Iran
Islamic Republic of IranJomhuri-ye Eslami-ye Iran
theocratic republic
Iran as the 1996 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 87 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.
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Geography
Middle East, bordering the Gulf of Oman, the Persian | Gulf, and the Caspian Sea, between Iraq and Pakistan
14 fieldsLocation
Middle East, bordering the Gulf of Oman, the Persian Gulf, and the Caspian Sea, between Iraq and Pakistan
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: Lesser Tunb (called Tunb as Sughra in Arabic by UAE and Jazireh-ye Tonb-e Kuchek in Persian by Iran) and Greater Tunb (called Tunb al Kubra in Arabic by UAE and Jazireh-ye Tonb-e Bozorg in Persian by Iran);
- it jointly administers with the UAE an island in the Persian Gulf claimed by the UAE (called Abu Musa in Arabic by UAE and Jazireh-ye Abu Musa in Persian by Iran);
- 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, but in 1994 it increased its military presence on the disputed islands;
- periodic disputes with Afghanistan over Helmand water rights;
- Caspian Sea boundaries are not yet determined;
- support to clients in Afghanistan
Terrain
- rugged, mountainous rim;
- high, central basin with deserts, mountains;
- small, discontinuous plains along both coasts
- lowest point:
- Caspian Sea -28 m
- highest point:
- Qolleh-ye Damavand 5,671 m
Natural resources
petroleum, natural gas, coal, chromium, copper, iron ore, lead, manganese, zinc, sulfur
Environment
- current issues:
- air pollution, especially in urban areas, from vehicle emissions, refinery operations, and industrial effluents;
- deforestation;
- overgrazing;
- desertification;
- oil pollution in the Persian Gulf;
- inadequate supplies of potable water
- natural hazards:
- periodic droughts, floods;
- dust storms, sandstorms;
- earthquakes along the Western border
- international agreements:
- party to - Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands;
- signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation
People
15 fieldsPer 1,000 population(1996 est.)
Male · female(1996 est.)
Age structure
- 0-14 years:
- 45% (male 15,166,131; female 14,289,283)
- 15-64 years:
- 52% (male 17,326,388; female 16,731,470)
- 65 years and over:
- 3% (male 1,327,718; female 1,253,274) (July 1996 est.)
Sex ratio
- 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:
- 1.06 male(s)/female
- all ages:
- 1.05 male(s)/female (1996 est.)
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; President Ali Akbar Hashemi-RAFSANJANI (since 3 August 1989) was elected for a four-year term by universal suffrage
20 fieldsName of country
- conventional long form:
- Islamic Republic of Iran
- conventional short form:
- Iran
- local long form:
- Jomhuri-ye Eslami-ye Iran
- local short form:
- Iran
Administrative divisions
- 25 provinces (ostanha, singular - ostan);
- Ardabil, Azarbayjan-e Gharbi, Azarbayjan-e Sharqi, Bushehr, Chahar Mahall va Bakhtiari, Esfahan, Fars, Gilan, Hamadan, Hormozgan, Ilam, Kerman, Kermanshahan, Khorasan, Khuzestan, Kohkiluyeh va Buyer Ahmadi, Kordestan, Lorestan, Markazi, Mazandaran, Semnan, Sistan va Baluchestan, Tehran, Yazd, Zanjan
Constitution
2-3 December 1979; revised 1989 to expand powers of the presidency and eliminate the prime ministership
Executive branch
supreme leader (rahbar-e moazam) and functional chief of sta: Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali Hoseini-KHAMENEI (since 4 June 1989) was appointed for life by Council of Experts
- head of government:
- President Ali Akbar Hashemi-RAFSANJANI (since 3 August 1989) was elected for a four-year term by universal suffrage;
- First Vice President Hasan Ebrahim HABIBI (since NA August 1989);
- election last held 11 June 1993 (next to be held NA May 1997);
- results - Ali Akbar Hashemi-RAFSANJANI was elected with 63% of the vote
- cabinet:
- Council of Ministers was selected by the president with legislative approval
Islamic Consultative Assembly (Majles-e-Shura-ye-Eslami)
- elections last held 8 March and 19 April 1996 (next to be held NA March 2000);
- results - percent of vote by party NA;
- seats - (270 seats total) number of seats by party NA
Political parties and leaders
- there are at least 76 licensed parties, none are, as yet, openly active;
- the most important groupings are - Tehran Militant Clergy Association, leader NA;
- Militant Clerics Association, Mehdi MAHDAVI-KARUBI and Mohammad Asqar MUSAVI-KHOINIHA;
- Servants of Reconstruction (G-6), leader NA
Other political or pressure groups
- groups that generally support the Islamic Republic include Ansar-e Hizballah, Mojahedin of the Islamic Revolution, Muslim Students Following the Line of the Imam, and the Islamic Coalition Association;
- opposition groups include the Liberation Movement of Iran and the Nation of Iran party;
- armed political groups that have been almost completely repressed by the government include ;
- the Society for the Defense of Freedom
International organization participation
CCC, CP, ECO, ESCAP, FAO, G-19, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, NAM, OIC, OPEC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO
Diplomatic representation in US
- none;
- note - Iran has an Interests Section in the Pakistani Embassy, headed by Faramarz FATH-NEJAD;
- address: ;
- telephone: [1] (202) 965-4990
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 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'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.
