Administrative divisions
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, Kohgiluyeh va Buyer Ahmad, Kordestan, Lorestan, Markazi, Mazandaran, Qazvin, Qom, Semnan, Sistan va Baluchestan, Tehran, Yazd, Zanjan

Age structure
0-14 years: 28% (male 9,935,527; female 9,411,647)
15-64 years: 67.2% (male 23,608,621; female 22,744,128)
65 years and over: 4.8% (male 1,645,246; female 1,673,755) (2004 est.)

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

Airports
303 (2003 est.)

Airports - with paved runways
total: 125
over 3,047 m: 39
2,438 to 3,047 m: 25
914 to 1,523 m: 31
under 914 m: 4 (2003 est.)
1,524 to 2,437 m: 26

Airports - with unpaved runways
total: 178
over 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 9
under 914 m: 39 (2003 est.)
914 to 1,523 m: 129

Area
total: 1.648 million sq km
land: 1.636 million sq km
water: 12,000 sq km

Area - comparative
slightly larger than Alaska

Background
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 been pressuring for political reform.

Birth rate
17.1 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Budget
revenues: $40.38 billion
expenditures: $40.29 billion, including capital expenditures of $7.6 billion (2003 est.)

Capital
Tehran

Climate
mostly arid or semiarid, subtropical along Caspian coast

Coastline
2,440 km; note - Iran also borders the Caspian Sea (740 km)

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

Country name
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

Currency
Iranian rial (IRR)

Currency code
IRR

Current account balance
$3.935 billion (2003)

Death rate
5.53 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Debt - external
$10.96 billion (2003 est.)

Diplomatic representation from the US
none; note - protecting power in Iran is Switzerland

Diplomatic representation in the US
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

Disputes - international
Iran protests Afghanistan's limiting flow of dammed waters on Helmand River tributaries in periods of drought; thousands of Afghan refugees still reside in Iran; creation of a maritime boundary with Iraq remains in hiatus until full sovereignty is restored in Iraq; 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

Economic aid - recipient
$408 million (2002 est.)

Economy - overview
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 $22 billion in foreign exchange reserves, but have not eased economic hardships such as high unemployment and inflation. In December 2003 a major earthquake devastated the city of Bam in southeastern Iran, killing more than 30,000 people.

Electricity - consumption
115.9 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports
0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports
0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - production
124.6 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - production by source
fossil fuel: 97.1%
hydro: 2.9%
other: 0% (2001)
nuclear: 0%

Elevation extremes
lowest point: Caspian Sea -28 m
highest point: Kuh-e Damavand 5,671 m

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; wetland losses from drought; soil degradation (salination); inadequate supplies of potable water; water pollution from raw sewage and industrial waste; urbanization

Environment - international agreements
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

Ethnic groups
Persian 51%, Azeri 24%, Gilaki and Mazandarani 8%, Kurd 7%, Arab 3%, Lur 2%, Baloch 2%, Turkmen 2%, other 1%

Exchange rates
rials per US dollar - 8,193.89 (2003), 6,906.96 (2002), 1,753.56 (2001), 1,764.43 (2000), 1,752.93 (1999)
note: Iran has been using a managed floating exchange rate regime since unifying multiple exchange rates in March 2002.

Executive branch
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)

Exports
$29.88 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Exports - commodities
petroleum 80%, chemical and petrochemical products, fruits and nuts, carpets

Exports - partners
Japan 23%, China 10.2%, Italy 6.6%, South Korea 5%, Netherlands 4% (2003 est.)

Fiscal year
21 March - 20 March

Flag description
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

GDP
purchasing power parity - $478.2 billion (2003 est.)

GDP - composition by sector
agriculture: 12.5%
industry: 41.2%
services: 46.2% (2003 est.)

GDP - per capita
purchasing power parity - $7,000 (2003 est.)

GDP - real growth rate
6.1% (2003 est.)

Geographic coordinates
32 00 N, 53 00 E

Geography - note
strategic location on the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz, which are vital maritime pathways for crude oil transport

Government type
theocratic republic

Heliports
13 (2003 est.)

Highways
total: 167,157 km
paved: 94,109 km (including 890 km of expressways)
unpaved: 73,048 km (1998)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate
less than 0.1% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths
290 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS
20,000 (2001 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage shar
lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA

Illicit drugs
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 2 million drug users in the country; lax anti-money-laundering regulations

Imports
$25.26 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Imports - commodities
industrial raw materials and intermediate goods, capital goods, foodstuffs and other consumer goods, technical services, military supplies

Imports - partners
Germany 11.5%, France 9%, China 8.8%, Italy 8.5%, Switzerland 7.1%, UAE 7.1%, Russia 4.6%, Japan 4.3% (2003 est.)

