Axion 3D Atlas/ATLAS.iso/stats/112.txt

Text File | 1998-01-23 | 16KB | 361 lines

{bitmap= 26,50,"flags\iran.bmp"}
{bigtext=150,120,"Iran"}



{1}Geography{4}
{4}To see a map of Iran, click {z,"43.867512,24.887623,64.159845,40.385197",here}{4}!

{2}Location:{4} Middle East, bordering the Gulf of Oman, the Persian Gulf, and the Caspian Sea,
between Iraq and Pakistan

{2}Area:{4}
{3}total area:{4} 1.648 million sq km
{3}land area:{4} 1.636 million sq km
{3}comparative area:{4} slightly larger than Alaska

{2}Land boundaries:{4}
{3}total:{4} 5,440 km
{3}border countries:{4} 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

{2}Coastline:{4} 2,440 km
{3}note:{4} Iran also borders the Caspian Sea (740 km)

{2}Maritime claims:{4}
contiguous zone: 24 nm
{3}continental shelf:{4} natural prolongation
{3}exclusive economic zone:{4} bilateral agreements, or median lines in the Persian Gulf
{3}territorial sea:{4} 12 nm

{2}International disputes:{4} 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

{2}Climate:{4} mostly arid or semiarid, subtropical along Caspian coast

{2}Terrain:{4} rugged, mountainous rim; high, central basin with deserts, mountains; small,
discontinuous plains along both coasts
{3}lowest point:{4} Caspian Sea -28 m
{3}highest point:{4} Qolleh-ye Damavand 5,671 m

{2}Natural resources:{4} petroleum, natural gas, coal, chromium, copper, iron ore, lead, manganese,
zinc, sulfur

{2}Land use:{4}
{3}arable land:{4} 8%
{3}permanent crops:{4} 0%
{3}meadows and pastures:{4} 27%
{3}forest and woodland:{4} 11%
{3}other:{4} 54%

{2}Irrigated land:{4} 57,500 sq km (1989 est.)

{2}Environment:{4}
{3}current issues:{4} 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

{2}natural hazards:{4} periodic droughts, floods; dust storms, sandstorms; earthquakes along the
Western border

{2}international agreements:{4} 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


{1}People{4}

{2}Population:{4} 66,094,264 (July 1996 est.)

{2}Age structure:{4}
{3}0-14 years:{4} 45% (male 15,166,131; female 14,289,283)
{3}15-64 years:{4} 52% (male 17,326,388; female 16,731,470)
{3}65 years and over:{4} 3% (male 1,327,718; female 1,253,274) (July 1996 est.)

{2}Population growth rate:{4} 2.21% (1996 est.)

{2}Birth rate:{4} 33.67 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)

{2}Death rate:{4} 6.61 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)

{2}Net migration rate:{4} -5 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)

{2}Sex ratio:{4}
{3}at birth:{4} 1.05 male(s)/female
{3}under 15 years:{4} 1.06 male(s)/female
{3}15-64 years:{4} 1.04 male(s)/female
{3}65 years and over:{4} 1.06 male(s)/female
{3}all ages:{4} 1.05 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

{2}Infant mortality rate:{4} 52.7 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)

{2}Life expectancy at birth:{4}
{3}total population:{4} 67.39 years
{3}male:{4} 66.12 years
{3}female:{4} 68.72 years (1996 est.)

{2}Total fertility rate:{4} 4.72 children born/woman (1996 est.)

{2}Nationality:{4}
{3}noun:{4} Iranian(s)
{3}adjective:{4} Iranian

{2}Ethnic divisions:{4} Persian 51%, Azerbaijani 24%, Gilaki and Mazandarani 8%, Kurd 7%, Arab 3%,
Lur 2%, Baloch 2%, Turkmen 2%, other 1%

{2}Religions:{4} Shi'a Muslim 89%, Sunni Muslim 10%, Zoroastrian, Jewish, Christian, and Baha'i 1%

{2}Languages:{4} Persian and Persian dialects 58%, Turkic and Turkic dialects 26%, Kurdish 9%, Luri
2%, Baloch 1%, Arabic 1%, Turkish 1%, other 2%

{2}Literacy:{4} age 15 and over can read and write (1994 est.)
{3}total population:{4} 72.1%
{3}male:{4} 78.4%
{3}female:{4} 65.8%


{1}Government{4}

{2}Name of country:{4}
{3}conventional long form:{4} Islamic Republic of Iran
{3}conventional short form:{4} Iran
{3}local long form:{4} Jomhuri-ye Eslami-ye Iran
{3}local short form:{4} Iran

{2}Type of government:{4} theocratic republic

{2}Capital:{4} Tehran

{2}Administrative divisions:{4} 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

{2}Independence:{4} 1 April 1979 (Islamic Republic of Iran proclaimed)

{2}National holiday:{4} Islamic Republic Day, 1 April (1979)

{2}Constitution:{4} 2-3 December 1979; revised 1989 to expand powers of the presidency and eliminate
the prime ministership

{2}Legal system:{4} the Constitution codifies Islamic principles of government

{2}Suffrage:{4} 15 years of age; universal

{2}Executive branch:{4}
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
{3}head of government:{4} 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
{3}cabinet:{4} Council of Ministers was selected by the president with legislative approval

{2}Legislative branch:{4} unicameral
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

{2}Judicial branch:{4} Supreme Court

{2}Political parties and leaders:{4} 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

{2}Other political or pressure groups:{4} 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,
Kurdish Democratic Party of Iran; the Society for the Defense of Freedom

{2}International organization participation:{4} 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

{2}Diplomatic representation in US:{4} 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] [phone]

{2}US diplomatic representation:{4} none; note - protecting power in Iran is Switzerland

{2}Flag:{4} 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


{1}Economy{4}

{2}Economic overview:{4} 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.

