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 Transnational Issues

This page was last updated on 28 July, 2005


Map of Iran



Legend: DefinitionDefinition Field ListingField Listing Rank OrderRank Order
   Introduction    Iran
Background:
Definition Field Listing
Known as Persia until 1935, Iran became an Islamic republic in 1979 after the ruling monarchy was overthrown and the shah was forced into exile. Conservative clerical forces established a theocratic system of government with ultimate political authority nominally vested in a learned religious scholar. Iranian-US relations have been strained since a group of 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 that eventually expanded into the Persian Gulf and led to clashes between US Navy and Iranian military forces between 1987-1988. Iran has been designated a state sponsor of terrorism for its activities in Lebanon and elsewhere in the world and remains subject to US economic sanctions and export controls because of its continued involvement. Following the elections of a reformist president and Majlis in the late 1990s, attempts to foster political reform in response to popular dissatisfaction have floundered as conservative politicians have prevented reform measures from being enacted, increased repressive measures, and consolidated their control over the government.
   Geography    Iran
Location:
Definition Field Listing
Middle East, bordering the Gulf of Oman, the Persian Gulf, and the Caspian Sea, between Iraq and Pakistan
Geographic coordinates:
Definition Field Listing
32 00 N, 53 00 E
Map references:
Definition Field Listing
Middle East
Area:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total: 1.648 million sq km
land: 1.636 million sq km
water: 12,000 sq km
Area - comparative:
Definition Field Listing
slightly larger than Alaska
Land boundaries:
Definition Field Listing
total: 5,440 km
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
Coastline:
Definition Field Listing
2,440 km; note - Iran also borders the Caspian Sea (740 km)
Maritime claims:
Definition Field Listing
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: bilateral agreements or median lines in the Persian Gulf
continental shelf: natural prolongation
Climate:
Definition Field Listing
mostly arid or semiarid, subtropical along Caspian coast
Terrain:
Definition Field Listing
rugged, mountainous rim; high, central basin with deserts, mountains; small, discontinuous plains along both coasts
Elevation extremes:
Definition Field Listing
lowest point: Caspian Sea -28 m
highest point: Kuh-e Damavand 5,671 m
Natural resources:
Definition Field Listing
petroleum, natural gas, coal, chromium, copper, iron ore, lead, manganese, zinc, sulfur
Land use:
Definition Field Listing
arable land: 8.72%
permanent crops: 1.39%
other: 89.89% (2001)
Irrigated land:
Definition Field Listing
75,620 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards:
Definition Field Listing
periodic droughts, floods; dust storms, sandstorms; earthquakes
Environment - current issues:
Definition Field Listing
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
Environment - international agreements:
Definition Field Listing
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation
Geography - note:
Definition Field Listing
strategic location on the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz, which are vital maritime pathways for crude oil transport
   People    Iran
Population:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
68,017,860 (July 2005 est.)
Age structure:
Definition Field Listing
0-14 years: 27.1% (male 9,465,475/female 8,973,828)
15-64 years: 68% (male 23,556,970/female 22,701,065)
65 years and over: 4.9% (male 1,637,512/female 1,683,010) (2005 est.)
Median age:
Definition Field Listing
total: 24.23 years
male: 24.03 years
female: 24.44 years (2005 est.)
Population growth rate:
Definition Field Listing
0.86% (2005 est.)
Birth rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
16.83 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Death rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
5.55 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Net migration rate:
Definition Field Listing
-2.64 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Sex ratio:
Definition Field Listing
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.97 male(s)/female
total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total: 41.58 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 41.75 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 41.41 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total population: 69.96 years
male: 68.58 years
female: 71.4 years (2005 est.)
Total fertility rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
1.82 children born/woman (2005 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
less than 0.1% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
31,000 (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
800 (2003 est.)
Nationality:
Definition Field Listing
noun: Iranian(s)
adjective: Iranian
Ethnic groups:
Definition Field Listing
Persian 51%, Azeri 24%, Gilaki and Mazandarani 8%, Kurd 7%, Arab 3%, Lur 2%, Baloch 2%, Turkmen 2%, other 1%
Religions:
Definition Field Listing
Shi'a Muslim 89%, Sunni Muslim 9%, Zoroastrian, Jewish, Christian, and Baha'i 2%
Languages:
Definition Field Listing
Persian and Persian dialects 58%, Turkic and Turkic dialects 26%, Kurdish 9%, Luri 2%, Balochi 1%, Arabic 1%, Turkish 1%, other 2%
Literacy:
Definition Field Listing
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 79.4%
male: 85.6%
female: 73% (2003 est.)
