Map of Iran | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide19891990199119921993199419951996199719981999200020012002200320042005200620072008200920102011201220132014201520162017201820192020202120222023 | More stats

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Background: 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.


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Location: Middle East, bordering the Gulf of Oman, the Persian Gulf, and the Caspian Sea, between Iraq and Pakistan

Geographic coordinates: 32 00 N, 53 00 E

Map reference: Middle East

Area
Total: 1.648 million km²
Land: 1.636 million km²
Water: 12,000 km²
Comparative: slightly larger than Alaska

Land boundaries
Total: 5,440 km
Border countries: (8) Afghanistan 936 km; , Armenia 35 km; , Azerbaijan-proper 432 km; , Azerbaijan-Naxcivan exclave 179 km; , Iraq 1,458 km; , Pakistan 909 km; , Turkey 499 km; , Turkmenistan 992 km

Coastline: 2,440 km
Note: Iran also borders the Caspian Sea (740 km)

Maritime claims
Contiguous zone: 24 nm
Continental shelf: natural prolongation
Exclusive economic zone: bilateral agreements, or median lines in the Persian Gulf
Territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate: mostly arid or semiarid, subtropical along Caspian coast

Terrain: rugged, mountainous rim; high, central basin with deserts, mountains; small, discontinuous plains along both coasts

Elevation
Extremes lowest point: Caspian Sea -28 m
Extremes highest point: Qolleh-ye Damavand 5,671 m

Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, coal, chromium, copper, iron ore, lead, manganese, zinc, sulfur

Land use
Arable land: 10%
Permanent crops: 1%
Permanent pastures: 27%
Forests and woodland: 7%
Other: 55% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 94,000 km² (1993 est.)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: periodic droughts, floods; dust storms, sandstorms; earthquakes along the Western border

Geography


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Population: 67,540,002 (July 1997 est.)
Note: includes 917,078 non-nationals (July 1997 est.)
Growth rate: 2.12% (1997 est.)

Nationality
Noun: 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%, Balochi 1%, Arabic 1%, Turkish 1%, other 2%

Religions: Shi'a Muslim 89%, Sunni Muslim 10%, Zoroastrian, Jewish, Christian, and Baha'i 1%

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 44% (male 15,292,783; female 14,423,911)
15-64 years: 52% (male 17,880,617; female 17,254,711)
65 years and over: 4% (male 1,378,395; female 1,309,585) (July 1997 est.)

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 2.12% (1997 est.)

Birth rate: 32.51 births/1000 population (1997 est.)

Death rate: 6.39 deaths/1000 population (1997 est.)

Net migration rate: -4.89 migrant(s)/1000 population (1997 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: air pollution, especially in urban areas, from vehicle emissions, refinery operations, and industrial effluents; deforestation; overgrazing; desertification; oil pollution in the Persian Gulf; inadequate supplies of potable water

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
Under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.05 male(s)/female
Total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (1997 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 50.8 deaths/1000 live births (1997 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 67.82 years
Male: 66.47 years
Female: 69.23 years (1997 est.)

Total fertility rate: 4.52 children born/woman (1997 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 72.1%
Male: 78.4%
Female: 65.8% (1994 est.)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional 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: 25 provinces (ostanha, singular - ostan); Ardabil, Azarbayjan-e Gharbi, Azarbayjan-e Sharqi, Bushehr, Chahar Mahall va Bakhtiari, Esfahan, Fars, Gilan, Hamadan, Hormozgan, Ilam, Kerman, Kermanshahan, Khorasan, Khuzestan, Kohkiluyeh va Buyer Ahmadi, Kordestan, Lorestan, Markazi, Mazandaran, Semnan, Sistan va Baluchestan, Tehran, Yazd, Zanjan
Note: there may be two new provinces named Qom and Qazvin

Dependent areas

Independence: 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 system: the Constitution codifies Islamic principles of government

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: 15 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: supreme leader (rahbar-e moazam) and functional chief of state - Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali Hoseini-KHAMENEI (since 4 June 1989)
Head of government: President Ali Akbar HASHEMI-RAFSANJANI (since 3 August 1989); First Vice President Hasan Ebrahim HABIBI (since NA August 1989)
Cabinet: Council of Ministers selected by the president with legislative approval
Elections: supreme leader appointed for life by the Council of Experts; president elected by popular vote for a four-year term; election last held 11 June 1993 (next to be held 23 May 1997)
Election results: Ali Akbar HASHEMI-RAFSANJANI elected president; percent of vote - Ali Akbar HASHEMI-RAFSANJANI 63%

Legislative branch: unicameral Islamic Consultative Assembly or Majles-e-Shura-ye-Eslami (270 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
Elections: last held 8 March and 19 April 1996 (next to be held NA March 2000)
Election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA

Judicial branch: Supreme Court

Political parties and leaders

International organization participation: CCC, CP, ECO, ESCAP, FAO, G-19, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, NAM, OIC, OPEC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WToO

Diplomatic representation
In the us: none; note - Iran has an Interests Section in the Pakistani Embassy, headed by Faramarz FATH-NEJAD; address:Iranian Interests Section, Pakistani Embassy, 2,209 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20,007; telephone:[1] (202) 965-4,990
From the us: none; note - protecting power in Iran is Switzerland

Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and red; the national emblem (a stylized representation of the word Allah) in red is centered in the white band; ALLAH AKBAR (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

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy 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. Under President RAFSANJANI, the government adopted a number of market reforms to reduce the state's role in the economy, but most of these changes have moved slowly or have been reversed because of political opposition. In the early 1990s, Iran experienced a financial crisis caused by an import surge that began in 1989 and general financial mismanagement. In 1993-1994, Iran rescheduled $15 billion in debt, with the bulk of payments due in 1996-97. The strong oil market in 1996 has helped ease financial pressures, however, and Tehran has so far made timely debt service payments. In 1996, Iran's oil earnings - which account for 85% of total export revenues - climbed 20% from the previous year. Iran's financial situation will remain tight through the end of the decade, and continued timely debt service payments will depend, in part, on persistent strong oil prices during the next few years.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: 3.6% (1996 est.)

