32 00 N. 53 00 E -- Middle East. Iran is situated in south-western Asia and borders three CIS states (the republics of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan), as well as the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkey and Iraq to the west, the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman to the south and Pakistan and Afghanistan to the east.

Flag
Description: Three equal horizontal bands of green (top) white, and red; the national emblem (a stylized representation of the word Allah) in red is centered in the white band: ALLAHO 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

Area
Total area: 1.648 million sq. km
Land area: 1.636 million sq. km

Land boundaries
Border countries:
Afghanistan 936 km, Armenia 35 km,
Azerbaijan-proper 432 km,
Azerbaijan-Nakhichevan enclave 179 km,
Iraq 1,458 km,
Pakistan 909 km,
Turkey 499 km,
Turkmenistan 992 km.
Iran also borders the Caspian Sea (740 km)
Coastline: 2,440 km
Total: 5,440 km
Maritime claims
Contiguous zone: 24 nm
Continental shelf: Natural prolongation
Exclusive economic zone: Bilateral agreements or median lines in the Persian Gulf Territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate
Iran's climate is mostly arid or semiarid, subtropical along the Caspian coast
Terrain: Rugged, mountainous rim; high, central basin with deserts,
Mountains: Small, discontinuous plains along both coasts
Lowest point: Caspian Sea - 28 m
Highest point: Qolleh-ye Damavand 5,671 m
Natural resources: Petroleum, natural gas, coal, chromium, copper, iron ore, lead, manganese, zinc, sulfur

Land use
Arable land: 8 percent
Permanent crops: 0 percent
Meadows and pastures: 27 percent
Forest and woodland: 11 percent
Other: 54 percent
Irrigated land: 57,500 sq. km (1989 est.)

Environment
International agreements: Party to Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes,
Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands; Biodiversity, Climate Change, Decertification, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation

Population
60.1 million, including 36.8 million in urban areas and 23.3 million in rural areas (1996 estimate)
Population density: 36 persons per square kilometer
Active population: 16.0 million (1996 estimate)
Employed population: 14.6 million (1996 estimate)

Age structure
0-14 years: 45 percent (male 15,166,131; female 14,289,283)
15-64 years: 52 percent (male 17,326,388; female 16,731,470)
65 years and over: 3 percent (male 1,327,718; female 1,253,274) (July 1996 est.) Population growth rate: 2.21 percent (1996 est.)
Birth rate: 33.67 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)
Death rate: 6.61 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)
Net migration rate: -5 migrant (s) 1,000 population (1996 est.)

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
Under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/ female
15-64 years: 1.104 male(s)/ female
All ages: 1.05 male(s)/ female (1996 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 52.7 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
Total population: 67.39 years
Male: 66.12 years
Female: 68.72 years (1996 est.)
Total fertility rate: 4.72 children born/woman (1996 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Iranian(s)
Adjective: Iranian
Ethnic divisions: Persian 51 percent, Azerbaijani 24 percent, Gilaki and Mazandarani 8 percent, Kurd 7 percent, Arab 3 percent, Lur 2 percent, Baluch 2 percent, Turkmen 2 percent, other 1 percent

Religions
Shia Muslim 89 percent, Sunni Muslim 10 percent, Zoroastrian, Jewish and Christian 1 percent.

Languages
Persian
Literacy: (6-14 years): 94.55 percent (Sept. 1997) (15 and over):72.91 percent (Sept. 1997)
Urban areas: 96.88 percent
Rural areas: 91.37 percent
Male: 84.66 percent (nationwide)
Female: 74.21 percent (nationwide)
Male: 89.56 percent (urban areas)
Female: 81.70 percent (rural areas)

Government
Name of country : Islamic Republic of Iran (Jomhuriy-e Islamiy-e Iran)
Capital: Tehran
Administrative divisions: 26 provinces (ostanha, singular: ostan); Ardebil, Azarbaijan-e Gharbi, Azarbaijan-e Sharqi, Boushehr, Chahar Mahal va Bakhtiari, Fars, Gilan, Hamedan, Hormozgan, Isfahan, Ilam, Kerman, Kermanshahan, Khorassan, Khouzestan, Kohkilouyeh va Buyer Ahmad, Kurdestan, Lorestan, Markazi (Central), Mazandaran, Qazvin, Semnan, Sistan va Baluchestan, Tehran, Zanjan, Yazd .
Independence: 1 April 1979 (Islamic Republic of Iran proclaimed)
National Holiday: Islamic Republic Day, 1 April (1979)
Constitution: 2-3 December 1979; revised 1989 to expand powers of the presidency and eliminate the premiership Parliament (Majlis-e Shora-ye-Islami) and the Council of Guardians of the Constitution. Under the provisions of the Constitution all legislations must first be approved by the Majlis and then be ratified by the Council of Guardians. They are signed into laws by the president. Two more legislative bodies were created in 1988 by (the late IRI leader) Ayatollah Khomeini. They were the Expediency Discernment Council (EDC) and the Council of Policy Making for Reconstruction. Islamic Consultative Assembly (Majlis-e Shora-ye-Islami): Elections last held 8 March and 19 April 1996 (next to be held March 2000) Judicial branch: Supreme Court

