Match 116 DB Rec# - 7,568 Dataset-WOFACT
Title :Iran
Text :
Iran
Geography
Location:
Middle East, bordering the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf, between Iraq
and Pakistan
Map references:
Middle East
Area:
total area:
1.648 million sq km
land area:
1.636 million sq km
comparative area:
slightly larger than Alaska
Land boundaries:
total 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:
contiguous zone:
24 nm
continental shelf:
natural prolongation
exclusive economic zone:
bilateral agreements, or median lines in the Persian Gulf
territorial sea:
12 nm
International 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); in 1992 the dispute over
Abu Musa and the Tunb islands became more acute when Iran unilaterally tried
to control the entry of third country nationals into the UAE portion of Abu
Musa island, Tehran subsequently backed off in the face of significant
diplomatic support for the UAE in the region, but in 1994 it increased its
military presence on the disputed islands; periodic disputes with
Afghanistan over Helmand water rights; Caspian Sea boundaries are not yet
determined
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:
0%
Geography
meadows and pastures:
27%
forest and woodland:
11%
other:
54%
Irrigated land:
57,500 sq km (1989 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
natural hazards:
periodic droughts, floods; duststorms, sandstorms; earthquakes along the
Western border
international agreements:
party to - Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone
Layer Protection, Wetlands; signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity, Climate
Change, Desertification, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Marine
Life Conservation
People
Population:
64,625,455 (July 1995 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years:
45% (female 14,113,933; male 14,995,015)
15-64 years:
51% (female 16,237,810; male 16,803,943)
65 years and over:
4% (female 1,197,869; male 1,276,885) (July 1995 est.)
Population growth rate:
2.29% (1995 est.)
Birth rate:
34.85 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Death rate:
6.85 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Net migration rate:
-5.11 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
54.6 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
66.97 years
male:
65.77 years
female:
68.22 years (1995 est.)
Total fertility rate:
4.93 children born/woman (1995 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
Iranian(s)
adjective:
Iranian
Ethnic divisions:
Persian 51%, Azerbaijani 24%, Gilaki and Mazandarani 8%, Kurd 7%, Arab 3%,
Lur 2%, Baloch 2%, Turkmen 2%, other 1%
Religions:
Shi'a Muslim 95%, Sunni Muslim 4%, Zoroastrian, Jewish, Christian, and
Baha'i 1%
Languages:
Persian and Persian dialects 58%, Turkic and Turkic dialects 26%, Kurdish
9%, Luri 2%, Baloch 1%, Arabic 1%, Turkish 1%, other 2%
Literacy:
age 15 and over can read and write (1991)
total population:
66%
male:
74%
female:
56%
Labor force:
15.4 million
by occupation:
agriculture 33%, manufacturing 21%
note:
shortage of skilled labor (1988 est.)
Government
Names:
conventional long form:
Islamic Republic of Iran
conventional short form:
Iran
local long form:
Jomhuri-ye Eslami-ye Iran
local short form:
Iran
Digraph:
IR
Type:
theocratic republic
Capital:
Tehran
Administrative divisions:
24 provinces (ostanha, singular - ostan); Azarbayjan-e Bakhtari (West
Azerbaijan), Azarbayjan-e Khavari (East Azerbaijan), Bakhtaran, Bushehr,
Chahar Mahall va Bakhtiari, Esfahan, Fars, Gilan, Hamadan, Hormozgan, Ilam,
Kerman, Khorasan, Khuzestan, Kohkiluyeh va Buyer Ahmadi, Kordestan,
Lorestan, Markazi, Mazandaran, Semnan, Sistan va Baluchestan, Tehran, Yazd,
Zanjan
note:
there may be a new province named Ardabil formed from a part of Azarbayjan-e
Khavari (East Azerbaijan) which may have been renamed Azarbayjan-e Markazi
(Central Azerbaijan); the name Bakhtaran may have been changed to
Kermanshahan
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:
supreme leader (rahbar) 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); election last
held June 1993 (next to be held June 1997); results - Ali Akbar
Hashemi-RAFSANJANI was elected with 63% of the vote
cabinet:
Council of Ministers; selected by the president with legislative approval
Legislative branch:
unicameral
Islamic Consultative Assembly (Majles-e-Shura-ye-Eslami):
elections 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
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court
Government
Political parties and leaders:
there are at least 76 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
Other political or pressure groups:
groups that generally support the Islamic Republic include Hizballah,
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
Member of:
CCC, CP, ECO, ESCAP, FAO, G-19, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM,
IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, 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, WTO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
Iran has an Interests Section in the Pakistani Embassy in Washington, DC
chancery:
Iranian Interests Section, 2209 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007
telephone:
[1] (202) 965-4990
US diplomatic representation:
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
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. Over the past several years, the government
has introduced several measures to liberalize the economy and reduce
government intervention, but most of these changes have moved slowly because
of political opposition. Iran has faced increasingly severe financial
difficulties since mid-1992 due to an import surge that began in 1989 and
general financial mismanagement. At yearend 1993 the Iranian Government
estimated that it owed foreign creditors about $30 billion; an estimated $8
billion of this debt was in arrears. At yearend 1994, Iran rescheduled $12
billion in debt. Earnings from oil exports - which provide 90% of Iran's
export revenues - are providing less relief to Iran than usual because of
reduced oil prices.
