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Iran is one of the most mountainous regions of the world. Its mountain ranges have helped shape both the political and the economic history of the country for several centuries. The mountains encircle several broad basins, or plateaus, on which major agricultural and urban settlements are located. With an area of 1,648,000 square kilometers, Iran ranks sixteenth in terms of area among the countries of the world. Located in southwestern Asia, Iran shares its entire northern frontier with the Central-Asian countries (former Soviet republics); its western frontier with Turkey towards north and Iraq towards south; and its eastern frontier with Afghanistan towards north and Pakistan towards south. The entire southern boundary of the country is marked by Persian Gulf and Oman Sea measuring 1,770 kilometer in length.

Tehran, the capital, is the country's largest city. Being the most populous city in the Middle East, Tehran is comparatively a young metropolis, whose origin dates back to about 700 years ago. Iran's other major cities include Esfahan, Tabriz, and Shiraz, all of which were once seats of the Iranian Government for a long period, each reflecting its own historical background. Since the mid-1950s, these have experienced relatively rapid growth and presently they constitute important manufacturing centers; especially Esfahan, where many of Iran's heavy industries are concentrated.

Iran's history and civilization are its most vital tourist attractions. The renowned Silk Road passed via Iranian territory from the beginning of its establishment in the later half of the 2nd century B.C. up until the early days of the 20th century. The unique geopolitical location of Iran functioned as a bridge connecting the Orient and the Occident and provided merchandisers and globetrotters with countless opportunities in the domains of economic and socio-cultural interaction. A range of services and facilities were made available to commercial caravans and travelers in the ports and islands on Oman Sea, Persian Gulf and Caspian Sea, which were the key location along the Silk Road. The interaction between the merchants and tourists on one side and the local people on the other, eventually led to the construction of numerous buildings and monuments on the foothills of the mountains and desert areas. Some examples include caravansaries, bridges, mosques and bazaars (local markets). Two major sections of the Silk Road passed through the Iranian territory. One was the Spice Road, which connected the Indian Subcontinent to Europe through the central and southern cities of the country as well as Oman Sea and Persian Gulf. The second was the main route of the Silk Road, which linked the northern cities of Iran (Rey and Neyshabour) to Central Asia (Marv, Samarqand and Bukara) and China.

Iran's population in 2000 was estimated at 62 million, around two-third of which pertained to the inhabitants of the northern and western regions of the country. Most people of Iran are young; about half of the population is below the age of 20. In terms of gender statistics, for each 100 boys in Iran, there are some 103 girls born. More than 60 percent of the residents live in the urban areas while the remaining live in the rural areas. Iran's unique demographical feature is its ethnical diversity. For over 2,500 years, people of the Aryan origin, in particular the Persians, have co-existed peacefully in Iran. Each of the ethnic groups of present-day Iran, such as Persians, Kurds, Lurs, Azaris and Baluchies, speak their own dialect.

The language and the official script of Iran is Persian (Farsi) and the main non-native language spoken by people is English.

The Official Religion of Iran is Islam with more than 99 percent of the population being Muslims. The followers of Zoroastrianism, Christianity and Judaism are also officially recognized and their establishments are privileged with the same civil rights as Muslims. Each of the official religious groups has an elected representative at the Parliament.

The type of state of Iran is Islamic Republic. The president, the members of the parliament, the representatives of the city and village councils and the Experts Assembly members are elected through public vote in free elections. The government has three arms: the executive, the legislative and the judiciary, each functioning independently. Iran has 28 provinces and 257 cities. The governor-general handles the political and administrative affairs of each province, while each city has a mayor and the civil affairs of the urban areas are monitored closely by the City Councils. Village Councils handle the affairs of rural areas.

Archeological findings and researches in mining exploration show that the exploration of mines in this country dates back to 5000 B.C. According to some experts, the inhabitants of Iran were the first to extract copper from its ore through melting. Excavated copper, gunmetal, gold and silver articles are evidence of the continuous development of quarrying and melting ores and metals since then. In the Islamic period, especially during Seljuks and Safavids, the industry blossomed even more.

Iran's mineral wealth, in addition to oil and gas, includes coal, iron ore, non-ferrous metallic ores of zinc, lead, manganese, antimony, aluminum (bauxite) and chromium, and industrial minerals and rocks such as, limestone, kaolin, zeolite, ornamental stones, refractory materials (fireclay, magnesite, kaolinite) and gemstone (turquoise). It is nearly half a century that the provisions of industrialization and development have led to the orderly recording of known deposits, as well as the systematic search for new ones.

Construction of new roads, highways and railroads since 1960s, particularly after the victory Islamic Revolution (1979) improved transportation among mining centers throughout the country, especially around large deposit centers like Kerman/Bafq, Esfahan, and Khorasan. Exports of minerals increased by more than 210 percent in the year 2000, as compared to the previous year. Iranian copper deposits are among the World's largest and the mining procedures are particularly advanced southwest of Kerman near Sirjan. Iran was ranked among top 10 countries producing nonmetallic minerals in the year 2000.

Surveys conducted by the government in the past 30 years ascertain the commercial potential of known mineral deposits.

Iran is amongst the few countries of the world that can boast of thousands of years of civilization. Iranian civilization has always influenced the cultures of other countries in contact with it. The world owes many of its basic scientific achievements to the efforts of Iranian thinkers of the past millennium.

Iran's original population consisted of Indo-European tribes, i.e., Aryans who migrated from Central Asia into the land around five thousand years ago.

Visiting Iran provides a unique experience, one of being in the cradle of a civilization and culture that has had and continues to have its impact on the world for thousands of years. The remarkably wide expanse of the country and its environmental diversity portrays a spectacular tourist attraction for all tastes and desires. In almost every corner of Iran, one can find certain native attractive features. Each province has its tourist manuals in the form of maps and travel guidebooks.

Tehran, the capital, is the country's largest city. Being the most populous city in the Middle East, Tehran (meaning warm slope) is the modern powerhouse of the Government. What was originally a village on the outskirts of the city of Rey that served as the capital city of Iran until the Mongolian invasion of the country in 1220 AD, and then the population moved to the present site of Tehran.

Very little is known about the origin and early history of Tehran. It had remained an insignificant small town until the end of eighteenth century AD, when the founder of the Qajar Dynasty chose the city as his capital and ever since Tehran has remained the seat of the Government.

Karaj and Jajrud, two major rivers, flowing down the southern slopes of Alborz mountains, embracing the city and making its climate mild and moderate, and its countryside green and beautiful. As a matter of fact, three factors contribute to from the climate of Tehran: The Alborz Mountains, the western humid currents, and the latitude. The Alborz Mountains range makes the weather in Tehran moderate. In northern Tehran, the weather is moderate and mountainous, while in the southern plains it is semi-arid. A major part of precipitation falls in the winter and the average annual rainfall stands at 200 mm. Beginning earlier at the highlands, the winter season usually starts in December and lasts 3 or 4 months. In mid-March the weather grows warm and soon after in late April it grows warmer at a fast pace so that it becomes rather hot by mid-May. At the time of the congress i.e. in autumn, the weather in Tehran is pleasant, and cool breezes and a bit of rainfall is expected; thus, warm clothes are recommended.