Iran, the correct name of the country which, prior to 1935 was formerly referred to as Persia, is one of the world’s oldest empires. “Persia” is derived from the word "Fars" which is the region surrounding Shiraz,, cradle of the Persian Empire.  
Fars also gave its name to the language, which is referred to as Farsi in Ira. The language is therefore is correctly called Persian in English.  
Iran is bounded on the West by Iraq and Turkey, on the North by Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Armenia and the Caspian Sea, on the East by Afghanistan and West Pakistan, on the South and South-West by the Indian Ocean and the Persian Gulf.  
As a result of the very considerable differences in climate, rainfall, soil, altitude and latitude, there is much variation in Persian agricultural methods and likewise in the products. Wheat, barley maize and millet are grown in practically all parts of the country, the yields varying according to the rainfall ( where irrigation is not employed) and the presence or absence of rust and locusts. Many kinds of fruit are produced; as the late Lord Curzon once wrote: “The fruits of Europe and Asia meet and fraternize on Persian soil” In fact, the peach ( as in its Latin name, "persicum malum", indicates) is of Persian origin. Grapes are widely cultivated, not only for eating but also for making raisins. Large quantity of figs and apricots are dried and exported, and there is much cultivation of melons, pomegranates, pistachios and almonds. Tea, tobacco, rice and oranges are grown in the Caspian provinces , where the mulberry is also cultivated because of silk industry.  
The tribes are only one example of the racial diversity which over the centuries has been welded into the Iranian nation. At the northern end are the Kurds, as in adjoining areas of Iraq; to the south of the Kurds the fierce and turbulent Lors; east of the Lors, in the area between Isphahan and the oil fields, the large and flourishing Bakhtiaris, and beyond them again, in a more confused mosaic, the Qashqais, the Khamseh, and Mamasani. This ethnic mix is broadly and yet quite firmly held together by the common bonds of Islam, the Persian language and above all, by mutual tolerance.  
The continuity of Persian culture is remarkable; the Persians have always been conscious of and have kept alive their national traditions in the face of foreign invasion and conquest.  
(Touring Iran “A photographic Journey” )