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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 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, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone
Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Law
of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation
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Population: 68,959,931 (July 1998
est.)
note: includes 607,252 non-nationals (July 1998 est.)
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/1,000
population (1998 est.)
Death rate: 6.19 deaths/1,000
population (1998 est.)
Net migration rate: -4.79 migrant(s)/1,000
population (1998 est.)
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/1,000 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.)
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%
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.)
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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
Data code: IR
Government type: theocratic republic
National 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)
head 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
Political parties and leaders: Iran
has no political parties; the most important political
"groupings" are—Tehran Militant Clergy Association,
Secretary General Ayatollah Mohammad EMAMI-KASHANI; Militant
Clerics Association, Mehdi MAHDAVI-KARUBI and Mohammad Asqar
MUSAVI-KHOINIHA; Servants of Reconstruction (G-6), Mohammad
HASHEMI-RAFSANJANI, Hosein MARASHI
Political pressure groups and leaders:
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, 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, 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
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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. 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.
GDP: purchasing power parity—$371.2
billion (1997 est.)
GDP—real growth rate: 3.2% (1997
est.)
GDP—per capita: purchasing power
parity—$5,500 (1997 est.)
GDP—composition by sector:
agriculture: 21%
industry: 37%
services: 42% (1994 est.)
Inflation rate—consumer price index:
23% (1996)
Labor force:
total: 15.4 million
by occupation: agriculture 33%, 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)
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.)
Electricity—capacity: 25.117
million kW (1995)
Electricity—production: 79 billion
kWh (1995)
Electricity—consumption per capita:
1,222 kWh (1995)
Agriculture—products: wheat, rice,
other grains, sugar beets, fruits, nuts, cotton; dairy products,
wool; caviar
Exports:
total value: $19 billion (f.o.b., 1997 est.)
commodities: 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.)
commodities: 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.)
Economic aid:
recipient: ODA, $40 million (1993)
Currency: 10 Iranian rials (IR) = 1
toman; note—domestic figures are generally referred to in terms
of the toman
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
Fiscal year: 21 March—20 March
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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
Radio broadcast stations: AM 77, FM
3, shortwave 0
Radios: 14.3 million (1992 est.)
Television broadcast stations: 28
Televisions: 3.9 million (1992 est.)
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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.)
Highways:
total: 162,000 km
paved: 81,000 km (including 470 km of expressways)
unpaved: 81,000 km (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
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 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: 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.)
Airports: 280 (1997 est.)
Airports—with paved runways:
total: 103
over 3,047 m: 36
2,438 to 3,047 m: 14
1,524 to 2,437 m: 27
914 to 1,523 m: 21
under 914 m: 5 (1997 est.)
Airports—with unpaved runways:
total: 177
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 4
1,524 to 2,437 m: 14
914 to 1,523 m: 124
under 914 m: 34 (1997 est.)
Heliports: 11 (1997 est.)
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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: 16,270,295 (1998 est.)
Military manpower—fit for military
service:
males: 9,672,021 (1998 est.)
Military manpower—reaching military age
annually:
males: 671,734 (1998 est.)
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
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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, 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
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Information on Iran