National product:
GDP - purchasing power parity - $310 billion (1994 est.)
National product real growth rate:
-2% (1994 est.)
National product per capita:
$4,720 (1994 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
35% (1994)
Unemployment rate:
over 30% (1994 est.)
Budget:
revenues:
$NA
expenditures:
$NA, including capital expenditures of $NA
Exports:
$16 billion (f.o.b., FY92/93 est.)
commodities:
petroleum 90%, carpets, fruits, nuts, hides
partners:
Japan, Italy, France, Netherlands, Belgium/Luxembourg, Spain, and Germany
Imports:
$18 billion (c.i.f., FY92/93 est.)
commodities:
machinery, military supplies, metal works, foodstuffs, pharmaceuticals,
technical services, refined oil products
partners:
Germany, Japan, Italy, UK, UAE
External debt:
$30 billion (December 1993)
Industrial production:
growth rate 4.6% (1993 est.); accounts for almost 30% of GDP, including
petroleum
Electricity:
capacity:
19,080,000 kW
production:
50.8 billion kWh
consumption per capita:
745 kWh (1993)
Industries:
petroleum, petrochemicals, textiles, cement and other building materials,
food processing (particularly sugar refining and vegetable oil production),
metal fabricating, armaments and military equipment
Economy
Agriculture:
accounts for about 20% of GDP; 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; produced 35-70 metric tons in 1993; net opiate importer but also a
key transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin to Europe
Economic aid:
recipient:
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-80), $1 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
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 - 1,749.04 (January 1995), 1,748.75 (1994),
1,267.77 (1993), 65.552 (1992), 67.505 (1991); black market rate: 3,000
rials per US$1 (December 1994)
Fiscal year:
21 March - 20 March
Transportation
Railroads:
total:
4,850 km; note - 480 km under construction from Bafq to Bandar-e 'Abbas;
segment from Bafq to Sirjan has been completed and is operational; section
from Sirjan to Bandar-e 'Abbas still under construction
broad gauge:
90 km 1.676-m gauge
narrow gauge:
4,760 km 1.432-m gauge
Highways:
total:
140,200 km
paved:
42,694 km
unpaved:
gravel, crushed stone 46,866 km; improved earth 49,440 km; unimproved earth
1,200 km
Inland waterways:
904 km; the Shatt al Arab is usually navigable by maritime traffic for about
130 km; channel has been dredged to 3 meters and is in use
Pipelines:
crude oil 5,900 km; petroleum products 3,900 km; natural gas 4,550 km
Ports:
Abadan (largely destroyed in fighting during 1980-88 war), Ahvaz, Bandar
Beheshti, Bandar-e 'Abbas, Bandar-e Anzali, Bandar-e Bushehr, Bandar-e
Khomeyni, Bandar-e Mah Shahr, Bandar-e Torkeman, Jazireh-ye Khark,
Jazireh-ye Lavan, Jazireh-ye Sirri, Khorramshahr (limited operation since
November 1992), Now Shahr
Merchant marine:
total:
132 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 3,816,820 GRT/6,991,693 DWT
ships by type:
bulk 48, cargo 38, chemical tanker 5, combination bulk 2, liquefied gas
tanker 1, oil tanker 26, refrigerated cargo 3, roll-on/roll-off cargo 8,
short-sea passenger 1
Airports:
total:
261
with paved runways over 3,047 m:
28
with paved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m:
12
with paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m:
32
with paved runways 914 to 1,523 m:
20
with paved runways under 914 m:
46
with unpaved runways over 3,047 m:
2
with unpaved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m:
2
with unpaved runways 1,524 to 2,438 m:
18
with unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m:
101
Communications
Telephone system:
2,143,000 telephones; 35 telephones/1,000 persons
local:
NA
intercity:
microwave radio relay extends throughout country; system centered in Tehran
international:
3 INTELSAT (2 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean) earth stations; 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:
NA
Television:
broadcast stations:
28
televisions:
NA
Defense Forces
Branches:
Islamic Republic of Iran Ground Forces, Navy, Air and Air Defense Force,
Revolutionary Guards (includes Basij militia with its ground, air, and naval
forces), Law Enforcement Forces
Manpower availability:
males age 15-49 14,639,290; males fit for military service 8,703,732; males
reach military age (21) annually 615,096 (1995 est.)
Defense expenditures:
according to official Iranian data, Iran spent 1,785 billion rials,
including $808 million in hard currency, in 1992 and budgeted 2,507 billion
rials, including $850 million in hard currency, for 1993
note:
conversion of rial expenditures into US dollars using the current exchange
rate could produce misleading results
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The World Factbook 1995,
SuDoc No: PREX 3.15:995
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