Statistical information Iran 1993

Iran in the World
top of pageBackground: Known as Persia until 1935 Iran became an Islamic republic in 1979 after the ruling shah was forced into exile. Conservative clerical forces subsequently crushed westernizing liberal elements. Militant Iranian students seized the US Embassy in Tehran on 4 November 1979 and held it until 20 January 1981. During 1980-88 Iran fought a bloody indecisive war with Iraq over disputed territory. The key current issue is how rapidly the country should open up to the modernizing influences of the outside world.
top of pageLocation: Middle East, between the Persian Gulf and the Caspian Sea
Geographic coordinatesMap reference:
Asia, Middle East, Standard Time Zones of the WorldAreaTotal: 1.648 million km²
Land: 1.636 million km²
Land boundaries:
total 5,440 km, Afghanistan 936 km, Armenia 35 km,
Azerbaijan (north) 432 km, Azerbaijan (northwest) 179 km, Iraq 1,458 km,
Pakistan 909 km, Turkey 499 km, Turkmenistan 992 km
Coastline: 2,440 km; Iran also borders the Caspian Sea (740 km)
Continental shelf: not specified
Exclusive fishing zone: 50 nm in the Sea of Oman; continental shelf limit, continental shelf boundaries, or median lines in the Persian Gulf
Maritime claimsClimate: mostly arid or semiarid, subtropical along Caspian coast
Terrain: rugged, mountainous rim; high, central basin with deserts, mountains; small, discontinuous plains along both coasts
ElevationNatural resources: petroleum, natural gas, coal, chromium, copper, iron ore, lead, manganese, zinc, sulfur
Land useArable land: 8%
Permanent crops: 0%
Meadows and pastures: 27%
Forest and woodland: 11%
Other: 54%
Irrigated land: 57,500 km² (1989 est.)
Major riversMajor watersheds area km²Total water withdrawalTotal renewable water resourcesNatural hazardsGeographytop of pagePopulation: 63,369,809 (July 1993 est.)
Growth rate: 3.49% (1993 est.)
NationalityNoun: Iranian(s)
Adjective: Iranian
Ethnic groups:
Persian 51%, Azerbaijani 24%, Gilaki and Mazandarani 8%,
Kurd 7%, Arab 3%, Lur 2%, Baloch 2%, Turkmen 2%, other 1%
Languages: Persian and Persian dialects 58%, Turkic and Turkic dialects 26%, Kurdish 9%, Luri 2%, Baloch 1%, Arabic 1%, Turkish 1%, other 2%
Religions:
Shi'a Muslim 95%, Sunni Muslim 4%, Zoroastrian, Jewish,
Christian, and Baha'i 1%
Demographic profileAge structureDependency ratiosMedian agePopulation growth rate: 3.49% (1993 est.)
Birth rate: 43 births/1000 population (1993 est.)
Death rate: 8.06 deaths/1000 population (1993 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1000 population (1993 est.)
Population distributionUrbanizationMajor urban areasEnvironmentCurrent issues: deforestation; overgrazing; desertification
Air pollutantsSex ratioMothers mean age at first birthMaternal mortality ratioInfant mortality rate: 62.1 deaths/1000 live births (1993 est.)
Life expectancy at birthTotal population: 65.26 years
Male: 64.37 years
Total fertility rate: 6.4 children born/woman (1993 est.)
