Iran




                                 Geography


Location:
     Middle East, between the Persian Gulf and the Caspian Sea
Map references:
     Asia, Middle East, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
     1.648 million sq km
land area:
     1.636 million sq km
comparative area:
     slightly larger than Alaska
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
Coastline:
     2,440 km
note:
     Iran also borders the Caspian Sea (740 km)
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
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
Climate:
     mostly arid or semiarid, subtropical along Caspian coast
Terrain:
     rugged, mountainous rim; high, central basin with deserts, mountains;
     small, discontinuous plains along both coasts
Natural resources:
     petroleum, natural gas, coal, chromium, copper, iron ore, lead,
     manganese, zinc, sulfur




Land use:
arable land:
     8%
permanent crops:
     0%
meadows and pastures:
     27%
forest and woodland:
     11%
other:
     54%
Irrigated land:
     57,500 sq km (1989 est.)
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


                                  People


Population:
     65,615,474 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
     3.46% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
     42.43 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
     7.83 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
     0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
     60.2 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
     65.66 years
male:
     64.7 years
female:
     66.68 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
     6.33 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
     Iranian(s)
adjective:
     Iranian




Ethnic divisions:
     Persian 51%, Azerbaijani 24%, Gilaki and Mazandarani 8%, Kurd 7%, Arab
     3%, Lur 2%, Baloch 2%, Turkmen 2%, other 1%
Religions:
     Shi'a Muslim 95%, Sunni Muslim 4%, Zoroastrian, Jewish, Christian, and
     Baha'i 1%
Languages:
     Persian and Persian dialects 58%, Turkic and Turkic dialects 26%,
     Kurdish 9%, Luri 2%, Baloch 1%, Arabic 1%, Turkish 1%, other 2%
Literacy:
     age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
total population:
     54%
male:
     64%
female:
     43%
Labor force:
     15.4 million
by occupation:
     agriculture 33%, manufacturing 21%
note:
     shortage of skilled labor (1988 est.)


                                Government


Names:
conventional long form:
     Islamic Republic of Iran
conventional short form:
local long form:
     Jomhuri-ye Eslami-ye Iran
local short form:
Digraph:
     IR
Type:
     theocratic republic
Capital:
     Tehran
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
Independence:
     1 April 1979 (Islamic Republic of Iran proclaimed)
National holiday:
     Islamic Republic Day, 1 April (1979)
Constitution:
     2-3 December 1979; revised 1989 to expand powers of the presidency and
     eliminate the prime ministership




Legal system:
     the Constitution codifies Islamic principles of government
Suffrage:
     15 years of age; universal
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
Legislative branch:
     unicameral
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
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
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
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
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
US diplomatic representation:
     protecting power in Iran is Switzerland




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


                                  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. 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.
National product:
     GNP - purchasing power equivalent - $303 billion (1993 est.)
National product real growth rate:
     3% (1993 est.)
National product per capita:
     $4,780 (1993 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
     30% (September 1992-September 1993)
Unemployment rate:
     30% (1991 est.)
Budget:
revenues:
     $NA
expenditures:
     $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA
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
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
External debt:
     $30 billion (December 1993)




Industrial production:
     growth rate 3% (1993 est.); accounts for almost 30% of GDP, including
     petroleum
Electricity:
capacity:
     15,649,000 kW
production:
     43.6 billion kWh
consumption per capita:
     710 kWh (1992)
Industries:
     petroleum, petrochemicals, textiles, cement and other building
     materials, food processing (particularly sugar refining and vegetable
     oil production), metal fabricating
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
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
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
Currency:
     1 Iranian rial (IR) = 10 tomans
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)
Fiscal year:
     21 March - 20 March


                              Communications


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


                              Defense Forces


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
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.)
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