Iran

Islamic Republic of IranJomhuri-ye Eslami-ye Iran

theocratic republic

Iran as the 1997 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 97 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.

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CapitalTehran
Position32 00 N, 53 00 E
Area1.648 million sq km
LocationMiddle East, bordering the Gulf of Oman, the Persian Gulf,
1997

Every edition of Iran

Populationas each edition published it
67.54 million July 1997 est. · 55.65m in 1990
Population growth% a year
2.12% 1997 est. · 3.49% in 1993
Median ageyears
Not in this edition 22.9 yrs in 2003
Life expectancyyears at birth
67.82 years 1997 est. · 65.26 yrs in 1993
Fertility ratechildren per woman
4.52 children per woman 1997 est. · 6.3 in 1990
Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births
50.8 deaths per 1,000 live births 1997 est. · 91 in 1990
GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars
$5,200 1996 est. · $1,500 in 1993
GDP real growth% a year
3.6% 1996 est. · 6% in 1993

Geography

Middle East, bordering the Gulf of Oman, the Persian Gulf, | and the Caspian Sea, between Iraq and Pakistan

17 fields

Land use(1993 est.)

arable land 10%permanent crops 1%permanent pastures 27%forests and woodland 7%other 55% (1993 est.)irrigated 94,000 sq km (1993 est.)
Area
1.648million sq km
land: 1.636 million sq kmwater: 12,000 sq kmslightly larger than Alaska
Coastline
2,440km
note: Iran also borders the Caspian Sea (740 km)contiguous zone: 24 nmcontinental shelf: natural prolongationexclusive economic zone: bilateral agreements, or median lines in the Persian Gulfterritorial sea : 12 nm
Land boundaries
5,440km
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

Location

Middle East, bordering the Gulf of Oman, the Persian Gulf, and the Caspian Sea, between Iraq and Pakistan

Geographic coordinates

32 00 N, 53 00 E

Map references

Middle East

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

Elevation extremes

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

Natural hazards

  • periodic droughts, floods;
  • dust storms, sandstorms;
  • earthquakes along the Western border

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

Environment - international agreements

party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified :
Desertification, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation

People

15 fields
Population
67,540,002
(July 1997 est.)note: includes 917,078 non-nationals (July 1997 est.)growth rate: 2.12% (1997 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1997 est.)

Birth
32.51Death
6.39Net migration
-4.89

Male · female

TotalMale · femaleLife expectancy years (1997 est.)67.82
66.47 · 69.23
TotalMale · femaleLiteracy (1994 est.)72.1%
78.4% · 65.8%
MaleFemaleLiteracy definition : age 15 and over can read and write

Ethnic groups

Persian 51%Azerbaijani 24%Gilaki and Mazandarani 8%Kurd 7%Arab 3%Lur 2%Baloch 2%Turkmen 2%other 1%

Age structure

0-14 years:
44% (male 15,292,783; female 14,423,911) 15-64 years : 52% (male 17,880,617; female 17,254,711)
65 years and over:
4% (male 1,378,395; female 1,309,585) (July 1997 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:
1.05 male(s)/female
total population:
1.05 male(s)/female (1997 est.)

Infant mortality rate

50.8 deaths/1,000 live births (1997 est.)

Total fertility rate

4.52 children born/woman (1997 est.)

Nationality

noun:
Iranian(s)
adjective:
Iranian

Religions

Shi'a Muslim 89%, Sunni Muslim 10%, Zoroastrian, Jewish, Christian, and Baha'i 1%

Languages

Persian and Persian dialects 58%, Turkic and Turkic dialects 26%, Kurdish 9%, Luri 2%, Balochi 1%, Arabic 1%, Turkish 1%, other 2%

Government

Theocratic republic; supreme leader (rahbar-e moazam) and functional chief of state - Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali Hoseini-KHAMENEI (since 4 June 1989); President Ali Akbar HASHEMI-RAFSANJANI (since 3 August 1989)

19 fields

Country name

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

Government type

theocratic republic

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

note: there may be two new provinces named Qom and Qazvin

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

Suffrage

15 years of age; universal

Executive branch

chief of state:
supreme leader (rahbar-e moazam) 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); First Vice President Hasan Ebrahim HABIBI (since NA August 1989)
cabinet:
Council of Ministers selected by the president with legislative approval
elections:
  • supreme leader appointed for life by the Council of Experts;
  • president elected by popular vote for a four-year term;
  • election last held 11 June 1993 (next to be held 23 May 1997)
election results:
Ali Akbar HASHEMI-RAFSANJANI elected president; percent of vote - Ali Akbar HASHEMI-RAFSANJANI 63%

Legislative branch

unicameral Islamic Consultative Assembly or Majles-e-Shura-ye-Eslami (270 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)

elections:
last held 8 March and 19 April 1996 (next to be held NA March 2000)
election results:
percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA

Judicial branch

Supreme Court

Political parties and leaders

  • Iran has no political parties;
  • the most important political "groupings" are - Tehran Militant Clergy Association, Secretary General Ayatollah Mohammad EMAMI-KASHANI;
  • Militant Clerics Association, Mehdi MAHDAVI-KARUBI and Mohammad Asqar MUSAVI-KHOINIHA;
  • Servants of Reconstruction (G-6), Mohammad HASHEMI-RAFSANJANI, Hosein MARASHI

Political pressure groups and leaders

  • 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
    • Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization (MEK),
    • People's Fedayeen,
    • Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan
    ;
  • 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, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, NAM, OIC, OPEC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WToO

Diplomatic representation in the US

  • none;
  • note - Iran has an Interests Section in the Pakistani Embassy, headed by Faramarz FATH-NEJAD;
  • address:
    • Iranian Interests Section,
    • Pakistani Embassy,
    • 2209 Wisconsin Avenue NW,
    • Washington,
    • DC 20007
    ;
  • telephone: [1] (202) 965-4990

Diplomatic representation from the US

none; note - protecting power in Iran is Switzerland

Flag description

  • 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

22 fields
Real growth rate
3.6%
(1996 est.)industrial production growth: 4.3% (1994 est.)
Unemployment rate
30%
over · (1995 est.)
Labor force
15.4million
by occupation: agriculture 33%, manufacturing 21% (1988 est.)note: shortage of skilled labor; 1.38% of the population in the 15-64 age group is non-national (July 1997 est.)

