1988 Edition

Airfields

101 total, 100 usable; 59 with permanent-surface runways; 12 with runways 2,440-3,659 m, 16 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Boundary disputes

none; on 17 September 1980 Iraq abrogated 1975 treaty with Iraq which shifted the boundary in Shaft 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

Branches

Royal Norwegian Army, Royal Norwegian Navy, Royal Norwegian Air Force

Civil air

62 major transport aircraft

Climate

mostly arid or semiarid, subtropical along Caspian coast

Coastline

3,180 km

Comparative area

about the size of Alaska and Pennsylvania combined

about the size of New

Continental shelf

not specific

Environment

deforestation; overgrazing; desertification

Ethnic divisions

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

Exclusive fishing zone

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

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%

Land boundaries

5,318 km total

Land use

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

Language

Farsi, Turki, Kurdish, Arabic, English, French

Life expectancy

54

Literacy

48%

Military budget

for fiscal year ending 31 December 1986, $2.1 billion; 8.7% of central government budget 300km MtfTrth See regional mip VI Mini' R»y»ut

Military manpower

males 15-49, 1,074,000; 908,000 fit for military service; 34,000 reach military age (20) annually

Nationality

noun — Iranian(s); adjective — Iranian

Pipelines

refined products, 53 km

Population

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

Ports

9 major, 69 minor

Religion

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

Special notes

none

Telecommunications

high-quality domestic and international telephone, telegraph, and telex services; 2.7 million telephones (62.2 per 100 popl.); 8 AM, 1,013 FM, 1,800 TV stations; 4 coaxial submarine cables; 10 domestic satellite stations Defense Forces

Terrain

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

Territorial sea

12 nm

Total area

1,648,000 km2; land area: 1,636,000km2

212,460 km2; land area: 212,460 km2

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-KHAMENEI, Prime Minister (since October 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, QIC, 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 religious 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