IRAN
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IRAN
@Iran:Geography
Location: Middle East, bordering the Gulf of Oman and the Persian
Gulf, between Iraq and Pakistan
Map references: Middle East
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IRAN - MAJOR CITIES
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Latitude, Internat'l Time
Population Longitude Phone Code Zone
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TEHRAN 6,043,000 35.40N, 51.26E 98-21 GMT+3.5
Mashad 1,464,000 36.18N, 52.39E 98-51 GMT+3.5
Isfahan 987,000 32.41N, 51.41E 98-31 GMT+3.5
Tabriz 971,000 38.05N, 46.18E 98-41 GMT+3.5
Shiraz 848,000 29.38N, 52.34E 98-71 GMT+3.5
Ahvaz 580,000 31.17N, 48.43E 98-61 GMT+3.5
Bakhtaran 561,000 34.19N, 47.04E 98-431 GMT+3.5
Qom 543,000 34.39N, 50.57E 98-251 GMT+3.5
Karaj 527,000 35.48N, 50.58E 98-2221 GMT+3.5
Orumiyeh 301,000 37.33N, 45.04E 98- GMT+3.5
Abadan 294,000 30.20N, 48.16E 98-631 GMT+3.5
Rasht 291,000 37.16N, 49.36E 98-231 GMT+3.5
Kerman 257,000 30.17N, 57.05E 98-341 GMT+3.5
Yazd 230,000 31.53N, 54.25E 98-351 GMT+3.5
Bandar 'Abbas 202,000 27.11N, 56.17E 98-761 GMT+3.5
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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%
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
@Iran: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.)
@Iran: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
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
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
@Iran: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
@Iran: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
@Iran: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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