1991 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1991 (Project Gutenberg)
Geography
Climate
mostly arid or semiarid, subtropical along Caspian coast
Coastline
3,180 km
Comparative area
slightly larger than Alaska
Disputes
Iran and Iraq restored diplomatic relations on 14 October 1990 following the end of the war that began on 22 September 1980; progress had been made on the major issues of contention--troop withdrawal, prisoner-of-war exchanges, demarcation of the border, freedom of navigation, and sovereignty over the the Shatt al Arab waterway--but written agreements had yet to be drawn up when frictions reemerged in March 1991 in the wake of Shia and Kurdish revolts in Iraq that Baghdad accused Tehran of supporting; Kurdish question among Iran, Iraq, Syria, Turkey, and the USSR; occupies three islands in the Persian Gulf claimed by UAE (Jazireh-ye Abu Musa or Abu Musa, Jazireh-ye Tonb-e Bozorg or Greater Tunb, and Jazireh-ye Tonb-e Kuchek or Lesser Tunb); periodic disputes with Afghanistan over Helmand water rights; Boluch question with Afghanistan and Pakistan
Environment
deforestation; overgrazing; desertification
Land boundaries
5,492 km total; Afghanistan 936 km, Iraq 1,458 km, Pakistan 909 km, Turkey 499 km, USSR 1,690 km
Land use
arable land 8%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and pastures 27%; forest and woodland 11%; other 54%; includes irrigated 2%
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
Natural resources
petroleum, natural gas, coal, chromium, copper, iron ore, lead, manganese, zinc, sulfur
Terrain
rugged, mountainous rim; high, central basin with deserts, mountains; small, discontinuous plains along both coasts
Total area
1,648,000 km2; land area: 1,636,000 km2
People and Society
Birth rate
44 births/1,000 population (1991)
Death rate
9 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
Ethnic divisions
Persian 51%, Azerbaijani 25%, Kurd 9%, Gilaki and Mazandarani 8%, Lur 2%, Baloch 1%, Arab 1%, other 3%
Infant mortality rate
66 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
Labor force
15,400,000; agriculture 33%, manufacturing 21%; shortage of skilled labor (1988 est.)
Language
58% Persian and Persian dialects, 26% Turkic and Turkic dialects, 9% Kurdish, 2% Luri, 1% Baloch, 1% Arabic, 1% Turkish, 2% other
Life expectancy at birth
64 years male, 65 years female (1991)
Literacy
54% (male 64%, female 43%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
Nationality
noun--Iranian(s); adjective--Iranian
Net migration rate
0 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
Organized labor
none
Population
59,051,082 (July 1991), growth rate 3.6% (1991)
Religion
Shia Muslim 95%, Sunni Muslim 4%, Zoroastrian, Jewish, Christian, and Bahai 1%
Total fertility rate
6.6 children born/woman (1991)
Government
Administrative divisions
24 provinces (ostanha, singular--ostan); Azarbayjan-e Bakhtari, Azarbayjan-e Khavari, 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
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
Constitution
2-3 December 1979; revised 1989 to expand powers of the presidency and eliminate the prime ministership
Diplomatic representation
none; protecting power in the US is Algeria--Iranian Interests Section, 2209 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington DC 20007; telephone (202) 965-4990; US--protecting power in Iran is Switzerland
Elections
President--last held NA 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 1988 (next to be held June 1992); results--percent of vote by party NA; seats--(270 seats total) number of seats by party NA
Executive branch
cleric (faqih), president, Council of Ministers
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 Akbar (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
Independence
1 April 1979, Islamic Republic of Iran proclaimed
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);
Legal system
the new Constitution codifies Islamic principles of government
Legislative branch
unicameral Islamic Consultative Assembly (Majles-e-Shura-ye-Eslami)
Long-form name
Islamic Republic of Iran
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
National holiday
Islamic Republic Day, 1 April (1979)
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 Khalq Organization (MKO), People's Fedayeen, and Kurdish Democratic Party; the Society for the Defense of Freedom is a group of liberal nationalists that has been repressed by the government for accusing it of corruption
Political parties and leaders
there are at least 14 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
Type
theocratic republic
Economy
Agriculture
principal products--wheat, rice, other grains, sugar beets, fruits, nuts, cotton, dairy products, wool, caviar; not self-sufficient in food
Budget
revenues $63 billion; expenditures $80 billion, including capital expenditures of $23 billion (FY90 est.)
