1987 Edition

Boundary disputes

none; on 17 September 1980 Iraq abrogated 1975 treaty with Iraq which shifted the boundary in Shatt al Arab waterway from the low water mark on Iranian side of river to midpoint of deepest navigable channel (thalweg}— heavy fighting with Iraq began on 22 September 1980; Kurdistan question with Iraq; occupies three islands claimed by UAE in Strait of Hormuz; periodic disputes with Afghanistan over Helmand water rights

none; on 17 September 1980 Iraq abrogated 1975 treaty with Iraq which shifted the boundary in Shatt al Arab waterway from the low water mark on Iranian side of river to midpoint of deepest navigable channel (thalweg)— heavy fighting with Iran began on 22 September 1980; Kurdistan question with lran; ownership of Warbah and Bubiyan islands disputed with Kuwait; shares Neutral Zone with Saudi Arabia; periodic disputes with Syria over Euphrates water rights; potential dispute over water development plans by Turkey for the Tigris and Euphrates rivers

Climate

mostly arid or semiarid, subtropical along Caspian coast

desert; mild to cool winters with dry, hot, cloudless summers

Coastline

3,180 km

58 km

Comparative area

about the size of Alaska and Pennsylvania combined

larger than California

Continental shelf

not specific

not specific

Environment

deforestation; overgrazing; desertification

Exclusive fishing zone

50 nm in the Sea of Oman; median-line boundaries in the Persian Gulf

Land boundaries

5,318 km total

3,668 km total

Land use

8% arable land; NEGL% permanent crops; 27% meadows and pastures; 11% forest and woodland; 54% other; includes 2% irrigated

12% arable land; 1% permanent crops; 9% meadows and pastures; 3% forest and woodland; 75% other; includes 4% irrigated

Special notes

none

Terrain

rugged, mountainous rim; high, central basin with deserts, mountains; small, discontinuous plains along both coasts

mostly broad plains; reedy marshes in southeast; mountains along borders with Iran and Turkey

Territorial sea

12 nm

12 nm

Total area

1,648,000 km/?; land area: 1,636,000 km?

434,920 km?; land area: 438,970 km?

Ethnic divisions

63% ethnic Persian, 18% Turkic, 13% other Iranian, 3% Kurdish, 3% Arab and other Semitic

Infant mortality rate

110/1,000 (1986 est.)

Labor force

12.0 million, (1979 est.); 33% agriculture, 21% manufacturing; shortage of skilled labor; unemployment may be as high as 35%

Language

Farsi, Turki, Kurdish, Arabic, English, French

Life expectancy

54

Literacy

48%

Nationality

noun—Iranian(s); adjective— Iranian

Population

50,407,763 (July 1987), average annual growth rate 3.32%; figures do not take into account the impact of the Iran-Iraq war

Religion

93% Shi'a Muslim; 5% Sunni Muslim; 2% Zoroastrian, Jewish, Christian, and Baha’i

Administrative divisions

24 provinces, subdivided into districts, subdistricts, counties, and villages

Branches

Ayatollah ol-Ozma Ruhollah Khomeini, the leader of the revolution, provides general guidance for the government, which is divided into executive, unicameral legislature (Islamic Consultative Assembly), and judicial branches

Capital

Tehran

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 and remain incomplete

Elections

elections to select a President held in August 1985; those to select an Assembly of Experts to name Khomeini’s successor held in December 1982; parliamentary elections held in 1984; next presidential election to be held during the summer of 1989; next parliamentary elections to be held in 1988 Political parties and leaders: Islamic Republic Party (IRP), Ali Khamenei; Freedom Movement, Mehdi Bazargan

Government leaders

Ayatollah ol-Ozma Ruhollah KHOMEINI, Guardian Jurisprudent (since February 1979); Ali KHAMENEI (cleric), President (since October 1981); Mir Hosein MUSAVI-KHAMENE], Prime Minister (since Octoher 1981); Ali Akbar HASHEMI RAFSANJANI (cleric), Speaker of Islamic Consultative Assembly (since July 1980); Ayatollah Hosein Ali MONTAZERI, Designated Successor to Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini (22 November 1985)