Contraceptive prevalence rateDrinking water sourceCurrent health expenditurePhysicians densityHospital bed densitySanitation facility accessHiv/AidsMajor infectious diseasesObesity adult prevalence rateAlcohol consumptionTobacco useChildren under the age of 5 years underweightEducation expendituresLiteracy: age 15 and over can read and write (1990)
Total population: 54%
Male: 64%
Female: 43%
School life expectancy primary to tertiary educationYouth unemploymenttop of pageCountry nameConventional long form: Islamic Republic of Iran
Conventional short form: Iran
Local long form: Jomhuri-ye Eslami-ye Iran
Local short form: Iran
Government type: theocratic republic
Capital: Tehran
Administrative divisions:
24 provinces (ostanha, singular - ostan);
Azarbayjan-e Bakhtari, Azarbayjan-e Khavari, Bakhtaran, Bushehr, Chahar Mahall va Bakhtiari, Esfahan, Fars, Gilan, Hamadan, Hormozgan, Ilam, Kerman,
Khorasan, Khuzestan, Kohkiluyeh va Buyer Ahmadi, Kordestan, Lorestan, Markazi,
Mazandaran, Semnan, Sistan va Baluchestan, Tehran, Yazd, Zanjan
Dependent areasIndependence: 1 April 1979 (Islamic Republic of Iran proclaimed)
National holiday: Islamic Republic Day, 1 April (1979)
Constitution: 2-3 December 1979; revised 1989 to expand powers of the presidency and eliminate the prime ministership
Legal systemInternational law organization participationCitizenshipSuffrage: 15 years of age; universal
Executive branch: supreme leader (velay-t-e faqih), president, Council of Ministers
Legislative branch: unicameral Islamic Consultative Assembly (Majles-e-Shura-ye-Eslami)
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Political parties and leadersInternational organization participation:
CCC, CP, ESCAP, ECO, FAO, G-19, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,
ICC, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC,
ISO, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OIC, OPEC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU,
WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representationIn the us chief of mission: Iran has an Interests Section in the Pakistani Embassy in Washington, DC
In the us chancery:Iranian Interests Section, 2,209 Wisconsin Ave. NW, Washington,
DC 20,007
In the us telephone: (202) 965-4,990
From the us: protecting power in Iran is Switzerland national emblem (a stylized representation of the word Allah) in red is centered in the white band; Allah Alkbar (God is Great) in white Arabic script is repeated 11 times along the bottom edge of the green band and 11 times along the top edge of the red band
Flag description
National symbolsNational anthemNational heritagetop of pageEconomy overview: Iran's economy is a mixture of central planning, state ownership of oil and other large enterprises, village agriculture, and small-scale private trading and service ventures. After a decade of economic decline, Iran's real GDP grew by 10% in FY90 and 6% in FY91, according to Iranian Government statistics. An oil windfall in 1990 combined with a substantial increase in imports contributed to Iran's recent economic growth. Iran has also begun implementing a number of economic reforms to reduce government intervention (including subsidies) and has allocated substantial resources to development projects in the hope of stimulating the economy. Lower oil revenues in 1991 - oil accounts for more than 90% of export revenues - together with a surge in imports greatly weakened Iran's international financial position. By mid-1992 Iran was unable to meet its obligations to foreign creditors. Subsequently the government has tried to boost oil exports, curb imports (especially of consumer goods), and renegotiate terms of its foreign debts.
Real gdp purchasing power parityReal gdp growth rate: 6% (FY91)
Real gdp per capita: $1,500 (FY91)
Gross national savingGdp composition by sector of origin
Gdp composition by end useGdp composition by sector of originAgriculture products: accounts for about 20% of GDP; principal products - wheat, rice, other grains, sugar beets, fruits, nuts, cotton, dairy products, wool, caviar; not self-sufficient in food
Industries: petroleum, petrochemicals, textiles, cement and other building
Industrial production growth rate: growth rate 12% (1990 est.), accounts for almost 30% of GDP, including petroleum
Labor force: 15.4 million
By occupation agriculture: 33%
By occupation manufacturing:21%
shortageofskilledlabor(1988 est.)
Unemployment rate: 30% (1991 est.)
Youth unemploymentPopulation below poverty lineGini indexHousehold income or consumption by percentage shareDistribution of family income gini indexBudget: revenues $63 billion; expenditures $80 billion, including capital expenditures of $23 billion (FY90 est.)
