Iran

For most of history, the geographical area now called Iran was known as Persia. Early Persia was a grand empire, which was invaded by outside forces. Iran has been the center of global interests due to its political and geostrategic location and its rich oil and natural gas reserves. In the past century, Iran has experienced major revolutions, which include the Constitutional Revolution of 1906 and the Islamic Revolution of 1979. It is currently undergoing a Green Movement, which refers to a series of events after the 2009 presidential election in which protesters have demanded the removal of the president of Iran from office. What we are witnessing now in Iran was made possible by decades of activism by Iranian women and men.