Armenian and Turkmen SSRs by land. Russian RSFSR and Kazakh SSR by sea), Turkey, Iraq, Pakistan and Afghanistan. It is geographically and politically part of the Middle East. Its capital is Tehran. (Persian: تهران - Tehrān) Its official language is Persian. It is a secular state.