Currency
Iranian rial (plural--rials); 1 Iranian rial (IR) = 100 dinars; note--domestic figures are generally referred to in terms of the toman (plural--tomans), which equals 10 rials
Economic aid
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-80), $1.0 billion; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-88), $1.6 billion; Communist countries (1970-89), $976 million; note--aid fell sharply following the 1979 revolution
Electricity
14,579,000 kW capacity; 40,000 million kWh produced, 740 kWh per capita (1989)
Exchange rates
Iranian rials (IR) per US$1--64.941 (January 1991), 68.096 (1990), 72.015 (1989), 68.683 (1988), 71.460 (1987), 78.760 (1986), 91.052 (1985) at the official rate; black market rate 1,400 (January 1991)
Exports
$12.3 billion (f.o.b., 1989); commodities--petroleum 90%, carpets, fruits, nuts, hides; partners--Japan, Turkey, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, France, FRG
External debt
$4-5 billion (1989)
Fiscal year
21 March-20 March
GNP
$80.0 billion, per capita $1,400; real growth rate 0.5% (1990 est.)
Illicit drugs
illicit producer of opium poppy for the domestic and international drug trade
Imports
$11.6 billion (c.i.f., 1989); commodities--machinery, military supplies, metal works, foodstuffs, pharmaceuticals, technical services, refined oil products; partners--FRG, Japan, Turkey, UK, Italy
Industrial production
growth rate NA%
Industries
petroleum, petrochemicals, textiles, cement and other building materials, food processing (particularly sugar refining and vegetable oil production), metal fabricating (steel and copper)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
30-50% (1989 est.)
Overview
Since the 1979 revolution, the banks, petroleum industry, transportation, utilities, and mining have been nationalized, but the new five-year plan--the first since the revolution--passed in January 1990, calls for the transfer of many government-controlled enterprises to the private sector. Disruptions from the bitter war with Iraq, massive corruption, mismanagement, demographic pressures, and ideological rigidities have kept economic growth at depressed levels. Oil accounts for over 90% of export revenues. A combination of war damage and low oil prices brought a 2% drop in GNP in 1988. GNP probably rose slightly in 1989, considerably short of the 3.2% population growth rate in 1989. Heating oil and gasoline are rationed. Agriculture has suffered from the war, land reform, and shortages of equipment and materials. The five-year plan seeks to reinvigorate the economy by increasing the role of the private sector, boosting nonoil income, and securing foreign loans. The plan is overly ambitious but probably will generate some short-term relief.
Unemployment rate
30% (1989)
Communications
Airports
214 total, 186 usable; 80 with permanent-surface runways; 17 with runways over 3,659 m; 16 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 70 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Civil air
42 major transport aircraft
Highways
140,072 km total; 46,866 km gravel and crushed stone; 49,440 km improved earth; 42,566 km bituminous and bituminous-treated surfaces; 1,200 km (est.) rural road network
Inland waterways
904 km; the Shatt al Arab is usually navigable by maritime traffic for about 130 km, but closed since September 1980 because of Iran-Iraq war
Merchant marine
133 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 4,634,204 GRT/8,671,769 DWT; includes 36 cargo, 6 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 33 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 4 chemical tanker, 3 refrigerated cargo, 49 bulk, 2 combination bulk
Pipelines
crude oil, 5,900 km; refined products, 3,900 km; natural gas, 3,300 km
Ports
Abadan (largely destroyed in fighting during 1980-88 war), Bandar Beheshti, Bandar-e Abbas, Bandar-e Bushehr, Bandar-e Khomeyni, Bandar-e Shahid Rajai, Khorramshahr (largely destroyed in fighting during 1980-88 war)
Railroads
4,601 km total; 4,509 km 1.432-meter gauge, 92 km 1.676-meter gauge; 730 km under construction from Bafq to Bandar Abbas
Telecommunications
radio relay extends throughout country; system centered in Tehran; 2,143,000 telephones; stations--62 AM, 30 FM, 250 TV; satellite earth stations--2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT and 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT; HF and microwave to Turkey, Pakistan, Syria, Kuwait, and USSR
Military and Security
Branches
Islamic Republic of Iran Ground Forces, Navy, Air Force, Air Defense, and Revolutionary Guard Corps (includes Basij militia and own ground, air, and naval forces); a merger of the Komiteh, Police, and Gendarmerie has produced a new Security Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran
Defense expenditures
$13 billion, 13.3% of GNP (1991 est.) _%_
Manpower availability
males 15-49, 12,750,593; 7,588,711 fit for military service; 576,321 reach military age (21) annually