Where is Persia?

A map of West Asia in 1872, with "Iran or Persia", ruled by the Qajar dynasty, shaded in pink.

Historically, Iran was commonly referred to as "Persia" in the Western world.^[1]

Likewise, the modern-day ethnonym "Persian" was typically used as a demonym for all Iranian nationals, regardless of whether or not they were ethnic Persians.

This terminology prevailed until 1935, when, during an international gathering for Nowruz, the Shah of Iran, Reza Shah Pahlavi officially requested that foreign delegates begin using the endonym "Iran" in formal correspondence.

Subsequently, "Iran" and "Iranian" were standardised as the terms referring to the country and its citizens, respectively.^[2]

ALSO SEE: Demonym