Iran is a republic in south-western Asia. It is bordered on the north by Armenia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, and the Caspian Sea, on the east by Afghanistan and Pakistan, on the south by the Gulf of Oman, the Strait of Hormuz, and the Persian Gulf; and on the west by Iraq and Turkey. The area of Iran is about 1,648,000 sq km (about 636,300 sq mi). Until 1935 Iran was known abroad as Persia.