1994 Edition

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

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

Airports

total: 219 usable: 193 with permanent-surface runways: 80 with runways over 3,659 m: 17 with runways 2,440-3,659 m: 18 with runways 1,220-2,439 m: 70

Area

total area: 1.648 million sq km land area: 1.636 million sq km comparative area: slightly larger than Alaska

Birth rate

42.43 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Branches

Islamic Republic of Iran Ground Forces, Navy, Air and Air Defense Force, Revolutionary Guards (including Basij militia and own ground, air, and naval forces), Law Enforcement Forces

Budget

revenues: $NA expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA

Capital

Tehran

Climate

mostly arid or semiarid, subtropical along Caspian coast

Coastline

2,440 km note: Iran also borders the Caspian Sea (740 km)

Constitution

2-3 December 1979; revised 1989 to expand powers of the presidency and eliminate the prime ministership

Currency

1 Iranian rial (IR) = 10 tomans

Death rate

7.83 deaths/1,000 population (1994 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 (est.) note: conversion of rial expenditures into US dollars using the prevailing exchange rate could produce misleading results

Digraph

IR

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: (202) 965-4990

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

Electricity

capacity: 15,649,000 kW production: 43.6 billion kWh consumption per capita: 710 kWh (1992)

Environment

current issues: air pollution, especially in urban areas, from vehicle emissions, refinery operations, and industry; deforestation; overgrazing; desertification; oil pollution in the Persian Gulf; shortages of drinking water natural hazards: periodic droughts international agreements: party to - Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands; signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation

Ethnic divisions

Persian 51%, Azerbaijani 24%, Gilaki and Mazandarani 8%, Kurd 7%, Arab 3%, Lur 2%, Baloch 2%, Turkmen 2%, other 1%

Exchange rates

Iranian rials (IR) per US$1 - 1,748.86 (January 1994), 1,267.77 (1993), 65.552 (1992), 67.505 (1991); note - in March 1993 the Iranian government announced a new single-parity exchange rate system with a new official rate of 1,538 rials per dollar; there is also a black market rate of 2200 rials per US$1 (December 1993)

Executive branch

supreme leader and functional chief of state: Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali Hoseini-KHAMENEI (since 4 June 1989); supreme leader (velayat-e faqih) head of government: President Ali Akbar Hashemi-RAFSANJANI (since 3 August 1989); election last held June 1993 (next to be held June-July 1997); results - Ali Akbar HASHEMI-RAFSANJANI was elected with 63% of the vote cabinet: Council of Ministers; selected by the president with legislative approval

Exports

$15.5 billion (f.o.b., FY92 est.) commodities: petroleum 90%, carpets, fruits, nuts, hides partners: Japan, Italy, France, Netherlands, Belgium/Luxembourg, Spain, and Germany

External debt

$30 billion (December 1993)

Fiscal year

21 March - 20 March

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

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

Illicit drugs

illicit producer of opium poppy for the domestic and international drug trade; net opiate importer but also a key transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin to Europe

Imports

$23.7 billion (c.i.f., FY92 est.) commodities: machinery, military supplies, metal works, foodstuffs, pharmaceuticals, technical services, refined oil products partners: Germany, Japan, Italy, UK, France

Independence

1 April 1979 (Islamic Republic of Iran proclaimed)

Industrial production

growth rate 3% (1993 est.); accounts for almost 30% of GDP, including petroleum

Industries

petroleum, petrochemicals, textiles, cement and other building materials, food processing (particularly sugar refining and vegetable oil production), metal fabricating

Infant mortality rate

60.2 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

30% (September 1992-September 1993)

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

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; periodic disputes with Afghanistan over Helmand water rights

Irrigated land

57,500 sq km (1989 est.)

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

Labor force

15.4 million by occupation: agriculture 33%, manufacturing 21% note: shortage of skilled labor (1988 est.)

