| 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. |
| 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
references: |
Middle East |
| Area: |
total:
1.648 million sq km
land: 1.636 million sq km
water: 12,000 sq km |
| Area
- comparative: |
slightly larger
than Alaska |
| Land
boundaries: |
total:
5,440 km
border countries: 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
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 sq km
(1993 est.) |
| Natural
hazards: |
periodic
droughts, floods; dust storms, sandstorms; earthquakes along
western border and in the northeast |
| 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 |
| Environment
- international agreements: |
party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban,
Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Environmental
Modification, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation |
| Population: |
66,128,965 (July
2001 est.) |
| Age
structure: |
0-14 years:
32.97% (male 11,150,053; female 10,654,884)
15-64 years: 62.38% (male 20,765,001; female
20,488,672)
65 years and over: 4.65% (male 1,617,045;
female 1,453,310) (2001 est.) |
| Population
growth rate: |
0.72% (2001 est.) |
| Birth
rate: |
17.1 births/1,000
population (2001 est.) |
| Death
rate: |
5.41 deaths/1,000
population (2001 est.) |
| Net
migration rate: |
-4.51 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2001 est.) |
| Sex
ratio: |
at birth:
1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.11 male(s)/female
total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2001
est.) |
| Infant
mortality rate: |
29.04
deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) |
| Life
expectancy at birth: |
total
population: 69.95 years
male: 68.61 years
female: 71.37 years (2001 est.) |
| Total
fertility rate: |
2.02 children
born/woman (2001 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- adult prevalence rate: |
less than 0.01%
(1999 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- people living with HIV/AIDS: |
NA |
| Nationality: |
noun:
Iranian(s)
adjective: Iranian |
| Ethnic
groups: |
Persian 51%,
Azeri 24%, Gilaki and Mazandarani 8%, Kurd 7%, Arab 3%, Lur
2%, Baloch 2%, Turkmen 2%, other 1% |
| Religions: |
Shi'a Muslim 89%,
Sunni Muslim 10%, Zoroastrian, Jewish, Christian, and Baha'i
1% |
| Languages: |
Persian and
Persian dialects 58%, Turkic and Turkic dialects 26%,
Kurdish 9%, Luri 2%, Balochi 1%, Arabic 1%, Turkish 1%,
other 2% |
| 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
former: Persia |
| Government
type: |
theocratic
republic |
| Administrative
divisions: |
28 provinces (ostanha,
singular - ostan); Ardabil, Azarbayjan-e Gharbi, Azarbayjan-e
Sharqi, Bushehr, Chahar Mahall va Bakhtiari, Esfahan, Fars,
Gilan, Golestan, Hamadan, Hormozgan, Ilam, Kerman,
Kermanshah, Khorasan, Khuzestan, Kohgiluyeh va Buyer Ahmad,
Kordestan, Lorestan, Markazi, Mazandaran, Qazvin, Qom,
Semnan, Sistan va Baluchestan, Tehran, Yazd, Zanjan |
| Independence: |
1 April 1979
(Islamic Republic of Iran proclaimed) |
| National
holiday: |
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: Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah
Ali Hoseini-KHAMENEI (since 4 June 1989)
head of government: President (Ali) Mohammad
KHATAMI-Ardakani (since 3 August 1997); First Vice President
Dr. Mohammad Reza AREF-YAZDI (since NA August 2001)
cabinet: Council of Ministers selected by the
president with legislative approval
elections: leader of the Islamic Revolution
appointed for life by the Assembly of Experts; president
elected by popular vote for a four-year term; election last
held 8 June 2001 (next to be held NA 2005)
election results: (Ali) Mohammad
KHATAMI-Ardakani reelected president; percent of vote -
(Ali) Mohammad KHATAMI-Ardakani 77% |
| Legislative
branch: |
unicameral
Islamic Consultative Assembly or Majles-e-Shura-ye-Eslami
(290 seats, note - changed from 270 seats with the 18
February 2000 election; members elected by popular vote to
serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 18 February-NA April 2000
(next to be held NA 2004)
election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats
by party - reformers 170, conservatives 45, and independents
10; 65 seats were up for runoff election on 5 May 2000
(reformers 52, conservatives 10, independents 3) |
| Judicial
branch: |
Supreme Court |
| Political
parties and leaders: |
the following
organizations appeared to have achieved considerable success
at elections to the sixth Majlis in early 2000: Assembly of
the Followers of the Imam's Line, Freethinkers' Front,
Islamic Iran Participation Front, Moderation and Development
Party, Servants of Construction Party, Society of
Self-sacrificing Devotees |
| Political
pressure groups and leaders: |
active student
groups include the pro-reform "Organization for
Strengthening Unity" and "the Union of Islamic
Student Societies'; groups that generally support the
Islamic Republic include Ansar-e Hizballah, Mojahedin of the
Islamic Revolution, Muslim Students Following the Line of
the Imam, and the Islamic Coalition Association; opposition
groups include the Liberation Movement of Iran and the
Nation of Iran party; armed political groups that have been
almost completely repressed by the government include
Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization (MEK), People's Fedayeen,
Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan; the Society for the
Defense of Freedom |
| 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,
OPCW, 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; address:
Iranian Interests Section, Pakistani Embassy, 2209 Wisconsin
Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007; telephone: [1] (202)
965-4990 |
| Diplomatic
representation 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. 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
although he has made little progress toward that goal. 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
deteriorated further in 1998 because of lower oil prices.
