TEHRAN - In a newly revisited global ranking published by the World Population Review, Iran has been officially recognized as the oldest country in the world in terms of its earliest known organized government and sovereign identity, dating back to 3200 BC.

This distinction places Iran ahead of other ancient civilizations such as Egypt (3100 BC), Vietnam (2879 BC), Armenia (2492 BC), and North Korea (2333 BC), which round out the top five in the global list. The ranking is based on historical analysis of early state formation and evidence of organized governance.

A cradle of civilization

Previously known as Persia, Iran boasts a rich cultural and political history that stretches back to the Lower Paleolithic period. Among Iran’s earliest civilizations were Elam and Jiroft, with the Elamite civilization being the most prominent and widely recognized for laying the foundations of early Iranian governance during the Proto-Elamite era, also known as Susa III. This period, around 3200 BC, marks the emergence of Iran’s self-sovereignty, making it not only one of the world’s oldest inhabited regions but also the earliest known state to form a recognizable government.

The concept of sovereignty in Iran has deep historical roots that persisted through a succession of dynasties and empires, including the Achaemenids, Parthians, and Sassanids, laying the groundwork for a continuous national identity unmatched in duration.

How the ranking was determined

According to the World Population Review, establishing the precise age of a nation is a complex process. "State formation is often gradual and layered with myths, legends, and archaeological evidence," the report notes. "However, it is possible to identify a reasonable estimate for the beginning of organized governance through historical and archaeological analysis."

Some nations use the date of constitutional adoption as a benchmark for state age, but this method is less effective when analyzing ancient civilizations whose governance predates written constitutions by millennia.

A living legacy

Iran’s status as the world’s oldest country by sovereignty is not only a historical marker but also a testament to its enduring cultural and political influence. Despite the many invasions and dynastic shifts over the centuries, the country has maintained a continuous thread of national identity and governance stretching over five millennia.

AM