Real gdp per capita ppp

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 21%
Industry: 37%
Services: 42% (1994 est.)

Agriculture products: wheat, rice, other grains, sugar beets, fruits, nuts, cotton; dairy products, wool; caviar

Industries: petroleum, petrochemicals, textiles, cement and other construction materials, food processing (particularly sugar refining and vegetable oil production), metal fabricating, armaments

Industrial production growth rate: 4.3% (1994 est.)

Labor force
Total: 15.4 million
By occupation agriculture: 33%
By occupation manufacturing: 21% (1988 est.)
Note: shortage of skilled labor; 1.38% of the population in the 15-64 age group is non-national (July 1997 est.)

Unemployment rate: over 30% (1995 est.)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $N/A
Expenditures: $N/A, including capital expenditures of $N/A

Public debt

Taxes and other revenues

Revenue

Fiscal year: 21 March - 20 March

Current account balance

Inflation rate consumer prices

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports
Total value: $21.3 billion (f.o.b., 1996 est.)
Commodities: petroleum 85%, carpets, fruits, nuts, hides, iron, steel
Partners: Japan, Italy, France, Netherlands, Belgium/Luxembourg, Spain, and Germany

Imports
Total value: $13.3 billion (f.o.b., 1996 est.)
Commodities: machinery, military supplies, metal works, foodstuffs, pharmaceuticals, technical services, refined oil products
Partners: Germany, Japan, Italy, UK, UAE, Russia, France

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $30 billion (1996 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: Iranian rials (IR) per US$1 - 1,755.12 (January 1997), 1,750.76 (1996), 1,747.93 (1995), 1,748.75 (1994), 1,267.77 (1993), 65.55 (1992; black market rate:4,600 rials per US$1 (March 1997; note - as of May 1995, the "official rate" of 1,750 rials per US$1 is used for imports of essential goods and services and for oil exports, whereas the "official export rate" of 3,000 rials per US$1 is used for non-oil exports and imports not covered by the official rate


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Electricity access

Electricity production: 74.76 billion kWh (1994)

Electricity consumption
Per capita: 1,137 kWh (1995 est.)

Electricity exports

Electricity imports

Electricity installed generating capacity

Electricity transmission distribution losses

Electricity generation sources

Petroleum

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones fixed lines

Telephones mobile cellular

Telephone system
Domestic: microwave radio relay extends throughout country; system centered in Tehran
International: satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (2 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean) and 1 Inmarsat (Indian Ocean Region); HF radio and microwave radio relay to Turkey, Pakistan, Syria, Kuwait, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan; submarine fiber-optic cable to UAE

Broadcast media

Internet country code

Internet users

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Dollar figure: according to official Iranian data, Iran budgeted 8,283.9 billion rials for defense in 1997; note - conversion of defense expenditures into US dollars using current exchange rates could produce misleading results

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 227 (1996 est.)
With paved runways total: 115
With paved runways over 3047 m: 32
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 11
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 29
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 18
With paved runways under 914 m: 25 (1996 est.)
With unpaved runways total: 112
With unpaved runways over 3047 m: 2
With unpaved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 2
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 10
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 98 (1996 est.)

Airports with paved runways
Total: 115
Over 3047 m: 32
2438 to 3047 m: 11
15-24 to 2437 m: 29
914 to 1523 m: 18
Under 914 m: 25 (1996 est.)

Airports with unpaved runways
Total: 112
Over 3047 m: 2
2438 to 3047 m: 2
15-24 to 2437 m: 10
914 to 1523 m: 98 (1996 est.)

Heliports: 12 (1996 est.)

Pipelines: crude oil 5,900 km; petroleum products 3,900 km; natural gas 4,550 km

Railways
Total: 7,286 km
Broad gauge: 94 km 1.676-m gauge
Standard gauge: 7,192 km 1.435-m gauge (146 km electrified) (1996 est.)

Roadways

Waterways: 904 km; the Shatt al Arab is usually navigable by maritime traffic for about 130 km; channel has been dredged to 3 m and is in use

Merchant marine
Total: 132 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 3,436,384 GRT/6,095,124 DWT
Ships by type: bulk 47, cargo 36, chemical tanker 4, combination bulk 2, container 1, liquefied gas tanker 1, multifunction large-load carrier 6, oil tanker 22, refrigerated cargo 3, roll-on/roll-off cargo 9, short-sea passenger 1
Note: Iran owns an additional 3 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 141,992 DWT that operate under the registry of Cyprus (1996 est.)

Ports and terminals


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Disputes 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:Lesser Tunb (called Tunb as Sughra in Arabic by UAE and Jazireh-ye Tonb-e Kuchek in Persian by Iran) and Greater Tunb (called Tunb al Kubra in Arabic by UAE and Jazireh-ye Tonb-e Bozorg in Persian by Iran; it jointly administers with the UAE an island in the Persian Gulf claimed by the UAE (called Abu Musa in Arabic by UAE and Jazireh-ye Abu Musa in Persian by Iran) - over which Iran has taken steps to exert unilateral control since 1992, including access restrictions and a military build-up on the island; the UAE has garnered significant diplomatic support in the region in protesting these Iranian actions; Caspian Sea boundaries are not yet determined among Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakstan, Russia, and Turkmenistan

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs: illicit producer of opium poppy for the domestic and international drug trade; net opiate importer but also a key transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin to Europe