Markazi province (Persian: استان مرکزی) is one of the 31 provinces of Iran. Its capital is the city of Arak. The present borders of the province date to 1977, when the province was split into the current Markazi and Tehran provinces, with portions being annexed by Isfahan, Semnan, and Zanjan Provinces. In 2014, the province was placed in Region 4.
Iranian Azerbaijanis (Persian: آذربایجانیهای ایران; Azerbaijani: ایران آذربایجانلیلاری [iˈɾɑːn ɑːzæɾbɑjˈdʒɑnlɯlɑɾɯ]) are the largest Iranian ethnic minority. They are primarily found in and are native to the Iranian Azerbaijan region (including provinces of East Azerbaijan, Ardabil, Zanjan and West Azerbaijan) and in smaller numbers, in other provinces such as Kurdistan, Qazvin, Hamadan, Gilan, Markazi and Kermanshah. Iranian Azerbaijanis also constitute a significant minority in Tehran, Karaj, and other regions of Iran. Some also have migrated to the Gulf GCC countries. Most Iranian Azerbaijanis are bilingual in Azerbaijani and Persian.