Iran

Persian:ایران

The word used to be eran meaning "Land of free people"
Habitation in Iran dates back to 100,000 years but recorded history began with the Elamites 3000 B.C. The Medes flourished from 728 B.C but were overthrown by the Persians around 550 B.C, who were in turn conquered by Macedonians in the 4th century B.C. The Parthians created an empire that lasted from 247 B.C to AD 226, when control passed to the Sassanid dynasty. Various Muslim dynasties ruled from the 7th century. In 1502 the Safavid dynasty was established and lasted until 1736. The Qajar dynasty ruled from 1779, but in the 19th century the country was economically controlled by Russian and British empires. Reza Khan seized power in a coup in 1921. His son Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi was overthrown in 1979; Shiitte cleric Ruhollah Khomeini then set up an Islamic republic.
(Wikipedia) - Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" which means The Land of Aryans has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia. Both "Persia" and "Iran" are used interchangeably in cultural contexts; however, "Iran" is the name used officially in political contexts.