Legal system

the new constitution codifies Islamic principles of government

Member of

Colombo Plan, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAC, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IPU, IRC, ITU, NAM, OIC, OPEC, Economic Cooperation Organization, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WSG, WTO; continued participation in some of these organizations doubtful under the new Islamic constitution

National holiday

Shi'a Islam religions holidays observed nationwide

Official name

Islamic Republic of Iran

Other political or pressure groups

Mojahedin Khalq Organization (MKO), People’s Fedayeen, and Kurdish Democratic Party are armed political groups that have been almost completely repressed by the government; other powerful progovernment groups include Fedayeen Islam Organization, Hezbollah, Hojjatiyeh Society, Mojahedin of the Islamic Revolution, Muslim Students Following the Line of the Imam, and Tehran Militant Clergy Association

Suffrage

universal over age 15

Type

theocratic republic

Voting strength

reliable figures not available; supporters of the Islamic Republic dominate the parliament

Agriculture

wheat, barley, rice, sugar beets, cotton, dates, raisins, tea, tobacco, sheep, goats; an illegal producer of opium poppy for the international drug trade

Budget

proposed expenditures about $40 billion; actual expenditures were less as a result of slump in oil market (FY86)

Electric power

12,601,000 kW capacity; 33,120 million kWh produced, 710 kWh per capita (1986)

Exports

$7.8 billion (1986 est.); 90% petroleum; also carpets, fruits, nuts, cement

Fiscal year

21 March-20 March

GNP

$82.4 billion, $1,690 per capita, real GNP —13.4% (1986)

Imports

$10.0 billion (1986 est.); machinery, military supplies, foodstuffs, pharmaceuticals, technical services, refined oil products

Major industries

crude oil production (2.0 million b/d in 1986) and refining, textiles, cement and other building materials, food processing (particularly sugar refining and vegetable oil production), metal fabricating (steel and copper)

Major trade partners

exports—Japan, Turkey, Syria, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, France, FRG; imports—FRG, Japan, Turkey, UK, Italy

Monetary conversion rate

73.36 rials=US$1 (December 1986); unofficial exchange rate on black market up to ten times as many rials per $1

Natural resources

petroleum, natural gas, coal, chromium, copper, iron, lead, manganese, zinc, barite, sulfur, coal, emeralds, turquoise

Airfields

17) total, 144 usable; 78 with permanent-surface runways; 16 with runways over 3,659 m, 15 with runways 2,440-3,659 m, 66 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Highways

85,000 km total; 36,000 km gravel and crushed stone, 15,000 km improved earth, 19,000 km bituminous and bituminous-treated surfaces, 15,000 km unimproved earth

Inland waterways

904 km, excluding the Caspian Sea, 104 km on the Shatt al Arab (closed since September 1980 because of Iran-Iraq conflict); 3 inland coastal ports on Caspian Sea

Pipelines

crude oil, 5,900 km; refined products, 3,900 km; natural gas, 3,300 km; some pumping stations have been damaged by Iraqi air attacks

Ports

6 major (Abadan and Khorramshahr are closed, Bandar-e ‘Abbas, Bandar-e Khomeyni, Chah Bahar, Bishehr), 12 minor Civil air; 43 major transport aircraft

Railroads

4,601 km total; 4,509 km 1.432meter gauge, 92 km 1.676-meter gauge

Telecommunications

62 AM, 27 FM, 28 TV stations; 2,048,000 TV sets; 5,500,000 receiver sets; 1 satellite ground station

Branches

Islamic Ground Forces, Navy, Air Force, and Revolutionary Guard (includes Basij militia), Gendarmerie

Military manpower

males 15-49, 11,490,000; 6,848,000 fit for military service; about 540,000 reach military age (21) annually Iraq Samerra, BAGHDAD, Fd Ar Rutbah Al Hittah, °AL Kut An N6sirtyah Ai Begrah, Persian Gulf