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Background:
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Known as Persia until 1935, Iran became an
Islamic republic in 1979 after the ruling
shah was forced into exile. Conservative
clerical forces established a theocratic
system of government with ultimate political
authority vested in a learned religious
scholar. 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 over disputed territory. Over
the past decade, popular dissatisfaction
with the government, driven by demographic
changes, restrictive social policies, and
poor economic conditions, has created a
powerful and enduring pressure for political
reform. |
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Location:
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Middle East, bordering the Gulf of Oman, the
Persian Gulf, and the Caspian Sea, between
Iraq and Pakistan
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Geographic coordinates:
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32 00 N, 53 00 E |
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Map references:
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Area:
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total: 1.648 million sq km
land: 1.636 million sq km
water: 12,000 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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slightly larger than Alaska
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Land boundaries:
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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 |
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Coastline:
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2,440 km; note - Iran also borders the
Caspian Sea (740 km) |
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Maritime claims:
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contiguous zone: 24 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
continental shelf: natural
prolongation
exclusive economic zone: bilateral
agreements or median lines in the Persian
Gulf |
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Climate:
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mostly arid or semiarid, subtropical along
Caspian coast |
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Terrain:
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rugged, mountainous rim; high, central basin
with deserts, mountains; small,
discontinuous plains along both coasts |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Caspian Sea -28 m
highest point: Kuh-e Damavand 5,671 m
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Natural resources:
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petroleum, natural gas, coal, chromium,
copper, iron ore, lead, manganese, zinc,
sulfur |
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Land use:
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arable land: 10.17%
permanent crops: 1.16%
other: 88.67% (1998 est.)
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Irrigated land:
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75,620 sq km (1998 est.)
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Natural hazards:
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periodic droughts, floods; dust storms,
sandstorms; earthquakes along western border
and in the northeast
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Environment - current issues:
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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 |
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Environment - international agreements:
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party to: Biodiversity, Climate
Change, Desertification, Endangered Species,
Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Nuclear
Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified:
Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea,
Marine Life Conservation |
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Geography - note:
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strategic location on the Persian Gulf and
Strait of Hormuz, which are vital maritime
pathways for crude oil transport |
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Population:
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68,278,826 (July 2003 est.)
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Age structure:
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0-14 years: 29.3% (male 10,279,588;
female 9,727,668)
15-64 years: 65.9% (male 22,916,431;
female 22,095,124)
65 years and over: 4.8% (male
1,625,113; female 1,634,902) (2003 est.)
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Median age:
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total: 22.9 years
male: 22.7 years
female: 23.2 years (2002) |
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Population growth rate:
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1.08% (2003 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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17.23 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)
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Death rate:
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5.54 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)
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Net migration rate:
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-0.86 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003
est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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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: 0.99
male(s)/female
total population: 1.04 male(s)/female
(2003 est.) |
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Infant mortality rate:
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total: 44.17 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 44.02 deaths/1,000 live
births (2003 est.)
male: 44.31 deaths/1,000 live births
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: 69.35 years
male: 68.04 years
female: 70.73 years (2003 est.)
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Total fertility rate:
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1.99 children born/woman (2003 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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less than 0.1% (2001 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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20,000 (2001 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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290 (2001 est.) |
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Nationality:
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noun: Iranian(s)
adjective: Iranian |
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Ethnic groups:
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Persian 51%, Azeri 24%, Gilaki and
Mazandarani 8%, Kurd 7%, Arab 3%, Lur 2%,
Baloch 2%, Turkmen 2%, other 1%
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Religions:
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Shi'a Muslim 89%, Sunni Muslim 10%,
Zoroastrian, Jewish, Christian, and Baha'i
1% |
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Languages:
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Persian and Persian dialects 58%, Turkic and
Turkic dialects 26%, Kurdish 9%, Luri 2%,
Balochi 1%, Arabic 1%, Turkish 1%, other 2%
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over can read
and write
total population: 79.4%
male: 85.6%
female: 73% (2003 est.) |
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Country name:
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conventional long form: Islamic
Republic of Iran
conventional short form: Iran
local short form: Iran
former: Persia
local long form: Jomhuri-ye Eslami-ye
Iran |
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Government type:
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theocratic republic |
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Capital:
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Tehran |
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Administrative divisions:
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28 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, Khuzestan, Kohkiluyeh va Buyer
Ahmad, Kordestan, Lorestan, Markazi,
Mazandaran, Qazvin, Qom, Semnan, Sistan va
Baluchestan, Tehran, Yazd, Zanjan |
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Independence:
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1 April 1979 (Islamic Republic of Iran
proclaimed) |
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National holiday:
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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) |
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Constitution:
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2-3 December 1979; revised 1989 to expand
