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Background:
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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. Key current issues affecting
the country include the pace of accepting outside modernizing influences
and reconciliation between clerical control of the regime and popular
government participation and widespread demands for reform. |
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Location:
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Middle East, bordering
the Gulf of Oman, the Persian Gulf, and the Caspian Sea, between
Iraq and Pakistan |
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Geographic coordinates:
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32 00 N, 53 00 E |
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Map references:
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Middle East |
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Area:
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total: 1.648
million sq km
land: 1.636 million sq km
water: 12,000 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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slightly larger than
Alaska |
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Land boundaries:
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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 |
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Coastline:
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2,440 km; note - Iran
also borders the Caspian Sea (740 km) |
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Maritime claims:
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contiguous zone:
24 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
continental shelf: natural prolongation
exclusive economic zone: bilateral agreements or median lines
in the Persian Gulf |
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Climate:
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mostly arid or semiarid,
subtropical along Caspian coast |
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Terrain:
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rugged, mountainous
rim; high, central basin with deserts, mountains; small, discontinuous
plains along both coasts |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point:
Caspian Sea -28 m
highest point: Kuh-e Damavand 5,671 m |
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Natural resources:
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petroleum, natural
gas, coal, chromium, copper, iron ore, lead, manganese, zinc, sulfur
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Land use:
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arable land:
10.17%
permanent crops: 1.16%
other: 88.67% (1998 est.) |
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Irrigated land:
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75,620 sq km (1998
est.) |
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Natural hazards:
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periodic droughts,
floods; dust storms, sandstorms; earthquakes along western border
and in the northeast |
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Environment - current issues:
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air pollution, especially
in urban areas, from vehicle emissions, refinery operations, and
industrial effluents; deforestation; overgrazing; desertification;
oil pollution in the Persian Gulf; wetland losses from drought;
soil degradation (salination); inadequate supplies of potable water;
water pollution from raw sewage and industrial waste; urbanization
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Environment - international agreements:
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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 |
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Geography - note:
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strategic location
on the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz, which are vital maritime
pathways for crude oil transport
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Population:
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6,622,704 (July 2002
est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14 years:
31.6% (male 10,753,218; female 10,273,015)
15-64 years: 63.7% (male 21,383,542; female 21,096,307)
65 years and over: 4.7% (male 1,633,016; female 1,483,606)
(2002 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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0.77% (2002 est.)
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Birth rate:
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17.54 births/1,000
population (2002 est.) |
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Death rate:
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5.39 deaths/1,000
population (2002 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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-4.46 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2002 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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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: 1.1 male(s)/female
total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2002 est.) |
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Infant mortality rate:
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28.07 deaths/1,000
live births (2002 est.) |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population:
70.25 years
female: 71.69 years (2002 est.)
male: 68.87 years |
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Total fertility rate:
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2.01 children born/woman
(2002 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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less than 0.01% (1999
est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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NA |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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NA |
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Nationality:
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noun: Iranian(s)
adjective: Iranian |
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Ethnic groups:
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Persian 51%, Azeri
24%, Gilaki and Mazandarani 8%, Kurd 7%, Arab 3%, Lur 2%, Baloch
2%, Turkmen 2%, other 1% |
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Religions:
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Shi'a Muslim 89%,
Sunni Muslim 10%, Zoroastrian, Jewish, Christian, and Baha'i 1%
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Languages:
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Persian and Persian
dialects 58%, Turkic and Turkic dialects 26%, Kurdish 9%, Luri 2%,
Balochi 1%, Arabic 1%, Turkish 1%, other 2% |
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Literacy:
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definition:
age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 72.1%
male: 78.4%
female: 65.8% (1994 est.)
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Country name:
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conventional long
form: Islamic Republic of Iran
conventional short form: Iran
local short form: Iran
local long form: Jomhuri-ye Eslami-ye Iran
former: Persia |
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Government type:
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theocratic republic
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Capital:
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Tehran |
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Administrative divisions:
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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,
Kohkiluyeh va Buyer Ahmad, Kordestan, Lorestan, Markazi, Mazandaran,
Qazvin, Qom, Semnan, Sistan va Baluchestan, Tehran, Yazd, Zanjan
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Independence:
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1 April 1979 (Islamic
Republic of Iran proclaimed) |
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National holiday:
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Republic Day, 1 April
(1979) |
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Constitution:
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2-3 December 1979;
revised 1989 to expand powers of the presidency and eliminate the
prime ministership |
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Legal system:
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the Constitution codifies
Islamic principles of government |
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Suffrage:
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15 years of age; universal
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Executive branch:
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chief of state:
Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali Hoseini-KHAMENEI
(since 4 June 1989)
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%
cabinet: Council of Ministers selected by the president with
legislative approval
head of government: President (Ali) Mohammad KHATAMI-Ardakani
(since 3 August 1997); First Vice President Dr. Mohammad Reza AREF-YAZDI
(since 26 August 2001) |
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Legislative branch:
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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 up
for runoff; note - election on 5 May 2000 (reformers 52, conservatives
10, independents 3) |
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Judicial branch:
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Supreme Court |
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Political parties and leaders:
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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 |
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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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 |
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International organization participation:
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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, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, NAM,
OIC, OPCW, OPEC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL,
WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO |
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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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 |
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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none; note - protecting
power in Iran is Switzerland |
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Flag description:
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three equal horizontal
bands of green (top), white, and red; the national emblem (a stylized
representation of the word Allah in the shape of a tulip, a symbol
of martyrdom) 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
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Economy - overview:
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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. Subsequent rises in oil prices have afforded
Iran fiscal breathing room but do not solve Iran's structural economic
problems, including the encouragement of foreign investment and
the containment of inflation. |
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GDP:
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purchasing power parity
- $456 billion (2002 est.) |
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GDP - real growth rate:
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5% (2002 est.) |
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing power parity
- $7,000 (2001 est.) |
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture:
19%
industry: 26%
services: 55% (2002 est.) |
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Population below poverty line:
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53% (1996 est.) |
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Household income or consumption by percentage
share:
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lowest 10%:
NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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17.3% (2002 est.)