   Government    Iran
Country name:
Definition Field Listing
conventional long form: Islamic Republic of Iran
conventional short form: Iran
local long form: Jomhuri-ye Eslami-ye Iran
local short form: Iran
former: Persia
Government type:
Definition Field Listing
theocratic republic
Capital:
Definition Field Listing
Tehran
Administrative divisions:
Definition Field Listing
30 provinces (ostanha, singular - ostan); Ardabil, Azarbayjan-e Gharbi, Azarbayjan-e Sharqi, Bushehr, Chahar Mahall va Bakhtiari, Esfahan, Fars, Gilan, Golestan, Hamadan, Hormozgan, Ilam, Kerman, Kermanshah, Khorasan-e Janubi, Khorasan-e Razavi, Khorasan-e Shemali, Khuzestan, Kohgiluyeh va Buyer Ahmad, Kordestan, Lorestan, Markazi, Mazandaran, Qazvin, Qom, Semnan, Sistan va Baluchestan, Tehran, Yazd, Zanjan
Independence:
Definition Field Listing
1 April 1979 (Islamic Republic of Iran proclaimed)
National holiday:
Definition Field Listing
Republic Day, 1 April (1979)
note: additional holidays celebrated widely in Iran include Revolution Day, 11 February (1979); Noruz (New Year's Day), 21 March; Constitutional Monarchy Day, 5 August (1925)
Constitution:
Definition Field Listing
2-3 December 1979; revised 1989 to expand powers of the presidency and eliminate the prime ministership
Legal system:
Definition Field Listing
the Constitution codifies Islamic principles of government
Suffrage:
Definition Field Listing
15 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
Definition Field Listing
chief of state: Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Hoseini-KHAMENEI (since 4 June 1989)
head of government: President-elect Mahmud AHMADI-NEJAD (since 25 June 2005) First Vice President Dr. Mohammad Reza AREF-Yazdi (since 26 August 2001)
cabinet: Council of Ministers selected by the president with legislative approval; the Supreme Leader has some control over appointments to the more sensitive ministries
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 17 June 2005 with a two-candidate runoff on 24 June 2005 (next to be held NA 2009)
election results: Mahmud AHMADI-NEJAD elected president; percent of vote - Mahmud AHMADI-NEJAD 62%, Ali Akbar Hashemi RAFSANJANI 36%; note - 2% of ballots spoiled
Legislative branch:
Definition Field Listing
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)
elections: last held 20 February 2004 with a runoff held 7 May 2004 (next to be held February 2008)
election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats by party - conservatives/Islamists 190, reformers 50, independents 43, religious minorities 5, and 2 seats unaccounted for
Judicial branch:
Definition Field Listing
Supreme Court - above a special clerical court, a revolutionary court, and a special administrative court
Political parties and leaders:
Definition Field Listing
formal political parties are a relatively new phenomenon in Iran and most conservatives still prefer to work through political pressure groups rather than parties; a loose pro-reform coalition called the 2nd Khordad front, which includes political parties as well as less formal pressure groups and organizations, achieved considerable success at elections to the sixth Majles in early 2000; groups in the coalition include: Islamic Iran Participation Front (IIPF); Executives of Construction Party (Kargozaran); Solidarity Party; Islamic Labor Party; Mardom Salari; Mojahedin of the Islamic Revolution Organization (MIRO); and Militant Clerics Society (Ruhaniyun); the coalition participated in the seventh Majles elections in early 2004; a new apparently conservative group, the Builders of Islamic Iran, took a leading position in the new Majles after winning a majority of the seats in February 2004
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Definition Field Listing
political pressure groups conduct most of Iran's political activities; groups that generally support the Islamic Republic include Ansar-e Hizballah, Muslim Students Following the Line of the Imam, Tehran Militant Clergy Association (Ruhaniyat), Islamic Coalition Party (Motalefeh), and Islamic Engineers Society; active pro-reform student groups include the Organization for Strengthening Unity; opposition groups include Freedom Movement of Iran, the National Front, Marz-e Por Gohar, and various ethnic and Monarchist organizations; armed political groups that have been almost completely repressed by the government include Mujahidin-e Khalq Organization (MEK), People's Fedayeen, Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan, and Komala
International organization participation:
Definition Field Listing
CP, ECO, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, OPEC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMEE, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
Definition Field Listing
none; note - Iran has an Interests Section in the Pakistani Embassy; address: Iranian Interests Section, Pakistani Embassy, 2209 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007; telephone: [1] (202) 965-4990; FAX [1] (202) 965-1073
Diplomatic representation from the US:
Definition Field Listing
none; note - protecting power in Iran is Switzerland
Flag description:
Definition Field Listing
three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and red; the national emblem (a stylized representation of the word Allah in the shape of a tulip, a symbol of martyrdom) 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
   Economy    Iran
Economy - overview:
Definition Field Listing
Iran's economy is marked by a bloated, inefficient state sector, over reliance on the oil sector, and statist policies that create major distortions throughout. Most economic activity is controlled by the state. Private sector activity is typically small-scale - workshops, farming, and services. President KHATAMI has continued to follow the market reform plans of former President RAFSANJANI, with limited progress. Relatively high oil prices in recent years have enabled Iran to amass some $30 billion in foreign exchange reserves, but have not eased economic hardships such as high unemployment and inflation. The proportion of the economy devoted to the development of weapons of mass destruction remains a contentious issue with leading Western nations.
