Iran (Persian: ايران) is a country within the Greater Middle East between the Gulf of Oman, the Persian Gulf, and the Caspian Sea. It is bordered by Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan's Naxcivan enclave, Armenia, and Azerbaijan to the northwest, Turkmenistan to the northeast, Afghanistan and Pakistan to the east. Iran has an ancient, storied history, being the center of the Persian empire, and has a varied landscape from deserts to mountains.