21 fieldsGDP composition by sector(1994 est.)
Installed generating capacity, 19,080,000 kW
Economic 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 or have been reversed because of political opposition.
Iran has faced increasingly severe financial difficulties since mid-1992 due to an import surge that began in 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.
At yearend 1994, Iran rescheduled $12 billion in debt. Earnings from oil exports - which provide 85% of Iran's export revenues - are providing less relief to Iran than usual because of reduced oil prices. Iran's financial situation will remain tight in 1996 because the bulk of payments due under its rescheduling agreements in 1993-94 will be coming due.
Labor force
15.4 million; by occupation: agriculture 33%, manufacturing 21% note: shortage of skilled labor (1988 est.)
Industries
petroleum, petrochemicals, textiles, cement and other construction materials, food processing (particularly sugar refining and vegetable oil production), metal fabricating, armaments
Agriculture
- wheat, rice, other grains, sugar beets, fruits, nuts, cotton;
- dairy products, wool;
- caviar
Illicit drugs
- illicit producer of opium poppy for the domestic and international drug trade;
- produced 35-70 metric tons in 1993;
- net opiate importer but also a key transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin to Europe
Exports
$16 billion (f.o.b., 1994 est.)
- commodities:
- petroleum 85%, carpets, fruits, nuts, hides, iron, steel
- partners:
- Japan, Italy, France, Netherlands, Belgium/Luxembourg, Spain, and Germany
Imports
$13 billion (c.i.f., 1994 est.)
- commodities:
- machinery, military supplies, metal works, foodstuffs, pharmaceuticals, technical services, refined oil products
- partners:
- Germany, Japan, Italy, UK, UAE
Currency
10 Iranian rials (IR) = 1 toman; note - domestic figures are generally referred to in terms of the toman
Exchange rates
- Iranian rials (IR) per US$1 - 1,750 (January 1996), 1,747.93 (1995), 1,748.75 (1994), 1,267.77 (1993), 65.55 (1992), 67.51 (1991);
- black market rate: 4,000 rials per US$1 (December 1995);
- note - as of May 1995, the "official rate" of 1,750 rials per US$1 is used for imports of essential goods and services and for oil exports, wheras the "official export rate" of 3,000 rials per US$1 is used for non-oil exports and imports not covered by the official rate
Transportation
8 fieldsAirports by runway lengthpaved left, unpaved right · 212 in all
Networkskm
Railways
- total:
- 5,093 km
- broad gauge:
- 96 km 1.676-m gauge
- standard gauge:
- 4,997 km 1.432-m gauge (146 km electrified) (1995)
Waterways
- 904 km;
- the Shatt al Arab is usually navigable by maritime traffic for about 130 km;
- channel has been dredged to 3 m and is in use
Ports
Abadan (largely destroyed in fighting during 1980-88 war), Ahvaz, Bandar Beheshti, Bandar-e 'Abbas, Bandar-e Anzali, Bandar-e Bushehr, Bandar-e Khomeyni, Bandar-e Mah Shahr, Bandar-e Torkeman, Jazireh-ye Khark, Jazireh-ye Lavan, Jazireh-ye Sirri, Khorramshahr (limited operation since November 1992), Now Shahr
Merchant marine
- total:
- 130 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,791,892 GRT/4,891,615 DWT
- ships by type:
- bulk 47, cargo 41, chemical tanker 5, combination bulk 2, liquefied gas tanker 1, multifunction large-load carrier 1, oil tanker 19, refrigerated cargo 3, roll-on/roll-off cargo 9, short-sea passenger 1, specialized tanker 1 (1995 est.)
Communications
9 fieldsTelephone system
- domestic:
- microwave radio relay extends throughout country; system centered in Tehran
- international:
- satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (2 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean) and 1 Inmarsat (Indian Ocean Region);
- HF radio and microwave radio relay to Turkey, Pakistan, Syria, Kuwait, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan;
- submarine fiber-optic cable to UAE
Branches
Islamic Republic of Iran regular forces (includes Ground Forces, Navy, Air and Air Defense Forces), Revolutionary Guards (includes Ground, Air, Navy, Qods, and Basij-mobilization-forces), Law Enforcement Forces
Manpower availability
- males age 15-49:
- 15,157,796
- males fit for military service:
- 9,010,648
- males reach military age (21) annually:
- 632,602 (1996 est.)
Defense expenditures
- according to official Iranian data, Iran in 1994 budgeted 4,377 billion rials and in 1993 spent 2,182 billion rials, including $850 million in hard currency;
- note - conversion of defense expenditures into US dollars using current exchange rates could produce misleading results
Cite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Iran.” The World Factbook 1996. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/iran/1996.