Taxes and other revenuesPublic debtRevenueFiscal year: 21 March - 20 March
Inflation rate consumer pricesCentral bank discount rateCommercial bank prime lending rateStock of narrow moneyStock of broad moneyStock of domestic creditMarket value of publicly traded sharesCurrent account balanceExports: $17.2 billion (f.o.b., FY91 est.)
Commodoties: petroleum 90%, carpets, fruits, nuts, hides
Partners: Japan, Italy, France, Netherlands, Belgium/Luxembourg, Spain, and Germany
Imports: $21.0 billion (c.i.f., FY91 est.)
Commodoties: machinery, military supplies, metal works, foodstuffs, pharmaceuticals, technical services, refined oil products
Partners: Germany, Japan, Italy, UK, France
Reserves of foreign exchange and goldDebt externalStock of direct foreign investment at homeStock of direct foreign investment abroadExchange rates: Iranian rials (IR) per US$1 - 67.095 (January 1993), 65.552 (1992), 67.505 (1991), 68.096 (1990), 72.015 (1989), 68.683 (1988; black-market rate 1,400 (January 1991; note - in March 1993 the Iranian government announced a new single-parity exchange rate system with a new official rate of 1,538 rials per dollar
top of pageElectricityProduction: 15,649,000 kW capacity; 43,600 million kWh produced, 710 kWh per capita (1992)
CoalPetroleumCrude oilRefined petroleumNatural gasCarbon dioxide emissionsEnergy consumption per capitaIran - Communication 1993
top of pageTelephonesTelephone systemBroadcast mediaInternetBroadband fixed subscriptionstop of pageMilitary expendituresPercent of gdp: hard currency expenditures on defense are 7-10% of total hard currency expenditures; rial expenditures on defense are 8-13% of total rial expenditures (1992 est.)
Military and security forcesMilitary service age and obligationSpace programTerrorist groupsIran - Transportation 1993
top of pageNational air transport systemCivil aircraft registration country code prefixAirports: 219
Usable: 194
With permanentsurface runways: 83
With runways 2440-3659 m: 20
With runways 1220-2439 m: 70
HeliportsPipelines: crude oil 5,900 km; petroleum products 3,900 km; natural gas 4,550 km
RailwaysRoadwaysWaterways: 904 km; the Shatt al Arab is usually navigable by maritime traffic for about 130 km; channel has been dredged to 3 meters and is in use
Merchant marine:
135 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 4,480,726
GRT/8,332,593 DWT; includes 39 cargo, 6 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 32 oil tanker, 4 chemical tanker, 3 refrigerated cargo, 48 bulk, 2 combination bulk, 1 liquefied gas
Ports and terminalsIran - Transnational issues 1993
top of pageDisputes international:
Iran and Iraq restored diplomatic relations in 1990 but are still trying to work out written agreements settling outstanding disputes from their eight-year war concerning border demarcation, prisoners-of-war, and freedom of navigation and sovereignty over the Shatt al
Arab waterway; Iran occupies two islands in the Persian Gulf claimed by the
UAE:Tunb as Sughra (Arabic), Jazireh-ye Tonb-e Kuchek (Persian) or Lesser
Tunb, and Tunb al Kubra (Arabic), Jazireh-ye Tonb-e Bozorg (Persian) or
Greater Tunb; it jointly administers with the UAE an island in the Persian
Gulf claimed by the UAE, Abu Musa (Arabic) or Jazireh-ye Abu Musa (Persian); in 1992 the dispute over Abu Musa and the Tunb Islands became more acute when
Iran unilaterally tried to control the entry of third country nationals into the UAE portion of Abu Musa island, Tehran subsequently backed off in the face of significant diplomatic support for the UAE in the region; periodic disputes with Afghanistan over Helmand water rights,
Refugees and internally displaced personsIllicit drugs:
illicit producer of opium poppy for the domestic and international drug trade; transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin to
Europe