International organization participation
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, WTO

Economy
Average GDP Growth Rate: 5.9 percent (1989-1996)
GDP (current prices): 233,651 billion rials (1996)
Per Capita Income (current prices): 3,208 thousand rials (1996)
Gross National Savings / GNP: 23.9 percent (1996)
Net External Assets of the Banking System: 18,229 billion rials (March 1997)
Banking System Facilities: 127,355 billion rials (March 1997)
Liquidity (M2): 116,553 billion rials (March 1997)
Trade Balance: 7,523 million dollars (1996)
GDP composition by sector:
Agriculture: 25 percent
Manufacturing and Mining: 33.5 percent
Construction and Housing: 29 percent
Export, Trade and Services: 12 percent (1996 estimate)
Quantitative Targets in Second Five Year Development Plan (SFYDP) (1995-1999)

Average growth rate (percent)
Real GDP growth 5.1
Oil: 1.6
Agriculture: 4.3
Industry and mining: 5.9
Services: 3.1
Real gross domestic investment: 6.2
Real private consumption: 4.0
Real government consumption expenditure: -0.9
Rate of inflation: 12.4
Liquidity: 12.5
Imports: 4.3
Oil exports: 3.4
Non-oil exports: 8.4
Inflation rate (annual average): 24.8 percent (1989-1996)
Labor forces: 15.4 million
By occupation: Agriculture 33 percent, manufacturing 21 percent
Unemployment rate: Over 30 percent (1995 est.)

Budget
Revenues: 57,275.6 billion rials (1996)
Expenditures: 57,877.6 billion rials
Industries: Petroleum, petrochemicals, textiles, cement and other construction materials, food processing (particularly sugar refining and vegetable oil production), metal fabricating, armaments
Industrial production growth rate: 4.3 percent (1994 est.)

Electricity
Capacity: 19,080,000 kw
Production: 50.8 billion kwh
Consumption per capita: 745 kwh (1993)

Agriculture
Wheat, rice, other grains, sugar beets, fruits, nuts, cotton; dairy products, wool, caviar
Exports: $16 billion (f.o.b., 1994 est.)
Commodities: Petroleum 85 percent, carpets, fruits, nuts, hides, iron, steel
Imports (fob): 14,973 million (1996)
Commodities: Machinery, military supplies, metal works, foodstuffs, pharmaceuticals, technical services, refined oil products
External debt: $32.6 billion (Considering contingent obligations, including opened letters of credit not yet consigned and future interest, total external obligations (actual and contingent) amounts to $32.6 billion at the end of 1375 (March 1997).

Economic aid
Recipient: ODA, $40 million (1993)
Currency: 10 Iranian rials (IR) = 1 toman; domestic figures are generally preferred to in terms of the toman

Fiscal year
21 March - 20 March
Transportation
Railways:
Total: 5,093 km
Broad gauge: 96 km 1.676-m gauge
Standard gauge: 4,997 km 1.432-m gauge (146 km electrified) (1995)
Highways: Total: 140,200 km
Paved: 42,700 km
Unpaved: 97,500 km (1995 estimate)
Waterways: 904 km; the Arvand River (Shatt al Arab) is usually navigable by maritime traffic for about 130 km; channel has been dredged to 3 m and is in use Pipelines: Crude oil 5,900 km; petroleum products 3,900 km; natural gas 4,550 km
Ports: Abadan (largely destroyed in fighting during the 1980-88 war with Iraq), Ahwaz, Boushehr, Bandar-e Abbas, Bandar-e Anzali, Bandar-e Boushehr, Bandar-e Khomeini, Bandar-e Mahshahr, Bandar-e Torkeman, Jazireh-ye Kharg, Jazireh-ye Lavan, Jazireh-ye Sirri, Khorramshahr (limited operation since November 1992), Now Shahr

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

Airports
Total: 32

Heliports
12 (1995 est.)

Communications
Telephones: 6 million (1997 estimate)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 77, FM 6
Radios: 143 million (1992 estimate)
Television broadcast stations: 32
Television: 5.4 million

Defense
Branches: Islamic Republic of Iran regular forces (includes Ground Forces, Navy, Air and Air Defense Forces), Revolutionary Guards (includes Ground, Air, Navy, Qods, and Basij mobilization forces)

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