Independence
1 April 1979 (Islamic Republic of Iran proclaimed)

Industrial production growth rate
3% excluding oil (2003 est.)

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

Infant mortality rate
total: 42.86 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 42.69 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 43.01 deaths/1,000 live births

Inflation rate (consumer prices)
16.4% (2003 est.)

International organization participation
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, NAM, OIC, OPCW, OPEC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO

Internet country code
.ir

Internet hosts
5,269 (2004)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)
100 (2002)

Internet users
4.3 million (2003)

Investment (gross fixed)
28.6% of GDP (2003)

Irrigated land
75,620 sq km (1998 est.)

Judicial branch
Supreme Court

Labor force
22.32 million
note: shortage of skilled labor (2003 est.)

Labor force - by occupation
agriculture 30%, industry 25%, services 45% (2001 est.)

Land boundaries
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

Land use
arable land: 8.72%
permanent crops: 1.39%
other: 89.89% (2001)

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

Legal system
the Constitution codifies Islamic principles of government

Legislative branch
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 196, reformers 48, independents 39, seats reserved for religious minorities 5, and 2 seats unaccounted for

Life expectancy at birth
total population: 69.66 years
male: 68.31 years
female: 71.07 years (2004 est.)

Literacy
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 79.4%
male: 85.6%
female: 73% (2003 est.)

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

Map references
Middle East

Maritime claims
territorial sea: 12 nm
continental shelf: natural prolongation
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: bilateral agreements or median lines in the Persian Gulf

Median age
total: 23.5 years
male: 23.3 years
female: 23.7 years (2004 est.)

Merchant marine
total: 134 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 4,715,242 GRT/8,240,069 DWT
by type: bulk 40, cargo 36, chemical tanker 3, container 7, liquefied gas 1, multi-functional large load carrier 5, petroleum tanker 33, roll on/roll off 8, short-sea/passenger 1
registered in other countries: 10 (2003 est.)

Military branches
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 Force [special operations], and Basij [Popular Mobilization Army]), Law Enforcement Forces

Military expenditures - dollar figure
$4.3 billion (2003 est.)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP
3.3% (2003 est.)

Military manpower - availability
males age 15-49: 20,937,348 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service
males age 15-49: 12,434,810 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - military age
21 years of age (2004 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually
males: 912,569 (2004 est.)

National holiday
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)

Nationality
noun: Iranian(s)
adjective: Iranian

Natural gas - consumption
65.59 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - exports
110 million cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - imports
4.2 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - production
61.5 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves
24.8 trillion cu m (1 January 2002)

Natural hazards
periodic droughts, floods; dust storms, sandstorms; earthquakes

Natural resources
petroleum, natural gas, coal, chromium, copper, iron ore, lead, manganese, zinc, sulfur

Net migration rate
-0.84 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Oil - consumption
1.277 million bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports
2.2 million bbl/day (2003)

Oil - imports
NA (2001)

Oil - production
3.804 million bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - proved reserves
94.39 billion bbl (1 January 2002)

Pipelines
condensate/gas 212 km; gas 16,998 km; liquid petroleum gas 570 km; oil 8,256 km; refined products 7,808 km (2003)

Political parties and leaders
formal political parties are a relatively new phenomenon in the Islamic Republic 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 is expected to participate in the seventh Majles elections in early 2004; a new apparently conservative group, the Builders of Islamic Iran, emerged at the local level in early 2003

Political pressure groups and leaders
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 Association (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 Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization (MEK), People's Fedayeen, Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan, and Komala

Population
69,018,924 (July 2004 est.)

Population below poverty line
40% (2002 est.)

Population growth rate
1.07% (2004 est.)

Ports and harbors
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

Public debt
28.2% of GDP (2003)

Radio broadcast stations
AM 72, FM 5, shortwave 5 (1998)

Radios
17 million (1997)

Railways
total: 7,203 km
broad gauge: 94 km 1.676-m gauge
standard gauge: 7,109 km 1.435-m gauge (189 km electrified) (2003)

Religions
Shi'a Muslim 89%, Sunni Muslim 9%, Zoroastrian, Jewish, Christian, and Baha'i 2%

Reserves of foreign exchange & gold
$25.13 billion (2003)

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: 0.98 male(s)/female
total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2004 est.)

Suffrage
15 years of age; universal

Telephone system
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

Telephones - main lines in use
14,571,100 (2003)

Telephones - mobile cellular
3,376,500 (2003)

Television broadcast stations
28 (plus 450 low-power repeaters) (1997)

Televisions
4.61 million (1997)

Terrain
rugged, mountainous rim; high, central basin with deserts, mountains; small, discontinuous plains along both coasts

Total fertility rate
1.93 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Unemployment rate
15.7% (2002 est.)

Waterways
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