powers of the presidency and eliminate the
prime ministership
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Legal system:
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the Constitution codifies Islamic principles
of government |
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Suffrage:
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15 years of age; universal
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Executive branch:
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chief of state: Supreme Leader
Ayatollah Ali Hoseini-KHAMENEI (since 4 June
1989)
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 8 June 2001 (next to be held June
2005)
election results: (Ali) Mohammad
KHATAMI-Ardakani reelected president;
percent of vote - (Ali) Mohammad
KHATAMI-Ardakani 77%
cabinet: Council of Ministers
selected by the president with legislative
approval; the Supreme Leader has some
control over appointments to the more
sensitive ministries
head of government: President (Ali)
Mohammad KHATAMI-Ardakani (since 3 August
1997); First Vice President Dr. Mohammad
Reza AREF-YAZDI (since 26 August 2001) |
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Legislative branch:
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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 18 February 2000
with a runoff held 5 May 2000 (next to be
held February 2004)
election results: percent of vote -
NA%; seats by party - reformers 189,
conservatives 54, independents 42, seats
reserved for religious minorities 5 |
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Judicial branch:
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Supreme Court |
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Political parties and leaders:
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a loose pro-reform coalition called the 2nd
Khordad front achieved considerable success
at elections to the sixth Majles in early
2000, and groups in the coalition include:
Islamic Iran Participation Front (IIPF);
Executives of Construction Party
(Kargozaran); Solidarity Party; Mojahedin of
the Islamic Revolution Organization (MIRO);
and Militant Clerics Society (Ruhaniyun); a
new apparently conservative group, the
Builders of Islamic Iran, emerged at the
local level in early 2003 |
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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active pro-reform student groups include the
"Organization for Strengthening Unity";
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 Association,
and Islamic Engineers Society; opposition
groups include Freedom Movement of Iran, the
National Front, Marz-e Por Gohar, and
various Monarchist organizations; 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, and Komala
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International organization
participation:
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CP, ECO, ESCAP, FAO, G-15, G-19, 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, NAM,
OIC, OPCW, OPEC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO,
WIPO, WMO, WToO
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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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 |
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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none; note - protecting power in Iran is
Switzerland |
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Flag description:
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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 |
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Economy - overview:
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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. President KHATAMI has continued to
follow the market reform plans of former
President RAFSANJANI and has indicated that
he will pursue diversification of Iran's
oil-reliant economy although he has made
little progress toward that goal. Relatively
high oil prices in recent years have enabled
Iran to amass some $15 billion in foreign
exchange reserves, but have not solved
Iran's structural economic problems,
including high unemployment and inflation.
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GDP:
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purchasing power parity - $456 billion (2002
est.) |
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GDP - real growth rate:
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6.5% (2002 est.) |
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing power parity - $7,000 (2002 est.)
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture: 19%
industry: 26%
services: 55% (2002 est.) |
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Population below poverty line:
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40% (2002 est.) |
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Household income or consumption by
percentage share:
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lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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15.3% (2002 est.) |
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Labor force:
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21 million
note: shortage of skilled labor
(1998) |
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Labor force - by occupation:
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agriculture 30%, industry 25%, services 45%
(2001 est.) |
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Unemployment rate:
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16.3% (2003 est.) |
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Budget:
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revenues: $29.5 billion
expenditures: $31.6 billion,
including capital expenditures of $NA (2002
est.) |
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Industries:
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petroleum, petrochemicals, textiles, cement
and other construction materials, food
processing (particularly sugar refining and
vegetable oil production), metal
fabricating, armaments
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Industrial production growth rate:
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5.5% excluding oil (2001 est.)
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Electricity - production:
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124.6 billion kWh (2001)
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Electricity - production by source:
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fossil fuel: 97.1%
hydro: 2.9%
other: 0% (2001)
nuclear: 0%
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Electricity - consumption:
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115.9 billion kWh (2001)
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Electricity - exports:
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0 kWh (2001) |
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Electricity - imports:
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0 kWh (2001) |
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Oil - production:
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3.804 million bbl/day (2001 est.)
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Oil - consumption:
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1.277 million bbl/day (2001 est.)
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Oil - exports:
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NA (2001) |
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Oil - imports:
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NA (2001) |
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Oil - proved reserves:
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94.39 billion bbl (January 2002 est.) |
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Natural gas - proved reserves:
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24.8 trillion cu m (January 2002 est.) |
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Agriculture - products:
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wheat, rice, other grains, sugar beets,
fruits, nuts, cotton; dairy products, wool;
caviar |
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Exports:
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$24.8 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.)
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Exports - commodities:
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petroleum 85%, carpets, fruits and nuts,
iron and steel, chemicals |
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Exports - partners:
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Japan 25%, China 12%, Italy 10%, South Korea
10%, Greece 5% (2001) |
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Imports:
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$21.8 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.)
