Iran

Islamic Republic of IranJomhuri-ye Eslami-ye Iran

theocratic republic

Iran as the 1993 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 78 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.

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CapitalTehran
Area1.648 million km2
LocationMiddle East, between the Persian Gulf and the Caspian Sea
1993

Every edition of Iran

Populationas each edition published it
63.37 million July 1993 est. · 55.65m in 1990
Population growth% a year
3.49% 1993 est. · -0.87% in 2025
Median ageyears
Not in this edition 22.9 yrs in 2003
Life expectancyyears at birth
65.26 years 1993 est. · 75.6 yrs in 2025
Fertility ratechildren per woman
6.4 children per woman 1993 est. · 6.3 in 1990
Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births
62.1 deaths per 1,000 live births 1993 est. · 91 in 1990
GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars
$1,500 $16,200 in 2025
GDP real growth% a year
6% 3% in 2025

Geography

Middle East, between the Persian Gulf and the Caspian Sea

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Land use

arable land 8%permanent crops 0%meadows and pastures 27%forest and woodland 11%other 54%irrigated 57,500 km2 (1989 est.)
Area
1.648million km2
land area: 1.636 million km2comparative area: slightly larger than Alaska
Coastline
2,440km
note: Iran also borders the Caspian Sea (740 km)continental shelf: not specifiedexclusive fishing zone: 50 nm in the Sea of Oman; continental shelf limit, continental shelf boundaries, or median lines in the Persian Gulfterritorial sea: 12 nm
Land boundaries
5,440km
total · 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

Location

Middle East, between the Persian Gulf and the Caspian Sea

Map references

Asia, Middle East, Standard Time Zones of the World

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

Environment

  • deforestation;
  • overgrazing;
  • desertification

People

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Population
63,369,809
(July 1993 est.)growth rate: 3.49% (1993 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1993 est.)

Birth
43Death
8.06Net migration
0

Male · female(1993 est.)

TotalMale · femaleLife expectancy years65.26
64.37 · 66.19
TotalMale · femaleLiteracy54%
64% · 43%
MaleFemaleLiteracy age 15 and over can read and write (1990)

Ethnic divisions

Persian 51%Azerbaijani 24%Gilaki and Mazandarani 8%Kurd 7%Arab 3%Lur 2%Baloch 2%Turkmen 2%other 1%
Labor force
15.4million
by occupation: agriculture 33%, manufacturing 21%note: shortage of skilled labor (1988 est.)

Infant mortality rate

62.1 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.)

Total fertility rate

6.4 children born/woman (1993 est.)

Nationality

noun:
Iranian(s)
adjective:
Iranian

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%

Government

Theocratic republic

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Names

conventional long form:
Islamic Republic of Iran
conventional short form:
Iran
local long form:
Jomhuri-ye Eslami-ye Iran
local short form:
Iran

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)

Constitution

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

National holiday

Islamic Republic Day, 1 April (1979)

Political parties and leaders

  • there are at least 18 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

Suffrage

15 years of age; universal

Elections

President:
last held July 1989 (next to be held 11 June 1993); results - Ali Akbar HASHEMI-RAFSANJANI was elected with only token opposition
Islamic Consultative Assembly:
  • 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

Executive branch

supreme leader (velay-t-e faqih), president, Council of Ministers

Legislative branch

unicameral Islamic Consultative Assembly (Majles-e-Shura-ye-Eslami)

Judicial branch

Supreme Court

Leaders

Supreme Leader and functional Chief of State:
Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali HOSEINI-KHAMENEI (since 4 June 1989)
Head of Government:
President Ali Akbar HASHEMI-RAFSANJANI (since 3 August 1989)

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, 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 Ave. 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

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.

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Real growth rate
6%
(FY91)industrial production growth: growth rate 12% (1990 est.); accounts for almost 30% of GDP, including petroleum
Inflation, consumer prices
23.7%
(September 1991-September 1992)
Unemployment rate
30%
(1991 est.)

Budget

Revenues
$63 billionExpenditures
$80 billion
expenditures, including capital expenditures of $23 billion (FY90 est.)

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. After a decade of economic decline, Iran's real GDP grew by 10% in FY90 and 6% in FY91, according to Iranian Government statistics.

An oil windfall in 1990 combined with a substantial increase in imports contributed to Iran's recent economic growth. Iran has also begun implementing a number of economic reforms to reduce government intervention (including subsidies) and has allocated substantial resources to development projects in the hope of stimulating the economy.

Lower oil revenues in 1991 - oil accounts for more than 90% of export revenues - together with a surge in imports greatly weakened Iran's international financial position. By mid-1992 Iran was unable to meet its obligations to foreign creditors. Subsequently the government has tried to boost oil exports, curb imports (especially of consumer goods), and renegotiate terms of its foreign debts.

National product

GNP - exchange rate conversion - $90 billion (FY92)

Exports

$17.2 billion (f.o.b., FY91 est.)

commodities:
petroleum 90%, carpets, fruits, nuts, hides
partners:
Japan, Italy, France, Netherlands, Belgium/Luxembourg, Spain, and Germany

Imports

$21.0 billion (c.i.f., FY91 est.)

commodities:
machinery, military supplies, metal works, foodstuffs, pharmaceuticals, technical services, refined oil products
partners:
Germany, Japan, Italy, UK, France

External debt

$17 billion (FY91 est.)

Electricity

15,649,000 kW capacity; 43,600 million kWh produced, 710 kWh per capita (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; transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin to Europe

Economic aid

  • US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-80), $1.0 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 - 67.095 (January 1993), 65.552 (1992), 67.505 (1991), 68.096 (1990), 72.015 (1989), 68.683 (1988);
  • black-market rate 1,400 (January 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

Fiscal year

21 March - 20 March

Communications

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Merchant marine, 135 ships by type

cargo 39roll-on/roll-off cargo 6oil tanker 32chemical tanker 4refrigerated cargo 3bulk 48combination bulk 2liquefied gas 1135 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 4,480,726 GRT/8,332,593 DWT

Networkskm

Highways
140,200Inland waterways
904
Highways: ; 42,694 km paved surfaces; 46,866 km gravel and crushed stone; 49,440 km improved earth; 1,200 km (est.) rural road network · Inland waterways: ; 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

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

  • 140,200 km total;
  • 42,694 km paved surfaces;
  • 46,866 km gravel and crushed stone;
  • 49,440 km improved earth;
  • 1,200 km (est.) rural road network

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

Airports

total:
219
usable:
194
with permanent-surface runways:
83
with runways over 3,659 m:
16
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
20
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

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

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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 13,812,367;
  • fit for military service 8,218,286;
  • reach military age (21) annually 575,392 (1993 est.)

Defense expenditures

  • hard currency expenditures on defense are 7-10% of total hard currency expenditures;
  • rial expenditures on defense are 8-13% of total rial expenditures (1992 est.)

note: conversion of rial expenditures into US dollars using the prevailing exchange rate could produce misleading results

Central Intelligence Agency. “Iran.” The World Factbook 1993. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/iran/1993.

How to cite ← 1992 edition 1994 edition →