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.

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.)

Natural hazards: periodic droughts, floods; dust storms, sandstorms; earthquakes along western border and in the northeast

Population: 68,959,931 (July 1998 est.)
Note: includes 607,252 non-nationals (July 1998 est.)
Growth rate: 2.04% (1998 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%

Age structure
0-14 years: 43% (male 15,371,060; female 14,513,782)
15-64 years: 53% (male 18,469,620; female 17,810,596)
65 years and over: 4% (male 1,428,471; female 1,366,402) (July 1998 est.)

Population growth rate: 2.04% (1998 est.)

Birth rate: 31.37 births/1000 population (1998 est.)

Death rate: 6.19 deaths/1000 population (1998 est.)

Net migration rate: -4.79 migrant(s)/1000 population (1998 est.)

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
International agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
International agreements signed but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation

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 (1998 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 48.95 deaths/1000 live births (1998 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 68.25 years
Male: 66.83 years
Female: 69.74 years (1998 est.)

Total fertility rate: 4.31 children born/woman (1998 est.)

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

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 three new provinces named Gorgan, Qom, and Qazvin

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

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): ead of
Government: President (Ali) Mohammad KHATAMI-Ardakani (since 3 August 1997); 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 23 May 1997 (next to be held NA May 2001)
Election results: (Ali) Mohammad KHATAMI-Ardakani elected president; percent of vote - (Ali) Mohammad KHATAMI-Ardakani 69%

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_NA; seats_NA

Judicial branch: Supreme Court

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
In the us note: Iran has an Interests Section in the Pakistani Embassy headed by Faramarz FATHNEJAD
In the us address: Iranian Interests Section, Pakistani Embassy, 2,209 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20,007;
In the us 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

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. Newly elected President KHATAMI has continued to follow the market reform plans of former President RAFSANJANI and has indicated that he will pursue diversification of Iran's oil-reliant economy. In the early 1990s, Iran experienced a financial crisis and was forced to reschedule $15 billion in debt. The strong oil market in 1996 helped ease financial pressures on Iran and allowed for Tehran's timely debt service payments. Iran's financial situation tightened in 1997 and early 1998 because of lower oil prices. Iran may be forced to decrease imports and slow debt repayments if the oil market worsens further.

Real gdp growth rate: 3.2% (1997 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity: $5,500 (1997 est.)

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: 5.7% (FY95/96 est.)

Labor force
Total: 15.4 million
By occupation agriculture: 33%
By occupation manufacturing: 21% (1988 est.)
Note: shortage of skilled labor

Unemployment rate: more than 30% (January 1998 est.)

Budget
Revenues: $34.6 billion
Expenditures: $34.9 billion, including capital expenditures of $11.8 billion (FY96/97)

Fiscal year: 21 March_20 March

Exports: total value:$19 billion (f.o.b., 1997 est.)
Commodoties: petroleum 80%, carpets, fruits, nuts, hides, iron, steel
Partners: Japan, US, UK, Germany, South Korea, UAE

Imports: total value:$15.6 billion (f.o.b., 1997 est.)
Commodoties: machinery, military supplies, metal works, foodstuffs, pharmaceuticals, technical services, refined oil products
Partners: Germany, Italy, Japan, UAE, UK, Belgium

Debt external: $21.9 billion (1996 est.)

Exchange rates: Iranian rials (IR) per US$1_1,752.14 (January 1998), 1,750.76 (1996), 1,752.92 (1997), 1,747.93 (1995), 1,748.75 (1994), 1,267.77 (1993; 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

Electricity
Capacity: 25.117 million kW (1995)
Production: 79 billion kWh (1995)
Consumption per capita: 1,222 kWh (1995)

Telephones: 3.02 million (1992 est.)

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

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

Airports: 280 (1997 est.)
With paved runways total: 103
With paved runways over 3047 m: 36
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 14
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 27
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 21
With paved runways under 914 m: 5 (1997 est.)
With unpaved runways total: 177
With unpaved runways over 3047 m: 1
With unpaved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 4
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 14
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 124
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 34 (1997 est.)

Heliports: 11 (1997 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.)

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: 135 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 3,465,226 GRT/6,128,443 DWT
Ships by type: bulk 47, cargo 34, chemical tanker 4, combination bulk 2, container 4, liquefied gas tanker 1, multifunction large-load carrier 6, oil tanker 23, refrigerated cargo 3, roll-on/roll-off cargo 10, short-sea passenger 1
Note: Iran owns an additional 5 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 245,742 DWT that operate under the registries of Cyprus, Honduras, and Panama (1997 est.)

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, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Turkmenistan

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