Elam
Emirate of Elam | |
|---|---|
 Flag | |
Motto: Huttak halik ume Allah napir uri in lina telakni. "May my work come as an offering to my god, Allah." | |
 | |
| Capital and largest city | Ardašir |
| Official languages | Elamite |
Recognised minority languages | Arabic, Persian |
| Ethnic groups (2018) | Elamites (51%) Arabs (24%) Persians (10%) Lurs (7%) Qashqai (3%) Armenians (2%) Assyrians (2%) Others (1%) |
| Religion (2003) | Shia Islam (70%) Sunni Islam (21%) Christianity (6%) Others (1%) |
| Demonym(s) | Elamite |
| Government | Unitary constitutional monarchy |
• Emir | Kindinu-Muhammad |
| Imran Hammadi | |
| Legislature | Majlis |
| Independence from Qajar dynasty | |
• Elamite civilization | 2700 – 539 BC |
• Persian coup d'état | 21 February 1921 |
| 1921 – 1925 | |
• Emirate | 1 May 1925 |
| Area | |
• Total | 64,055 km2 (24,732 sq mi) |
| Population | |
• 2018 estimate | 4,711,000 |
• Density | 74/km2 (191.7/sq mi) |
| GDP (PPP) | estimate |
• Total | $303 billion |
• Per capita | $64,317.55 |
| GDP (nominal) | estimate |
• Total | $118.271 billion |
• Per capita | $25,105.29 |
| Gini | 41.1 medium |
| HDI (2018) |  0.802very high |
| Currency | Elamite Dinara (Dha.) (DHA) |
| Time zone | UTC+3 (AST) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+4 (GST) |
| Driving side | right |
| Calling code | +978 |
| Internet TLD | .ely |
Elam (Elamite: Haltamti; Arabic: عيلام), officially the Emirate of Elam (Elamite: Imarat Haltamtime; Arabic: إمارة عيلام), is a country in Western Asia. Situated at the foot of the central Zagros mountains, straddling the northern tip of the Persian gulf, it shares borders with Iraq and Iran. Elam has a population of 4.7 million, of which some 2.4 million are eponymous Elamites.
Historically one of the most important regions of the Ancient Near East, Elam is what historians refer to as ancient Elam. The seat of the region has for most of its history been in the northern reaches of the country, first at Susa and then at Shushtar. During a brief period during the Sasanian era, when Elam formed a province of the Persian empire, the captal was moved to its geographic center, the river town of Hormuzardashir, founded over the ancient city of Hurpahir by Ardashir I. This city is now known as Ardašir. Later in the Sasanian time and throughout the Islamic era, the provincial seat returned and stayed at Shushtar until the late Qajar period. With the increase in international sea commerce arriving on the shores of Elam, Ardašir became a more suitable location for the provincial capital, as the river Karun is navigable all the way up to the city. As of independence in 1921, Ardašir remains the capital of Elam.
Elam is known for its ethnic diversity; the population consists of the eponymous Elamites, as well as significant populations of Lurs, Arabs, Persians, Qashqais, Assyrians, and Armenians. The population is predominantly Shia Muslim, but there significant Sunni and Christian communities, as well as small Jewish and Mandean minorities.
Since the 1920s, tensions on religious and ethnic grounds have often resulted in violence and attempted separatism, including an Arab uprising in 1979, unrest in 2005, bombings in 2005-2006, and protests in 2011, drawing much criticism by international human rights organisations. The country is home to the Kušk and Husseyniyeh oil fields. It is estimated that oil reserves in Elam may be up to 17 billion barrels, of which 3 billion are considered to be currently recoverable.