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Imports - commodities:
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industrial raw materials and intermediate
goods, capital goods, foodstuffs and other
consumer goods, technical services, military
supplies |
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Imports - partners:
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Germany 13%, Italy 10%, France 8%, China 7%,
South Korea 7% (2001) |
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Debt - external:
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$8.7 billion (2002 est.)
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Economic aid - recipient:
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$408 million (2002 est.)
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Currency:
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Iranian rial (IRR) |
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Currency code:
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IRR |
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Exchange rates:
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rials per US dollar 6,906.96 (2002),
1,753.56 (2001), 1,764.43 (2000), 1,752.93
(1999), 1,751.86 (1998)
note: from 1997 to 2001, Iran had a
multi-exchange-rate system; one of these
rates, the official floating exchange rate,
by which most essential goods were imported,
averaged 1,750 rials per US dollar; in March
2002, the multi-exchange-rate system was
converged into one rate at about 7,900 rials
per US dollar |
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Fiscal year:
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21 March - 20 March
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Telephones - main lines in use:
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6.313 million (1997) |
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Telephones - mobile cellular:
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265,000 (August 1998) |
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Telephone system:
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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: 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 |
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Radio broadcast stations:
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AM 72, FM 5, shortwave 5 (1998)
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Television broadcast stations:
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28 (plus 450 low-power repeaters) (1997)
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Internet country code:
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.ir |
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Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
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100 (2002) |
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Internet users:
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1.326 million (2002 est.)
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Railways:
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total: 7,201 km
broad gauge: 94 km 1.676-m gauge
standard gauge: 7,107 km 1.435-m
gauge (146 km electrified) (2002) |
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Highways:
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total: 140,200 km
paved: 49,440 km (including 470 km of
expressways)
unpaved: 90,760 km (1998 est.) |
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Waterways:
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904 km
note: 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 |
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Pipelines:
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crude oil 5,900 km; petroleum products 3,900
km; natural gas 4,550 km |
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Ports and harbors:
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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 Mahshahr, Bandar-e
Torkaman, Chabahar (Bandar Beheshti),
Jazireh-ye Khark, Jazireh-ye Lavan,
Jazireh-ye Sirri, Khorramshahr (limited
operation since November 1992), Now Shahr
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Merchant marine:
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total: 139 ships (1,000 GRT or over)
4,190,576 GRT/7,276,700 DWT
ships by type: bulk 43, cargo 34,
chemical tanker 4, container 10, liquefied
gas 1, multi-functional large-load carrier
6, petroleum tanker 30, refrigerated cargo
1, roll on/roll off 9, short-sea passenger 1
(2002 est.) |
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Airports:
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309 (2002) |
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Airports - with paved runways:
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total: 122
over 3,047 m: 39
2,438 to 3,047 m: 25
914 to 1,523 m: 27
under 914 m: 4 (2002)
1,524 to 2,437 m: 27 |
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Airports - with unpaved runways:
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total: 187
over 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 9
under 914 m: 39 (2002)
914 to 1,523 m: 138 |
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Heliports:
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13 (2002)
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Military branches:
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Islamic Republic of Iran regular forces
(includes Ground Forces, Navy, Air Force and
Air Defense Command), Iranian Revolutionary
Guards Corps (IRGC) (includes Ground Forces,
Air Force, Navy, Qods [special operations],
and Basij [Popular Mobilization Army]
forces), Law Enforcement Forces |
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Military manpower - military age:
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21 years of age (2003 est.)
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Military manpower - availability:
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males age 15-49: 20,343,063 (2003
est.) |
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Military manpower - fit for military
service:
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males age 15-49: 12,094,551 (2003
est.) |
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Military manpower - reaching military
age annually:
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males: 870,711 (2003 est.)
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Military expenditures - dollar figure:
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$9.7 billion (FY00) |
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Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
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3.1% (FY00)
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Disputes - international:
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Iran protests Afghanistan's limiting flow of
dammed waters on Helmand River tributaries
in response to prolonged drought in region;
thousands of Afghan refugees still reside in
Iran; despite restored diplomatic relations
in 1990, disputes with Iraq over maritime
and land boundaries, navigation channel, and
other issues from eight-year war persist;
UAE engage direct talks and Arab League
support to resolve disputes over Iran's
occupation of Tunb Islands and Abu Musa
Island; Iran insists on division of the
Caspian Sea into five equal sectors, while
other littoral states have generally agreed
to equidistant seabed boundaries - Iran has
threatened Azerbaijanian hydrocarbon
exploration in disputed waters |
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Illicit drugs:
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despite substantial interdiction efforts,
Iran remains a key transshipment point for
Southwest Asian heroin to Europe; domestic
narcotics consumption remains a persistent
problem and Iranian press reports estimate
at least 2 million drug users in the country
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