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

Land use

arable land: 8% permanent crops: 0% meadows and pastures: 27% forest and woodland: 11% other: 54%

Languages

Persian and Persian dialects 58%, Turkic and Turkic dialects 26%, Kurdish 9%, Luri 2%, Baloch 1%, Arabic 1%, Turkish 1%, other 2%

Legal system

the Constitution codifies Islamic principles of government

Legislative branch

unicameral

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 65.66 years male: 64.7 years female: 66.68 years (1994 est.)

Literacy

age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.) total population: 54% male: 64% female: 43%

Location

Middle East, between the Persian Gulf and the Caspian Sea

Manpower availability

males age 15-49 14,382,216; fit for military service 8,555,760; reach military age (21) annually 600,630 (1994 est.)

Map references

Asia, Middle East, Standard Time Zones of the World

Maritime claims

continental shelf: not specified exclusive fishing zone: 50 nm in the Gulf of Oman; continental shelf limit, continental shelf boundaries, or median lines in the Persian Gulf territorial sea: 12 nm

Member of

CCC, CP, ESCAP, ECO, 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, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Merchant marine

139 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 4,480,000 GRT/8,332,667 DWT, bulk 48, cargo 41, chemical tanker 4, combination bulk 2, liquefied gas 1, oil tanker 31, refrigerated cargo 3, roll-on/roll-off cargo 8, short-sea passenger 1

Names

conventional long form: Islamic Republic of Iran conventional short form: Iran local long form: Jomhuri-ye Eslami-ye Iran local short form: Iran

National holiday

Islamic Republic Day, 1 April (1979)

National product

GNP - purchasing power equivalent - $303 billion (1993 est.)

National product per capita

$4,780 (1993 est.)

National product real growth rate

3% (1993 est.)

Nationality

noun: Iranian(s) adjective: Iranian

Natural resources

petroleum, natural gas, coal, chromium, copper, iron ore, lead, manganese, zinc, sulfur

Net migration rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)

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-e Khalq Organization (MEK), People's Fedayeen, Kurdish Democratic Party; the Society for the Defense of Freedom

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 in 1992-93 due to an import surge since 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. Earnings from oil exports--which provide over 90% of Iran's export revenues--are providing less relief to Iran than usual because of declining oil prices. Estimated overall growth was a robust 6.3% in 1992 and a moderate 3% in 1993.

Pipelines

crude oil 5,900 km; petroleum products 3,900 km; natural gas 4,550 km

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

Population

65,615,474 (July 1994 est.)

Population growth rate

3.46% (1994 est.)

Ports

Abadan (largely destroyed in fighting during 1980-88 war), Bandar Beheshti, Bandar-e 'Abbas, Bandar-e Bushehr, Bandar-e Khomeyni, Bandar-e Torkeman (Caspian Sea port), Khorramshahr (repaired after being largely destroyed in fighting during 1980-88 war) has been in limited operation since November 1992

Railroads

4,852 km total; 4,760 km 1.432-meter gauge, 92 km 1.676-meter gauge; 480 km under construction from Bafq to Bandar-e 'Abbas, rail construction from Bafq to Sirjan has been completed and is operational; section from Sirjan to Bandar-e 'Abbas still under construction

Religions

Shi'a Muslim 95%, Sunni Muslim 4%, Zoroastrian, Jewish, Christian, and Baha'i 1%

Suffrage

15 years of age; universal

Telecommunications

microwave radio relay extends throughout country; system centered in Tehran; 2,143,000 telephones (35 telephones per 1,000 persons); broadcast stations - 77 AM, 3 FM, 28 TV; satellite earth stations - 2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT and 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT; HF radio and microwave radio relay to Turkey, Pakistan, Syria, Kuwait, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan; submarine fiber optic cable to UAE

Terrain

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

Total fertility rate

6.33 children born/woman (1994 est.)

Type

theocratic republic

Unemployment rate

30% (1991 est.)

US diplomatic representation

protecting power in Iran is Switzerland