Legend:
 Definition
 Field Listing
 Rank Order
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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 been pressuring 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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Middle East
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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 - as described in UNCLOS 1982 (see Notes and Definitions):
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territorial sea: 12 NM
continental shelf: natural prolongation
contiguous zone: 24 NM
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
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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, 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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69,018,924 (July 2004 est.)
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Age structure:
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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.)
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Median age:
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total: 23.5 years
male: 23.3 years
female: 23.7 years (2004 est.)
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Population growth rate:
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1.07% (2004 est.)
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Birth rate:
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17.1 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
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Death rate:
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5.53 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
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Net migration rate:
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-0.84 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 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: 0.98 male(s)/female
total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2004 est.)
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Infant mortality rate:
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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
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: 69.66 years
male: 68.31 years
female: 71.07 years (2004 est.)
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Total fertility rate:
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1.93 children born/woman (2004 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 9%, Zoroastrian, Jewish, Christian, and Baha'i 2%
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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, Kohgiluyeh 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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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
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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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
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International organization participation:
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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
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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 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.
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GDP:
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purchasing power parity - $477.8 billion (2003 est.)
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GDP - real growth rate:
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6% (2003 est.)
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing power parity - $7,000 (2003 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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18% (2003 est.)
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Labor force:
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20 million
note: shortage of skilled labor (2002 est.)
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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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15.7% (2002 est.)
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Budget:
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revenues: $41.2 billion
expenditures: $43.4 billion, including capital expenditures of $7.6 billion (2003 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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2.2 million bbl/day (2003)
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Oil - imports:
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NA
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Oil - proved reserves:
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94.39 billion bbl (1 January 2002)
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Natural gas - production:
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61.5 billion cu m (2001 est.)
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Natural gas - consumption:
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65.59 billion cu m (2001 est.)
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Natural gas - exports:
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110 million cu m (2001 est.)
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Natural gas - imports:
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4.2 billion cu m (2001 est.)
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Natural gas - proved reserves:
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24.8 trillion cu m (1 January 2002)
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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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$29.88 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)
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Exports - commodities:
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petroleum 80%, chemical and petrochemical products, fruits and nuts, carpets
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Exports - partners:
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Japan 20.1%, China 9.9%, Italy 7.6%, South Korea 5.7% (2002)
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Imports:
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$25.26 billion f.o.b. (2003 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 17.1%, Switzerland 9.3%, UAE 9.1%, France 5.9%, Italy 5.8%, South Korea 4.8%, China 4.7%, Russia 4.3% (2002)
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Debt - external:
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$10.2 billion (2003 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 - 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.
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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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12,200,200 (2002)
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Telephones - mobile cellular:
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2.187 million (2002)
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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: 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
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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 hosts:
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3,491 (2002)
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Internet users:
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3.168 million (2002)
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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: 167,157 km
paved: 94,109 km (including 890 km of expressways)
unpaved: 73,048 km (1998)
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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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condensate/gas 212 km; gas 16,998 km; liquid petroleum gas 570 km; oil 8,256 km; refined products 7,808 km (2003)
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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: 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.)
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Airports:
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303 (2003 est.)
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Airports - with paved runways:
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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
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Airports - with unpaved runways:
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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
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Heliports:
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13 (2003 est.)
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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 Force [special operations], and Basij [Popular Mobilization Army]), Law Enforcement Forces
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Military manpower - military age:
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21 years of age (2004 est.)
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Military manpower - availability:
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males age 15-49: 20,937,348 (2004 est.)
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Military manpower - fit for military service:
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males age 15-49: 12,434,810 (2004 est.)
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Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
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males: 912,569 (2004 est.)
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Military expenditures - dollar figure:
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$4.3 billion (2003 est.)
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Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
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3.3% (2003 est.)
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This page was last updated on 11 May, 2004
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