Full Name of Region: Islamic Republic of Iran
Size: 636,296 square miles; slightly larger than Alaska
Capital city: Tehran
Population: 68,688,433 (July 2006 est.)
Location: Middle East, bordering the Gulf of Oman, the Persian Gulf and the Caspian Sea; between Iraq and Pakistan
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
Natural hazards: Droughts, floods, dust storms, sandstorms, earthquakes
Environmental issues: Air pollution, especially in urban areas from vehicle emissions, refinery operations and industrial effluents; deforestation; overgrazing; desertification; oil pollution in the Persian Gulf; wetland losses from drought; soil degradation (salination); inadequate supplies of potable water; water pollution from raw sewage and industrial waste; urbanization
Life expectancy at birth: 70.26 years
Ethnic groups: Persian 51%, Azeri 24%, Gilaki and Mazandarani 8%, Kurd 7%, Arab 3%, Lur 2%, Baloch 2%, Turkmen 2%, other 1%
Religions: Shiite Muslim 89%; Sunni Muslim 9%; Zoroastrian, Jewish, Christian and Baha’i 2%
Languages: Persian and Persian dialects 58%, Turkic and Turkic dialects 26%, Kurdish 9%, Luri 2%, Balochi 1%, Arabic 1%, Turkish 1%, other 2%
Literacy (age 15 and older can read and write): Total population 79.4%, male 85.6%, female 73% (2003 est.)
Government: Theocratic republic
Independence: April 1, 1979 (Islamic Republic of Iran proclaimed)
Constitution: Dec. 3, 1979; revised 1989 to expand powers of the presidency and eliminate the prime ministership
Suffrage: Ages 15 to 18, universal
Head of government: President Mahmud Ahmadi-nejad (since Aug. 3, 2005)
Legislative branch: Unicameral Islamic Consultative Assembly, or Majles-e-Shura-ye-Eslami (290 seats, formerly 270 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
Economy: Marked by a bloated, inefficient state sector, overreliance on the oil sector and statist policies that create major distortions throughout; most economic activity controlled by the state; private-sector activity is typically small-scale workshops, farming and services; relatively high oil prices in recent years have enabled Iran to amass some $60 billion in foreign-exchange reserves but have not eased economic hardships such as high unemployment and inflation
GDP (official exchange rate): $194.8 billion (2006 est.)
Growth in GDP: 5% (2006 est.)
GDP by sector: Agriculture 11.2%, industry 41.7%, services 47.1% (2006 est.)
Unemployment rate: 15% (2007 est.)
Agricultural products: Wheat, rice, other grains, sugar beets, fruits, nuts, cotton, dairy products, wool, caviar
Industries: Petroleum, petrochemicals, fertilizers, caustic sodas, textiles, cement and other construction materials, food processing (particularly sugar refining and vegetable oil production), metal fabrication, armaments
Exports: Petroleum 80%, chemical and petrochemical products, fruits and nuts, carpets
Export partners: Japan 16.9%, China 11.2%, Italy 6%, South Korea 5.8%, Turkey 5.7%, Netherlands 4.6%, France 4.4%, South Africa 4.1%, Taiwan 4.1%
(2005 est.)
Imports: Industrial raw materials and intermediate goods, capital goods, foodstuffs and other consumer goods, technical services, military supplies
Import partners: Germany 13.9%, United Arab Emirates 8.4%, China 8.3%, Italy 7.1%, France 6.3%, South Korea 5.4%, Russia 4.9% (2005)
Currency: Iranian rial (IRR)
Exchange rates: Rials per U.S. dollar — 9,227.1 (2006)
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
currently connected
Telephone country code: 98
Internet country code: .ir
Airports: 321 (2006)
Military branches: Islamic Republic of Iran Regular Forces — Ground Forces, Navy and Air Force; Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps — Ground Forces, Navy, Air Force, Qods Force (special operations) and Basij Force (Popular Mobilization Army); Law Enforcement Forces (2007)
Military service: Age 18 for compulsory military service; age 16 for volunteers; soldiers as young as age 9 were recruited extensively during the Iran-Iraq War; conscript service obligation,
18 months (2004)
Source: CIA World Factbook
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