GDP:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
purchasing power parity - $516.7 billion (2004 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
6.3% (2004 est.)
GDP - per capita:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
purchasing power parity - $7,700 (2004 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
Definition Field Listing
agriculture: 11.2%
industry: 40.9%
services: 48.7% (2004 est.)
Investment (gross fixed):
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
31.3% of GDP (2004 est.)
Population below poverty line:
Definition Field Listing
40% (2002 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
Definition Field Listing
lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
15.5% (2004 est.)
Labor force:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
23 million
note: shortage of skilled labor (2004 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
Definition Field Listing
agriculture 30%, industry 25%, services 45% (2001 est.)
Unemployment rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
11.2% (2004 est.)
Budget:
Definition Field Listing
revenues: $43.34 billion
expenditures: $47.7 billion, including capital expenditures of $7.6 billion (2004 est.)
Public debt:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
27% of GDP (2004 est.)
Agriculture - products:
Definition Field Listing
wheat, rice, other grains, sugar beets, fruits, nuts, cotton; dairy products, wool; caviar
Industries:
Definition Field Listing
petroleum, petrochemicals, textiles, cement and other construction materials, food processing (particularly sugar refining and vegetable oil production), metal fabrication, armaments
Industrial production growth rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
3.5% excluding oil (2004 est.)
Electricity - production:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
129 billion kWh (2002)
Electricity - consumption:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
119.9 billion kWh (2002)
Electricity - exports:
Definition Field Listing
0 kWh (2002)
Electricity - imports:
Definition Field Listing
0 kWh (2002)
Oil - production:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
3.962 million bbl/day (2004 est.)
Oil - consumption:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
1.4 million bbl/day (2002 est.)
Oil - exports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
2.5 million bbl/day (2004 est.)
Oil - imports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
NA
Oil - proved reserves:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
130.8 billion bbl (2004 est.)
Natural gas - production:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
79 billion cu m (2003 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
72.4 billion cu m (2003 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
3.4 billion cu m (2003 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
4.92 billion cu m (2003 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
26.7 trillion cu m (2004)
Current account balance:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$2.1 billion (2004 est.)
Exports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$38.79 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Exports - commodities:
Definition Field Listing
petroleum 80%, chemical and petrochemical products, fruits and nuts, carpets
Exports - partners:
Definition Field Listing
Japan 20%, China 9.9%, Italy 6.3%, South Africa 6.3%, Taiwan 4.8%, Turkey 4.7%, South Korea 4.7%, France 4.3%, Netherlands 4.3% (2004)
Imports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$31.3 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Imports - commodities:
Definition Field Listing
industrial raw materials and intermediate goods, capital goods, foodstuffs and other consumer goods, technical services, military supplies
Imports - partners:
Definition Field Listing
Germany 13%, France 8.9%, Italy 8%, China 7.7%, UAE 6.4%, South Korea 6.3%, Russia 4.9% (2004)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$29.87 billion (2004 est.)
Debt - external:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$13.4 billion (2004 est.)
Economic aid - recipient:
Definition Field Listing
$408 million (2002 est.)
