The word Qur'an is derived from the arbic word Qara'a; which means read, recite, etc. So literally Qur'an means the reading or the recitation.

The word Qur'an now generally refers to the revelation from Allah (SWT) to the prophet Mohammed (SAW). This revelation is also known by other names such as furqan (criterion, see 25:1*), tanzeel (sent down, see 26:192), thikr (reminder, see 15:9), and kitaab (book, see 21:10).

Qur'an consists of 60 AhZaab (plural of Hizb or part), which contain a total of 114 chapters (Suwar; plural of Sura) that range from very short (3 Ayat or verses) to very long ones (268 Ayat). The whole Qur'an was revealed in two major places; Mecca and Madina. The Quran revealed in Mecca is known as Meccan Quran while the other is referred to as the Madinian Qur'an. Click here for a brief history of Qur'an.

* 25:1 means Sura # 25: verse 1.

Important Note: I recommend the book "Ulum Al-Quran" by Br. Ahmad Von Denffer (ISBN 0 86037 109 3); Pub. The Islamic Foundation. Many of my material on Qur'an is borrowed from this valuable resource book.