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Labor force:
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18 million
note: shortage of skilled labor (1998) |
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Labor force - by occupation:
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agriculture 30%, industry
25%, services 45% (2001 est.) |
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Unemployment rate:
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14% (1999 est.) |
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Budget:
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revenues: $24
billion
expenditures: $22 billion, including capital expenditures
of $NA (2001 est.) |
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Industries:
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petroleum, petrochemicals,
textiles, cement and other construction materials, food processing
(particularly sugar refining and vegetable oil production), metal
fabricating, armaments |
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Industrial production growth rate:
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5.5% excluding oil
(2001 est.) |
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Electricity - production:
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120.33 billion kWh
(2000) |
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Electricity - production by source:
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fossil fuel:
94%
hydro: 6%
other: 0% (2000)
nuclear: 0% |
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Electricity - consumption:
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111.907 billion kWh
(2000) |
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Electricity - exports:
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0 kWh (2000) |
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Electricity - imports:
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0 kWh (2000) |
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Agriculture - products:
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wheat, rice, other
grains, sugar beets, fruits, nuts, cotton; dairy products, wool;
caviar |
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Exports:
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$24 billion f.o.b.
(2002 est.) |
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Exports - commodities:
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petroleum 85%, carpets,
fruits and nuts, iron and steel, chemicals |
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Exports - partners:
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Japan 20.5%, Italy
7%, UAE 5.9%, France 4.7%, China 4.1% (1999) |
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Imports:
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$19.6 billion f.o.b.
(2002 est.) |
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Imports - commodities:
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industrial raw materials
and intermediate goods, capital goods, foodstuffs and other consumer
goods, technical services, military supplies |
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Imports - partners:
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Germany 11%, Italy
8.3%, China 6.1%, Japan 5.3%, UAE 5% (1999) |
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Debt - external:
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$8.2 billion (2002
est.) |
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Economic aid - recipient:
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$129 million (1995)
(2000 est.) |
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Currency:
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Iranian rial (IRR)
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Currency code:
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IRR |
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Exchange rates:
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from 1997 to 2001,
Iran had a multi-exchange-rate system; one of these rates, the official
floating exchange rate, by which most essential goods were imported,
averaged 1,750 rials per US dollar; in March 2002, the multi-exchange-rate
system was converged into one rate at about 7,900 rials per US dollar
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Fiscal year:
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21 March - 20 March
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Telephones - main lines in use:
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6.313 million (1997)
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Telephones - mobile cellular:
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265,000 (August 1998)
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Telephone system:
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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
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Radio broadcast stations:
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AM 72, FM 5, shortwave
5 (1998) |
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Radios:
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17 million (1997)
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Television broadcast stations:
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28 (plus 450 low-power
repeaters) (1997) |
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Televisions:
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4.61 million (1997)
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Internet country code:
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.ir |
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Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
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8 (2000) |
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Internet users:
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420,000 (2002)
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Railways:
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total: 6,130
km
broad gauge: 94 km 1.676-m gauge
standard gauge: 6,036 km 1.435-m gauge (187 km electrified)
note: broad-gauge track is employed at the borders with Azerbaijan
and Turkmenistan which have broad-gauge rail systems; 41 km of the
standard-gauge, electrified track is in suburban service at Tehran
(2001) |
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Highways:
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total: 140,200
km
paved: 49,440 km (including 470 km of expressways)
unpaved: 90,760 km (1998 est.) |
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Waterways:
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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 |
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Pipelines:
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crude oil 5,900 km;
petroleum products 3,900 km; natural gas 4,550 km |
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Ports and harbors:
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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 |
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Merchant marine:
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total: 147
ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 4,136,971 GRT/7,166,703 DWT
ships by type: bulk 48, cargo 36, chemical tanker 4, container
10, liquefied gas 1, multi-functional large-load carrier 6, petroleum
tanker 30, refrigerated cargo 2, roll on/roll off 9, short-sea passenger
1 (2002 est.) |
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Airports:
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322 (2001) |
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Airports - with paved runways:
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total: 122
over 3,047 m: 39
2,438 to 3,047 m: 25
914 to 1,523 m: 27
under 914 m: 4 (2002)
1,524 to 2,437 m: 27 |
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Airports - with unpaved runways:
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total: 187
under 914 m: 39 (2002)
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 138
1,524 to 2,437 m: 9 |
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Heliports:
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13 (2002)
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Military branches:
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Islamic Republic of
Iran regular forces (includes Ground Forces, Navy, Air Force and
Air Defense Command), Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC)
(includes Ground Forces, Air Force, Navy, Qods [special operations],
and Basij [Popular Mobilization Army] forces), Law Enforcement Forces
|
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Military manpower - military age:
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21 years of age (2002
est.) |
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Military manpower - availability:
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males age 15-49:
18,868,571 (2002 est.) |
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Military manpower - fit for military service:
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males age 15-49:
11,192,731 (2002 est.) |
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Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
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males: 823,041
(2002 est.) |
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Military expenditures - dollar figure:
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$9.7 billion (FY00)
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Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
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3.1% (FY00)
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