The subsequent zoom in oil prices in 1999-2000 afforded Iran
fiscal breathing room but does not solve Iran's structural
economic problems, including the encouragement of foreign
investment. |
| GDP: |
purchasing power
parity - $413 billion (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- real growth rate: |
3% (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- per capita: |
purchasing power
parity - $6,300 (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- composition by sector: |
agriculture:
24%
industry: 28%
services: 48% (2000 est.) |
| Population
below poverty line: |
53% (1996 est.) |
| Household
income or consumption by percentage share: |
lowest 10%:
NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
| Inflation
rate (consumer prices): |
16% (2000 est.) |
| Labor
force: |
17.3 million
note: shortage of skilled labor (1998) |
| Labor
force - by occupation: |
agriculture 33%,
industry 25%, services 42% (1999 est.) |
| Unemployment
rate: |
14% (1999 est.) |
| Budget: |
revenues:
$27 billion
expenditures: $27 billion, including capital
expenditures of $NA (1999) |
| 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: |
4.4% (nonoil)
(1999) |
| Electricity
- production: |
103.054 billion
kWh (1999) |
| Electricity
- production by source: |
fossil fuel:
93.16%
hydro: 6.84%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999) |
| Electricity
- consumption: |
95.84 billion kWh
(1999) |
| Electricity
- exports: |
0 kWh (1999) |
| Electricity
- imports: |
0 kWh (1999) |
| Agriculture
- products: |
wheat, rice,
other grains, sugar beets, fruits, nuts, cotton; dairy
products, wool; caviar |
| Exports: |
$25 billion
(f.o.b., 2000 est.) |
| Exports
- commodities: |
petroleum 85%,
carpets, fruits and nuts, iron and steel, chemicals |
| Exports
- partners: |
Japan, Italy, UAE,
South Korea, France, China |
| Imports: |
$15 billion
(f.o.b., 2000 est.) |
| Imports
- commodities: |
industrial raw
materials and intermediate goods, capital goods, foodstuffs
and other consumer goods, technical services, military
supplies |
| Imports
- partners: |
Germany, South
Korea, Italy, UAE, France, Japan |
| Debt
- external: |
$7.5 billion
(2000 est.) |
| Economic
aid - recipient: |
$116.5 million
(1995) |
| Currency: |
Iranian rial (IRR) |
| Exchange
rates: |
Iranian rials per
US dollar - 1,754.71 (January 2001), 1,764.43 (2000),
1,725.93 (1999), 1,751.86 (1998), 1,752.92 (1997), 1,750.76
(1996)
note: Iran has three officially recognized
exchange rates; the averages for 1999 are as follows: the
official floating rate of 1,750 rials per US dollar, the
"export" rate of 3,000 rials per US dollar, and
the variable Tehran Stock Exchange rate, which averages
7,863 rials per US dollar; the market rate averages 8,615
rials per US dollar |
| Fiscal
year: |
21 March - 20
March |
| Telephones
- main lines in use: |
6.313 million
(1997) |
| Telephones
- mobile cellular: |
265,000 (August
1998) |
| Telephone
system: |
general
assessment: inadequate but currently being
modernized and expanded with the goal of not only improving
the efficiency and increasing the volume of the urban
service but also bringing telephone service to several
thousand villages, not presently connected
domestic: as a result of heavy investing in the
telephone system since 1994, the number of long-distance
channels in the microwave radio relay trunk has grown
substantially; many villages have been brought into the net;
the number of main lines in the urban systems has
approximately doubled; and thousands of mobile cellular
subscribers are being served; moreover, the technical level
of the system has been raised by the installation of
thousands of digital switches
international: HF radio and microwave radio