{2}GDP:{4} purchasing power parity - $323.5 billion (1995 est.)

{2}GDP real growth rate:{4} -2% (1995 est.)

{2}GDP per capita:{4} $4,700 (1995 est.)

{2}GDP composition by sector:{4}
{3}agriculture:{4} 21%
{3}industry:{4} 37%
{3}services:{4} 42% (1994 est.)

{2}Inflation rate (consumer prices):{4} 60% (1995 est.)

{2}Labor force:{4} 15.4 million
{3}by occupation:{4} agriculture 33%, manufacturing 21%
{3}note:{4} shortage of skilled labor (1988 est.)

{2}Unemployment rate:{4} over 30% (1995 est.)

{2}Budget:{4}
{3}revenues:{4} $NA
{3}expenditures:{4} $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA

{2}Industries:{4} petroleum, petrochemicals, textiles, cement and other construction materials, food
processing (particularly sugar refining and vegetable oil production), metal fabricating, armaments

{2}Industrial production growth rate:{4} 4.3% (1994 est.)

{2}Electricity:{4}
{3}capacity:{4} 19,080,000 kW
{3}production:{4} 50.8 billion kWh
{3}consumption per capita:{4} 745 kWh (1993)

{2}Agriculture:{4} wheat, rice, other grains, sugar beets, fruits, nuts, cotton; dairy products, wool; caviar

{2}Illicit drugs:{4} 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

{2}Exports:{4} $16 billion (f.o.b., 1994 est.)
{3}commodities:{4} petroleum 85%, carpets, fruits, nuts, hides, iron, steel
{3}partners:{4} Japan, Italy, France, Netherlands, Belgium/Luxembourg, Spain, and Germany

{2}Imports:{4} $13 billion (c.i.f., 1994 est.)
{3}commodities:{4} machinery, military supplies, metal works, foodstuffs, pharmaceuticals, technical
services, refined oil products
{3}partners:{4} Germany, Japan, Italy, UK, UAE

{2}External debt:{4} $30 billion (1995 est.)

{2}Economic aid:{4}
{3}recipient:{4} ODA, $40 million (1993)

{2}Currency:{4} 10 Iranian rials (IR) = 1 toman; note - domestic figures are generally referred to in terms
of the toman

{2}Exchange rates:{4} 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

{2}Fiscal year:{4} 21 March - 20 March


{1}Transportation{4}

{2}Railways:{4}
{3}total:{4} 5,093 km
{3}broad gauge:{4} 96 km 1.676-m gauge
standard gauge: 4,997 km 1.432-m gauge (146 km electrified) (1995)

{2}Highways:{4}
{3}total:{4} 140,200 km
{3}paved:{4} 42,700 km
{3}unpaved:{4} 97,500 km (1995 est.)

{2}Waterways:{4} 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

{2}Pipelines:{4} crude oil 5,900 km; petroleum products 3,900 km; natural gas 4,550 km

{2}Ports:{4} 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

{2}Merchant marine:{4}
{3}total:{4} 130 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,791,892 GRT/4,891,615 DWT
{3}ships by type:{4} 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.)

{2}Airports:{4}
{3}total:{4} 212
{3}with paved runways over 3,047 m:{4} 30
{3}with paved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m:{4} 11
{3}with paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m:{4} 31
{3}with paved runways 914 to 1,523 m:{4} 17
{3}with paved runways under 914 m:{4} 22
{3}with unpaved runways over 3,047 m:{4} 1
{3}with unpaved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m:{4} 2
{3}with unpaved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m:{4} 10
{3}with unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m:{4} 88 (1995 est.)
Heliports: 12 (1995 est.)


{1}Communications{4}

{2}Telephones:{4} 3.02 million (1992 est.)

{2}Telephone system:{4}
{3}domestic:{4} microwave radio relay extends throughout country; system centered in Tehran
{3}international:{4} 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

{2}Radio broadcast stations:{4} AM 77, FM 3, shortwave 0

{2}Radios:{4} 14.3 million (1992 est.)

{2}Television broadcast stations:{4} 28

{2}Televisions:{4} 3.9 million (1992 est.)


{1}Defense{4}

{2}Branches:{4} 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

{2}Manpower availability:{4}
{3}males age 15-49:{4} 15,157,796
{3}males fit for military service:{4} 9,010,648
males reach military age (21) annually: 632,602 (1996 est.)

{2}Defense expenditures:{4} 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