Which country was formerly known as Persia?

Iran was formerly known in English as Persia. The name Persia came from Persis, a region in southern Iran associated with the Achaemenid rulers and the Persian people. Iranians have long used names connected with Iran, while “Persia” remained common in foreign languages for centuries.

In 1935, Reza Shah asked foreign governments to use Iran, the country’s name in Persian diplomatic usage. “Iran” derives from a Middle Persian and Old Iranian expression generally interpreted as referring to the land of the Aryans. The change did not erase the cultural meaning of Persia: Persian language, Persian literature, and Persian art remain widely used historical terms.

Iran’s history includes the Achaemenid, Parthian, and Sasanian empires, followed by the Islamic conquest and later dynasties such as the Safavids. The modern state became an Islamic republic after the 1979 Iranian Revolution. Iraq is a neighboring country, but its name and historical identity are distinct from Persia and Iran.