2000 Edition

Background

Known as Persia until 1935, Iran became an Islamic republic in 1979 after the ruling shah was forced into exile. Conservative clerical forces subsequently crushed westernizing liberal elements. Militant Iranian students seized the US Embassy in Tehran on 4 November 1979 and held it until 20 January 1981. During 1980-88, Iran fought a bloody, indecisive war with Iraq over disputed territory. The key current issue is how rapidly the country should open up to the modernizing influences of the outside world.

Area

land

1.636 million sq km

total

1.648 million sq km

water

12,000 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly larger than Alaska

Climate

mostly arid or semiarid, subtropical along Caspian coast

Coastline

2,440 km

note

Iran also borders the Caspian Sea (740 km)

Elevation extremes

highest point

Qolleh-ye Damavand 5,671 m

lowest point

Caspian Sea -28 m

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

Environment - international agreements

party to

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation

Geographic coordinates

32 00 N, 53 00 E

Irrigated land

94,000 sq km (1993 est.)

Land boundaries

border countries

Afghanistan 936 km, Armenia 35 km, Azerbaijan-proper 432 km, Azerbaijan-Naxcivan exclave 179 km, Iraq 1,458 km, Pakistan 909 km, Turkey 499 km, Turkmenistan 992 km

total

5,440 km

Land use

arable land

10%

forests and woodland

7%

other

55% (1993 est.)

permanent crops

1%

permanent pastures

27%

Location

Middle East, bordering the Gulf of Oman, the Persian Gulf, and the Caspian Sea, between Iraq and Pakistan

Map references

Middle East

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

Natural hazards

periodic droughts, floods; dust storms, sandstorms; earthquakes along western border and in the northeast

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

Age structure

0-14 years: 34% (male 11,542,446; female 11,035,705) 15-64 years: 61% (male 20,151,083; female 19,879,432) 65 years and over: 5% (male 1,592,753; female 1,418,217) (2000 est.)

Birth rate

18.29 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Death rate

5.45 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Ethnic groups

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

Infant mortality rate

30.02 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)

Languages

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

Life expectancy at birth

female

71.05 years (2000 est.)

male

68.34 years

total population

69.66 years

Literacy

definition

age 15 and over can read and write

female

65.8% (1994 est.)

male

78.4%

total population

72.1%

Nationality

adjective

Iranian

noun

Iranian(s)

Net migration rate

-4.55 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Population

65,619,636 (July 2000 est.)

Population growth rate

0.83% (2000 est.)

Religions

Shi'a Muslim 89%, Sunni Muslim 10%, Zoroastrian, Jewish, Christian, and Baha'i 1%

Sex ratio

at birth

1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.12 male(s)/female

total population

1.03 male(s)/female (2000 est.)

Total fertility rate

2.2 children born/woman (2000 est.)

Administrative divisions

28 provinces (ostanha, singular - ostan); Ardabil, Azarbayjan-e Gharbi, Azarbayjan-e Sharqi, Bushehr, Chahar Mahall va Bakhtiari, Esfahan, Fars, Gilan, Golestan, Hamadan, Hormozgan, Ilam, Kerman, Kermanshahan, Khorasan, Khuzestan, Kohkiluyeh va Buyer Ahmadi, Kordestan, Lorestan, Markazi, Mazandaran, Qom, Qazvin, Semnan, Sistan va Baluchestan, Tehran, Yazd, Zanjan

Capital

Tehran

Constitution

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

Country name

conventional long form

Islamic Republic of Iran

conventional short form

Iran

local long form

Jomhuri-ye Eslami-ye Iran

local short form

Iran

Data code

IR

Diplomatic representation from the US

none; note - protecting power in Iran is Switzerland

Diplomatic representation in the US

none; note - Iran has an Interests Section in the Pakistani Embassy, headed by Faramarz FATH-NEJAD; address: Iranian Interests Section, Pakistani Embassy, 2209 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007; telephone: (202) 965-4990

Executive branch

cabinet

Council of Ministers selected by the president with legislative approval

chief of state

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali Hoseini-KHAMENEI (since 4 June 1989)

election results

(Ali) Mohammad KHATAMI-Ardakani elected president; percent of vote - (Ali) Mohammad KHATAMI-Ardakani 69%

elections

leader of the Islamic Revolution appointed for life by the Assembly of Experts; president elected by popular vote for a four-year term; election last held 23 May 1997 (next to be held NA May 2001)

head of government

President (Ali) Mohammad KHATAMI-Ardakani (since 3 August 1997); First Vice President Hasan Ebrahim HABIBI (since NA August 1989)