GDP - composition by sector(1994 est.)

agriculture 21%industry 37%services 42% (1994 est.)

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. Under President RAFSANJANI, the government adopted a number of market reforms to reduce the state's role in the economy, but most of these changes have moved slowly or have been reversed because of political opposition.

In the early 1990s, Iran experienced a financial crisis caused by an import surge that began in 1989 and general financial mismanagement. In 1993-1994, Iran rescheduled $15 billion in debt, with the bulk of payments due in 1996-97. The strong oil market in 1996 has helped ease financial pressures, however, and Tehran has so far made timely debt service payments.

In 1996, Iran's oil earnings - which account for 85% of total export revenues - climbed 20% from the previous year. Iran's financial situation will remain tight through the end of the decade, and continued timely debt service payments will depend, in part, on persistent strong oil prices during the next few years.

GDP

purchasing power parity - $343.5 billion (1996 est.)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $5,200 (1996 est.)

Budget

revenues:
$NA
expenditures:
$NA, including capital expenditures of $NA

Industries

petroleum, petrochemicals, textiles, cement and other construction materials, food processing (particularly sugar refining and vegetable oil production), metal fabricating, armaments

Electricity - capacity

25.12 million kW (1994)

Electricity - production

74.76 billion kWh (1994)

Agriculture - products

  • wheat, rice, other grains, sugar beets, fruits, nuts, cotton;
  • dairy products, wool;
  • caviar

Exports

total value :
$21.3 billion (f.o.b., 1996 est.)
commodities:
petroleum 85%, carpets, fruits, nuts, hides, iron, steel
partners:
Japan, Italy, France, Netherlands, Belgium/Luxembourg, Spain, and Germany

Imports

total value:
$13.3 billion (f.o.b., 1996 est.)
commodities :
machinery, military supplies, metal works, foodstuffs, pharmaceuticals, technical services, refined oil products
partners:
Germany, Japan, Italy, UK, UAE, Russia, France

Debt - external

$30 billion (1996 est.)

Economic aid

recipient : ODA, $40 million (1993)

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 - 1,755.12 (January 1997), 1,750.76 (1996), 1,747.93 (1995), 1,748.75 (1994), 1,267.77 (1993), 65.55 (1992);
  • black market rate: 4,600 rials per US$1 (March 1997);
  • 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, whereas 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

Fiscal year

21 March - 20 March

Communications

6 fields
Fixed lines
3.02 million
(1992 est.)

Telephone 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

Radio broadcast stations

AM 77, FM 3, shortwave 0

Radios

14.3 million (1992 est.)

Televisions

3.9 million (1992 est.)

Transportation

10 fields

Merchant marine, 132 ships by typeships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 3,436,384 GRT/6,095,124 DWT

bulk 47cargo 36chemical tanker 4combination bulk 2container 1liquefied gas tanker 1multifunction large-load carrier 6oil tanker 22refrigerated cargo 3roll-on/roll-off cargo 9short-sea passenger 1note: Iran owns an additional 3 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 141,992 DWT that operate under the registry of Cyprus (1996 est.)

Airports by runway lengthpaved only

under 914 m
25
over 3,047 m: 32 2,438 to 3,047 m: 11 1,524 to 2,437 m : 29 914 to 1,523 m: 18

Networkskm

Railways
7,286Waterways
904
Railways: broad gauge: 94 km 1.676-m gauge · standard gauge: 7,192 km 1.435-m gauge (146 km electrified) (1996 est.) · Waterways: ; 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

Railways

total:
7,286 km
broad gauge:
94 km 1.676-m gauge
standard gauge:
7,192 km 1.435-m gauge (146 km electrified) (1996 est.)

Highways

total :
158,000 km
paved:
93,378 km (including 460 km of expressways)
unpaved:
64,622 km (1995 est.)

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

Pipelines

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

Ports and harbors

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

Airports

227 (1996 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total:
112
over 3,047 m:
2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 10 914 to 1,523 m : 98 (1996 est.)

Heliports

12 (1996 est.)

Military

6 fields

Military 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

Military manpower - availability

males age 15-49 : 15,700,662 (1997 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure

  • according to official Iranian data, Iran budgeted 8,283.9 billion rials for defense in 1997;
  • note - conversion of defense expenditures into US dollars using current exchange rates could produce misleading results

Transnational Issues

2 fields

Disputes - international

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) - over which Iran has taken steps to exert unilateral control since 1992, including access restrictions and a military build-up on the island;
  • the UAE has garnered significant diplomatic support in the region in protesting these Iranian actions;
  • Caspian Sea boundaries are not yet determined among Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakstan, Russia, and Turkmenistan

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 IRAQ

Central Intelligence Agency. “Iran.” The World Factbook 1997. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/iran/1997.

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