ocr: The population comprises several ethnic groups. The people of the north and center - about half of all Iranians - speak Farsi (Persian), while a further 23% speak related languages,i including Kurdish in the west and Baluchi in the southeast. About a quarter of the population speaks Turkic languages, primarly the Azeris in the northwest and the Turkmen in the northeast. Smaller groups, such as the ircassians and Georgians, are found in the northemn provinces. Until the 16th century, much of Iran followed the Sunni interpretation of Islam, but since then the Shi'a sect has been dominant. Religi ...
