Greater Iran

Sociocultural region in West and Central Asia

Greater Iran or Greater Persia (Persian: ایران بزرگ, romanized: Ērān-i Buzurg), the Iranosphere, the Persosphere or Iranzamin (Persian: ایران‌زمین, romanized: Ērān-zamīn), is a term used to refer to a broader cultural sphere that has been influenced by Iranian peoples and Iranian languages, and primarily includes the Iranian plateau, the South Caucasus, Central Asia, the Indian subcontinent (aka, South Asia), and as far east as the Tarim Basin. The regions which make up Greater Iran are defined by having long been under the rule of various Iranian empires and dynasties, during which the local populace gradually absorbed Iranian influence and assimilated it into their cultural and linguistic traditions; or those where a considerable Iranian population settled and retained their culture, such as in the areas surrounding the Iranian plateau. It is referred to as the "Iranian Cultural Continent" by Encyclopædia Iranica.

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