Flag description

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

Government type

theocratic republic

Independence

1 April 1979 (Islamic Republic of Iran proclaimed)

International organization participation

CCC, CP, ECO, ESCAP, FAO, G-19, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, NAM, OIC, OPCW, OPEC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WToO

Judicial branch

Supreme Court

Legal system

the Constitution codifies Islamic principles of government

Legislative branch

unicameral Islamic Consultative Assembly or Majles-e-Shura-ye-Eslami (290 seats, note - changed from 270 seats with the 18 February 2000 election; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)

election results

percent of vote - NA; seats - NA; note - reformers received 70% of the vote (170 seats), the conservatives received 30% (45 seats), and independents (10 seats); 65 seats were up for runoff election in April 2000

elections

last held 18 February-NA April 2000 (next to be held NA 2004)

National holiday

Islamic Republic Day, 1 April (1979)

Political parties and leaders

since President KHATAMI's election in May 1997, several political parties have been licensed; Executives of Construction; Followers of the Imam's Line and the Leader (conservative); Islamic Coalition Association [Habibollah ASQAR-OLADI]; Islamic Iran Solidarity Party; Islamic Partnership Front; Militant Clerics Association ; Second Khordad Front (pro-reform); Tehran Militant Clergy Association

Political pressure groups and leaders

active student groups include the pro-reform "Organization for Strengthening Unity" and "the Union of Islamic Student Societies'; groups that generally support the Islamic Republic include Ansar-e Hizballah, Mojahedin of the Islamic Revolution, Muslim Students Following the Line of the Imam, and the Islamic Coalition Association; opposition groups include the Liberation Movement of Iran and the Nation of Iran party; armed political groups that have been almost completely repressed by the government include Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization (MEK), People's Fedayeen, Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan; the Society for the Defense of Freedom

Suffrage

15 years of age; universal

Agriculture - products

wheat, rice, other grains, sugar beets, fruits, nuts, cotton; dairy products, wool; caviar

Budget

expenditures

$34.9 billion, including capital expenditures of $11.8 billion (FY96/97)

revenues

$34.6 billion

Currency

10 Iranian rials (IR) = 1 toman; note - domestic figures are generally referred to in terms of the toman

Debt - external

$21.9 billion (1996 est.)

Economic aid - recipient

$116.5 million (1995)

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. President KHATAMI has continued to follow the market reform plans of former President RAFSANJANI and has indicated that he will pursue diversification of Iran's oil-reliant economy although he has made little progress toward that goal. The strong oil market in 1996 helped ease financial pressures on Iran and allowed for Tehran's timely debt service payments. Iran's financial situation tightened in 1997 and deteriorated further in 1998 because of lower oil prices. The subsequent zoom in oil prices in 1999 afforded Iran fiscal breathing room but does not solve Iran's structural economic problems.

Electricity - consumption

88.638 billion kWh (1998)

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (1998)

Electricity - imports

0 kWh (1998)

Electricity - production

95.31 billion kWh (1998)

Electricity - production by source

fossil fuel

92.33%

hydro

7.67%

nuclear

0%

other

0% (1998)

Exchange rates

Iranian rials (IR) per US$1 - 1,754.90 (January 2000), 1,725.93 (1999), 1,751.86 (1998), 1,752.92 (1997), 1,750.76 (1996), 1,747.93 (1995); black market rate: 7,000 rials per US$1 (December 1998); note - as of May 1995, the "official rate" of 1,750 rials per US$1 is used for imports of essential goods and services and for oil exports, whereas the "official export rate" of 3,000 rials per US$1 is used for non-oil exports and imports not covered by the official rate

Exports

$12.2 billion (f.o.b., 1998 est.)

Exports - commodities

petroleum 80%, carpets, fruits, nuts, hides, iron, steel

Exports - partners

Japan, Italy, Greece, France, Spain, South Korea

Fiscal year

21 March - 20 March

GDP

purchasing power parity - $347.6 billion (1999 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture

21%

industry

34%

services

45% (1997 est.)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $5,300 (1999 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

1% (1999 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Imports

$13.8 billion (f.o.b., 1998 est.)

Imports - commodities

machinery, military supplies, metal works, foodstuffs, pharmaceuticals, technical services, refined oil products

Imports - partners

Germany, Italy, Japan, UAE, UK, Belgium

Industrial production growth rate

5.7% (FY95/96 est.)

Industries

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

30% (1999 est.)

Labor force

15.4 million

note

shortage of skilled labor

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture 33%, industry 25%, services 42% (1997 est.)

Population below poverty line

53% (1996 est.)