Currency:
Definition Field Listing
Iranian rial (IRR)
Currency code:
Definition Field Listing
IRR
Exchange rates:
Definition Field Listing
rials per US dollar - 8,614 (2004), 8,193.9 (2003), 6,907 (2002), 1,753.6 (2001), 1,764.4 (2000)
note: Iran has been using a managed floating exchange rate regime since unifying multiple exchange rates in March 2002
Fiscal year:
Definition Field Listing
21 March - 20 March
   Communications    Iran
Telephones - main lines in use:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
14,571,100 (2003)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
3,376,500 (2003)
Telephone system:
Definition Field Listing
general assessment: 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 has 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: country code - 98; 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
Radio broadcast stations:
Definition Field Listing
AM 72, FM 5, shortwave 5 (1998)
Television broadcast stations:
Definition Field Listing
28 (plus 450 low-power repeaters) (1997)
Internet country code:
Definition Field Listing
.ir
Internet hosts:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
5,269 (2004)
Internet users:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
4.3 million (2003)
   Transportation    Iran
Railways:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total: 7,203 km
broad gauge: 94 km 1.676-m gauge
standard gauge: 7,109 km 1.435-m gauge (189 km electrified) (2004)
Highways:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total: 167,157 km
paved: 94,109 km (including 890 km of expressways)
unpaved: 73,048 km (1998)
Waterways:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
850 km (on Karun River and Lake Urmia) (2004)
Pipelines:
Definition Field Listing
condensate/gas 212 km; gas 16,998 km; liquid petroleum gas 570 km; oil 8,256 km; refined products 7,808 km (2004)
Ports and harbors:
Definition Field Listing
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 Mah Shahr, Bandar-e Torkaman, Chabahar, Jazireh-ye Khark, Jazireh-ye Lavan, Jazireh-ye Sirri, Khorramshahr (limited operation since November 1992), Now Shahr
Merchant marine:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total: 144 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 4,715,242 GRT/8,240,069 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 38, cargo 49, chemical tanker 4, container 14, liquefied gas 1, passenger 1, passenger/cargo 5, petroleum tanker 30, roll on/roll off 2
foreign-owned: 1 (UAE 1)
registered in other countries: 8 (2005)
Airports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
305 (2004 est.)
Airports - with paved runways:
Definition Field Listing
total: 127
over 3,047 m: 39
2,438 to 3,047 m: 25
1,524 to 2,437 m: 26
914 to 1,523 m: 32
under 914 m: 5 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
Definition Field Listing
total: 178
over 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 9
914 to 1,523 m: 129
under 914 m: 39 (2004 est.)
Heliports:
Definition Field Listing
13 (2004 est.)
   Military    Iran
Military branches:
Definition Field Listing
Islamic Republic of Iran Regular Forces (Artesh): Ground Forces, Navy, Air Force (includes Air Defense)
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (Sepah-e Pasdaran-e Enqelab-e Eslami, IRGC): Ground Forces, Navy, Air Force, Qods Force (special operations), and Basij Force (Popular Mobilization Army)
Law Enforcement Forces: (2004)
Military manpower - military age and obligation:
Definition Field Listing
18 years of age for compulsory military service; 16 years of age for volunteers; soldiers as young as 9 were recruited extensively during the Iran-Iraq War; conscript service obligation - 18 months (2004)
Military manpower - availability:
Definition Field Listing
males age 18-49: 18,319,545 (2005 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service:
Definition Field Listing
males age 18-49: 15,665,725 (2005 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
Definition Field Listing
males: 862,056 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$4.3 billion (2003 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
3.3% (2003 est.)
   Transnational Issues    Iran
Disputes - international:
Definition Field Listing
Iran protests Afghanistan's limiting flow of dammed tributaries to the Helmand River in periods of drought; Iraq's lack of a maritime boundary with Iran prompts jurisdiction disputes beyond the mouth of the Shatt al Arab in the Persian Gulf; Iran and UAE engage in direct talks and solicit Arab League support to resolve disputes over Iran's occupation of Tunb Islands and Abu Musa Island; Iran stands alone among littoral states in insisting upon a division of the Caspian Sea into five equal sectors
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
Definition Field Listing
refugees (country of origin): 1,223,823 (Afghanistan) 124,014 (Iraq) (2004)
Illicit drugs:
Definition Field Listing
despite substantial interdiction efforts, Iran remains a key transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin to Europe; domestic narcotics consumption remains a persistent problem and according to official Iranian statistics there are at least two million drug users in the country; lax anti-money-laundering regulations

This page was last updated on 28 July, 2005


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