Total area:
1,648,000 km2
Land area:
1,636,000 km2
Comparative area:
slightly larger than Alaska
Land boundaries:
5,440 km; Afghanistan 936 km, Armenia 35 km, Azerbaijan (north) 432 km,
Azerbaijan (northwest) 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:
Continental shelf:
not specific
Exclusive fishing zone:
50 nm in the Sea of Oman; continental shelf limit, continental shelf
boundaries, or median lines in the Persian Gulf
Territorial sea:
12 nm
Disputes:
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: Tunb as Sughra (Arabic),
Jazireh-ye Tonb-e Kuchek (Persian) or Lesser Tunb, and Tunb al Kubra
(Arabic), Jazireh-ye Tonb-e Bozorg (Persian) or Greater Tunb; it jointly
administers with the UAE an island in the Persian Gulf claimed by the UAE,
Abu Musa (Arabic) or Jazireh-ye Abu Musa (Persian)
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
Natural resources:
petroleum, natural gas, coal, chromium, copper, iron ore, lead, manganese,
zinc, sulfur
Land use:
arable land 8%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and pastures 27%; forest and
woodland 11%; other 54%; includes irrigated 2%
Environment:
deforestation; overgrazing; desertification
:Iran People
Population:
61,183,138 (July 1992), growth rate 3.5% (1992)
Birth rate:
44 births/1,000 population (1992)
Death rate:
8 deaths/1,000 population (1992)
Net migration rate:
0 migrants/1,000 population (1992)
Infant mortality rate:
64 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)
Life expectancy at birth:
64 years male, 66 years female (1992)
Total fertility rate:
6.5 children born/woman (1992)
Nationality:
noun - Iranian(s); adjective - Iranian
Ethnic divisions:
Persian 51%, Azerbaijani 25%, Kurd 9%, Gilaki and Mazandarani 8%, Lur 2%,
Baloch 1%, Arab 1%, other 3%
Religions:
Shi`a Muslim 95%, Sunni Muslim 4%, Zoroastrian, Jewish, Christian, and
Baha'i 1%
Languages:
58% Persian and Persian dialects, 26% Turkic and Turkic dialects, 9%
Kurdish, 2% Luri, 1% Baloch, 1% Arabic, 1% Turkish, 2% other
Literacy:
54% (male 64%, female 43%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
Labor force:
15,400,000; agriculture 33%, manufacturing 21%; shortage of skilled labor
(1988 est.)
Organized labor:
none
:Iran Government
Long-form name:
Islamic Republic of Iran
Type:
theocratic republic
Capital:
Tehran
Administrative divisions:
24 provinces (ostanha, singular - ostan); Azarbayjan-e Bakhtari,
Azarbayjan-e Khavari, Bakhtaran, Bushehr, Chahar Machall va Bakhtiari,
Ecsfahan, Fars, Gilan, Hamadan, Hormozgan, Ilam, Kerman, Khorasan,
Khuzestan, Kohkiluyeh va Buyer Achmadi, Kordestan, Lorestan, Markazi,
Mazandaran, Semnan, Sistan va Baluchestan, Tehran, Yazd, Zanjan
Independence:
1 April 1979, Islamic Republic of Iran proclaimed
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
National holiday:
Islamic Republic Day, 1 April (1979)
Executive branch:
cleric (faqih), president, Council of Ministers
Legislative branch:
unicameral Islamic Consultative Assembly (Majles-e-Shura-ye-Eslami)
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court
Leaders:
Cleric 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)
Political parties and leaders:
there are at least 18 licensed parties; the three most important are -
Tehran Militant Clergy Association, Mohammad Reza MAHDAVI-KANI; Militant
Clerics Association, Mehdi MAHDAVI-KARUBI and Mohammad Asqar
MUSAVI-KHOINIHA; Fedaiyin Islam Organization, Sadeq KHALKHALI
Suffrage:
universal at age 15
Elections:
President:
last held July 1989 (next to be held April 1993); results - Ali Akbar
HASHEMI-RAFSANJANI was elected with only token opposition
Islamic Consultative Assembly:
last held 8 April 1992 (next to be held April 1996); results - percent of
vote by party NA; seats - (270 seats total) number of seats by party NA
Communists:
1,000 to 2,000 est. hardcore; 15,000 to 20,000 est. sympathizers; crackdown
in 1983 crippled the party; trials of captured leaders began in late 1983
Other political or pressure groups:
groups that generally support the Islamic Republic include Hizballah,
Hojjatiyeh Society, Mojahedin of the Islamic Revolution, Muslim Students
Following the Line of the Imam; armed political groups that have been almost
completely repressed by the government include Mojahedin-e Khalq
Organization (MEK), People's Fedayeen, Kurdish Democratic Party; the Society
for the Defense of Freedom
:Iran Government
Member of:
CCC, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-19, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, IDA, IDB,
IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO, ITU,
LORCS, NAM, OIC, OPEC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU,
WHO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation:
none; protecting power in the US is Pakistan - Iranian Interests Section,
2315 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008; telephone (202) 939-6200
US:
protecting power in Iran is Switzerland
Flag:
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 Alkbar (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
:Iran 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. After a decade of economic decline, Iran's GNP
grew roughly 4% in FY90 and 10% in FY91. An oil windfall in 1990 combined
with a substantial increase in imports contributed to Iran's recent economic
growth. Iran has also begun implementing a number of economic reforms to
reduce government intervention (including subsidies) and has allocated
substantial resources to development projects in the hope of stimulating the
economy. Nevertheless, lower oil revenues in 1991 - oil accounts for more
than 90% of export revenues and provides roughly 65% of the financing for
the five-year economic development plan - and dramatic increases in external
debt are threatening development plans and could prompt Iran to cut imports,
thus limiting economic growth in the medium term.
GNP:
exchange rate conversion - $90 billion, per capita $1,500; real growth rate
10% (FY91 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
18% (FY91 est.)
Unemployment rate:
30% (1989)
Budget:
revenues $63 billion; expenditures $80 billion, including capital
expenditures of $23 billion (FY90 est.)
Exports:
$17.8 billion (f.o.b., 1990)
commodities:
petroleum 90%, carpets, fruits, nuts, hides
partners:
Japan, Italy, France, Netherlands, Belgium/Luxembourg, Spain, and Germany
Imports:
$15.9 billion (c.i.f., 1990)
commodities:
machinery, military supplies, metal works, foodstuffs, pharmaceuticals,
technical services, refined oil products
partners:
Germany, Japan, Italy, UK, France
External debt:
$10 billion (1990 est.)
Industrial production:
growth rate NA%
Electricity:
14,579,000 kW capacity; 40,000 million kWh produced, 740 kWh per capita
(1989)
Industries:
petroleum, petrochemicals, textiles, cement and other building materials,
food processing (particularly sugar refining and vegetable oil production),
metal fabricating (steel and copper)
Agriculture:
principal products - wheat, rice, other grains, sugar beets, fruits, nuts,
cotton, dairy products, wool, caviar; not self-sufficient in food
Illicit drugs:
illicit producer of opium poppy for the domestic and international drug
trade
Economic aid:
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-80), $1.0 billion; Western (non-US)
countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $1.675 billion;
Communist countries (1970-89), $976 million; note - aid fell sharply
following the 1979 revolution
:Iran Economy