relay to Turkey, Azerbaijan, Pakistan, Afghanistan,
Turkmenistan, Syria, Kuwait, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan;
submarine fiber-optic cable to UAE with access to
Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe (FLAG); Trans-Asia-Europe
(TAE) fiber-optic line runs from Azerbaijan through the
northern portion of Iran to Turkmenistan with expansion to
Georgia and Azerbaijan; satellite earth stations - 9
Intelsat and 4 Inmarsat; Internet service available but
limited to electronic mail to promote Iranian culture |
| Radio
broadcast stations: |
AM 72, FM 5,
shortwave 5 (1998) |
| Radios: |
17 million (1997) |
| Television
broadcast stations: |
28 (plus 450
low-power repeaters) (1997) |
| Televisions: |
4.61 million
(1997) |
| Internet
country code: |
.ir |
| Internet
Service Providers (ISPs): |
8 (2000) |
| Internet
users: |
100,000 (2000) |
| Railways: |
total:
5,600 km
broad gauge: 94 km 1.676-m gauge
standard gauge: 5,506 km 1.435-m gauge (146 km
electrified)
note: broad gauge track is employed at the
borders with Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan which have
broad-gauge rail systems (2001) |
| Highways: |
total:
140,200 km
paved: 49,440 km (including 470 km of
expressways)
unpaved: 90,760 km (1998 est.) |
| Waterways: |
904 km
note: 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 |
| Pipelines: |
crude oil 5,900
km; petroleum products 3,900 km; natural gas 4,550 km |
| Ports
and harbors: |
Abadan (largely
destroyed in fighting during 1980-88 war), Ahvaz, Bandar 'Abbas,
Bandar-e Anzali, Bushehr, Bandar-e Emam Khomeyni, Bandar-e
Lengeh, Bandar-e Mahshahr, Bandar-e Torkaman, Chabahar
(Bandar Beheshti), Jazireh-ye Khark, Jazireh-ye Lavan,
Jazireh-ye Sirri, Khorramshahr (limited operation since
November 1992), Now Shahr |
| Merchant
marine: |
total:
152 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 4,097,977 GRT/7,131,688
DWT
ships by type: bulk 49, cargo 38, chemical
tanker 4, combination bulk 1, container 10, liquefied gas 1,
multi-functional large-load carrier 6, petroleum tanker 32,
refrigerated cargo 1, roll on/roll off 9, short-sea
passenger 1
note: includes some foreign-owned ships
registered here as a flag of convenience: Singapore 1 (2000
est.) |
| Airports: |
317 (2000 est.) |
| Airports
- with paved runways: |
total:
117
over 3,047 m: 38
2,438 to 3,047 m: 23
1,524 to 2,437 m: 25
914 to 1,523 m: 24
under 914 m: 7 (2000 est.) |
| Airports
- with unpaved runways: |
total:
200
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 13
914 to 1,523 m: 122
under 914 m: 60 (2000 est.) |
| Heliports: |
11 (2000 est.) |
| Military
branches: |
Islamic Republic
of Iran regular forces (includes Ground Forces, Navy, Air
and Air Defense Forces), Revolutionary Guards (includes
Ground, Air, Navy, Qods, and Basij-mobilization-forces), Law
Enforcement Forces |
| Military
manpower - military age: |
21 years of age |
| Military
manpower - availability: |
males age
15-49: 18,319,328 (2001 est.) |
| Military
manpower - fit for military service: |
males age
15-49: 10,872,407 (2001 est.) |
| Military
manpower - reaching military age annually: |
males:
823,040 (2001 est.) |
| Military
expenditures - dollar figure: |
$5.787 billion
(FY98/99) |
| Military
expenditures - percent of GDP: |
2.9% (FY98/99) |
| 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); Iran 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: |
despite
substantial interdiction efforts, Iran remains a key
transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin to Europe;
domestic consumption of narcotics remains a persistent
problem and Iranian press reports estimate that there are at
least 1.2 million drug users in the country |
|
