Iran , formerly called Persia, was the site of one of the earliest civilisations. It has been ruled at one time or another by the Arabs, Turks, and Mongols. In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries the Qajar dynasty ruled until independence was won in 1921 following a military coup. In 1925 Reza Khan was elected Shah; in 1941 he abdicated in favour of his son who was subsequently forced into exile in 1979 following a revolution and proclamation of an Islamic Republic under the rule of the Ayatollah Khomeini, spiritual leader of the Shia Muslims, who himself had been in exile. For much of the 1980s Iran was at war with its neighbour Iraq after the latter had invaded Iran in 1980. Peace has held since 1988 although no formal treaty ensures this. The majority of the population is Shia Muslim and Farsi is the official language. The production of oil is the main industry.
