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Iran
Physical. Iran is located in the Middle East, between Iraq and Pakistan
with the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf in the south and the Caspian Sea in
the north. It covers an area slightly larger than Alaska. The climate is mostly
arid or semiarid, with subtropical areas along the Caspian coast. Iran has a
rugged, mountainous rim and a high, central basin with deserts and mountains.
There are also small, discontinuous plains along both coasts. Natural resources
petroleum, natural gas, coal, chromium, copper, iron ore, lead, manganese, zinc
and sulfur
People. Almost 68.7 million people live in Iran. Persian and Persian
dialects are used by almost 60% of the population while Turkic and Turkic
dialects are used by almost 30%. Iran is mostly Persian (51%) and Azeri (24%).
Religious practices are mainly Muslim (89% Shi'a, 9% Sunni) while Zoroastrian,
Jewish, Christian, and Baha'i Christian make up 2%.
Government. The country is officially known as the Islamic Republic of
Iran. The capital is Tehran, located in northern part of the country. In 1979
after the overthrow of the ruling shah, conservative clerics established a
theocratic republic with ultimate power in the hands of a learned religious
scholar. In the 80’s, Iran fought an indecisive war with Iran and is subject to
US economic sanctions due to its sponsorship of terrorist activities. The
proportion of the economy devoted to the development of weapons of mass
destruction remains a contentious issue with leading Western nations. An attempt
at reforming the government in the late 90s foundered when conservative
politicians prevented reform measures from being enacted. The latest elections
have reconsolidated conservative power in Iran.
Economy. Iran's economy is has an inefficient and very large state
sector, with heavy dependence on oil, and poor policies. President Mahmud Ahmad-Nejad
has continued to follow the market reform plans of former President Rafsanjani,
with little success. Relatively high oil prices have not benefited the country
as high unemployment and inflation remain.
Areas of Concern. Environmental concerns include air pollution,
especially in urban areas; deforestation; overgrazing; desertification; oil
pollution in the Persian Gulf; wetland losses from drought; soil degradation (salination);
and water pollution. Iran protests Afghanistan's limiting the flow of the
Helmand River in periods of drought; and has jurisdiction disputes with Iraq.
For additional information on Iran, contact the Iranian Interests Section of
the Embassy of Pakistan at 2209 Wisconsin Ave. N.W, Washington, DC. 20007; check
the U.S. State Department or World Factbook country sites; or type in the
country's name on the Internet using a broad-based World Wide Web search engine.
Iran statistics
Geography
Area: 1.648 million sq km
Capital: Tehran; (1.2 million)
Environmental concerns: air pollution, especially in urban areas; deforestation;
overgrazing; desertification; oil pollution; wetland losses from drought; soil
degradation (salination); inadequate supplies of potable water; water pollution
Geographical features: rugged, mountainous rim; high, central basin with
deserts, mountains; small, discontinuous plains along both coasts
Climate: arid or semiarid, with subtropical areas along the Caspian coast
People
68,688,000 (July 2006 est.) Persian (51%), Azeri (24%), Gilaki and Mazandarani
(8%), Kurd (7%), Arab (3%), Lur (2%), Baloch (2%), Turkmen (2%)
Annual growth rate: 1.1% (2006 est.)
Major languages are Persian and Persian dialects (58%), Turkic and Turkic
dialects (26%), Kurdish (9%), Luri (2%), Balochi, Arabic, and Turkish 1% each
Religions: Shi'a Muslim (89%), Sunni Muslim (9%), Zoroastrian, Jewish,
Christian, and Baha'i (2%)
Health and social issues
Life expectancies: male 69; female 72
Infant mortality: 40.3 deaths/1,000 live births
Population below the poverty line: 40% (2002 est.)
1 physician to 1,600 people (2004)
HIV/AIDS Rate in Adults: less than 0.1% (2001 est.)
79.4% of adults are literate
Compulsory education (Ages): 6-12; free
Communication and transportation
14,571,000 (2003) main telephone lines in use
7.5 million (2005) Internet users
178,000 km of roadways
7,203 km railroads
310 (2005) airports
2.189 million motor vehicles (2004)
Government
Iran is a theocratic republic.
The chief of state is Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Hoseini-Khamenei (since 4
June 1989). The head of government is President Mahmud Ahmadi-Nejad (since 3
August 2005).
Universal suffrage 15 years of age
Military
Military expenditures as a percentage of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is
3.3% (2003 est.).
Current disputes: Iran protests Afghanistan's limiting flow of dammed
tributaries to the Helmand River in periods of drought; Iraq's lack of a
maritime boundary with Iran prompts jurisdiction disputes; Iran stands alone
among littoral states in insisting upon a division of the Caspian Sea into five
equal sectors. There are almost 1 million Afghanistani refugees in Iran; Iran’s
refusal to admit inspections for weapons grade plutonium is an area of concern.
Economy
Currency: Iranian rial
Per capita GDP: $8,100 (2005 est.)
GDP: $561.6 billion (2005 est.)
GDP growth rate: 6.1% (2005 est.)
Inflation rate: 16% (2005 est.)
Labor force: agriculture (30%), industry (25%) services (45%) (2001 est.)
Resources and industry
Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, coal, chromium, copper, iron ore,
lead, manganese, zinc, sulfur
Agriculture: wheat, rice, other grains, sugar beets, fruits, nuts, cotton; dairy
products, wool; caviar
Industry: petroleum, petrochemicals, textiles, cement and other construction
materials, food processing (particularly sugar refining and vegetable oil
production), metal fabrication, armaments
Exports: $55.42 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Imports: $42.5 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Suggested web sites
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/iran
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/irtoc.html
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