Persian

The Persians are an Indo-European people of Western and Central Asia, primarily residing in what is now Iran, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan. Their use of Persian as their native language forms the basis for their definition as a Persian people. Historically, the term "Persian" also referred to Iranian peoples who inhabited parts of the Iranian plateau, which bears their name. Originating in the region north of the Persian Gulf, in the territory of Persis (modern-day Fars Province), the ancient Persians began spreading their language and culture across almost the entire Iranian plateau in the 6th century BC by subjugating other populations. Approximately 50 million Persians live in present-day Iran, representing about 651 million of the country's total population.

Centuries before the Common Era, Indo-European tribes founded the first empire of antiquity, naming it "Eran-sahr," which means "Land of the Iranians" or "Land of the Aryans." Later, when the Parsi tribe became the dominant power, they called their empire "Persia." It wasn't until 1935 that Shah Reza Pahlavi I officially replaced the name Persia with Iran, thus restoring the name of the country on the Persian Gulf to its original name, after its ancestors who once settled it.