Unemployment rate

25% (1999 est.)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

1 (1999)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 72, FM 5, shortwave 5 (1998)

Radios

17 million (1997)

Telephone system

inadequate but currently being modernized and expanded with the goal of not only improving the efficiency and increasing the volume of the urban service but also bringing telephone service to several thousand villages, not presently connected

domestic

as a result of heavy investing in the telephone system since 1994, the number of long distance channels in the microwave radio relay trunk has grown substantially; many villages have been brought into the net; the number of main lines in the urban systems have approximately doubled; and thousands of mobile cellular subscribers are being served; moreover, the technical level of the system has been raised by the installation of thousands of digital switches

international

HF radio and microwave radio relay to Turkey, Azerbaijan, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Syria, Kuwait, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan; submarine fiber-optic cable to UAE with access to Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe (FLAG); Trans Asia Europe (TAE) fiber-optic line runs from Azerbaijan through the northern portion of Iran to Turkmenistan with expansion to Georgia and Azerbaijan; satellite earth stations - 9 Intelsat and 4 Inmarsat; Internet service available but limited to electronic mail to promote Iranian culture

Telephones - main lines in use

7 million (1998 est.)

Telephones - mobile cellular

265,000 (August 1998)

Television broadcast stations

28 (plus 450 low-power repeaters) (1997)

Televisions

4.61 million (1997)

Airports

288 (1999 est.)

Airports - with paved runways

total

112 over 3,047 m: 38 2,438 to 3,047 m: 21 1,524 to 2,437 m: 23 914 to 1,523 m: 24 under 914 m: 6 (1999 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total

176 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 5 1,524 to 2,437 m: 14 914 to 1,523 m: 123 under 914 m: 32 (1999 est.)

Heliports

11 (1999 est.)

Highways

paved

49,440 km (including 470 km of expressways)

total

140,200 km

unpaved

90,760 km (1998 est.)

Merchant marine

ships by type

bulk 45, cargo 36, chemical tanker 4, combination bulk 1, container 7, liquified gas 1, multi-functional large load carrier 6, petroleum tanker 26, refrigerated cargo 2, roll-on/roll-off 9, short-sea passenger 1 (1999 est.)

total

138 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 3,517,751 GRT/6,208,230 DWT

Pipelines

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

Ports and harbors

Abadan (largely destroyed in fighting during 1980-88 war), Ahvaz, Bandar 'Abbas, Bandar-e Anzali, Bushehr, Bandar-e Emam Khomeyni, Bandar-e Lengeh, Bandar-e Mahshahr, Bandar-e Torkaman, Chabahar (Bandar Beheshti), Jazireh-ye Khark, Jazireh-ye Lavan, Jazireh-ye Sirri, Khorramshahr (limited operation since November 1992), Now Shahr

Railways

5,600 km

broad gauge

94 km 1.676-m gauge

standard gauge

5,506 km 1.435-m gauge (146 km electrified) (1998)

Waterways

904 km; the Shatt al Arab is usually navigable by maritime traffic for about 130 km; channel has been dredged to 3 m and is in use

Military branches

Islamic Republic of Iran regular forces (includes Ground Forces, Navy, Air and Air Defense Forces), Revolutionary Guards (includes Ground, Air, Navy, Qods, and Basij-mobilization-forces), Law Enforcement Forces

Military expenditures - dollar figure

$5.787 billion (FY98/99)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

2.9% (FY98/99)

Military manpower - availability

males age 15-49: 17,762,030 (2000 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service

males age 15-49: 10,545,869 (2000 est.)

Military manpower - military age

21 years of age

Military manpower - reaching military age annually

males

801,260 (2000 est.)

Disputes - international

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

Lesser Tunb (called Tunb as Sughra in Arabic by UAE and Jazireh-ye Tonb-e Kuchek in Persian by Iran) and Greater Tunb (called Tunb al Kubra in Arabic by UAE and Jazireh-ye Tonb-e Bozorg in Persian by Iran); Iran jointly administers with the UAE an island in the Persian Gulf claimed by the UAE (called Abu Musa in Arabic by UAE and Jazireh-ye Abu Musa in Persian by Iran) - over which Iran has taken steps to exert unilateral control since 1992, including access restrictions and a military build-up on the island; the UAE has garnered significant diplomatic support in the region in protesting these Iranian actions; Caspian Sea boundaries are not yet determined among Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Turkmenistan

Illicit drugs

despite substantial interdiction efforts, Iran remains a key transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin to Europe; domestic consumption of narcotics remains a persistent problem and Iranian press reports estimate that there are at least 1.2 million drug users in the country

IRAQ