301 lines
24 KiB
Plaintext
301 lines
24 KiB
Plaintext
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IRAN
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GEOGRAPHY
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Total area: 1,648,000 km2; land area: 1,636,000 km2
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Comparative area: slightly larger than Alaska
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Land boundaries: 5,492 km total; Afghanistan 936 km, Iraq 1,458 km,
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Pakistan 909 km, Turkey 499 km, USSR 1,690 km
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Coastline: 3,180 km
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Maritime claims:
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Continental shelf: not specific;
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Exclusive fishing zone: 50 nm in the Sea of Oman; continental
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shelf limit, continental shelf boundaries, or median lines in the Persian
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Gulf;
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Territorial sea: 12 nm
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Disputes: Iran and Iraq restored diplomatic relations on 14
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October 1990 following the end of the war that began on 22 September
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1980; progress had been made on the major issues of contention--troop
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withdrawal, prisoner-of-war exchanges, demarcation of the border,
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freedom of navigation, and sovereignty over the the Shatt al Arab
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waterway--but written agreements had yet to be drawn up when frictions
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reemerged in March 1991 in the wake of Shia and Kurdish revolts in
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Iraq that Baghdad accused Tehran of supporting;
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Kurdish question among Iran, Iraq, Syria, Turkey, and the USSR;
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occupies three islands in the Persian Gulf claimed by UAE (Jazireh-ye
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Abu Musa or Abu Musa, Jazireh-ye Tonb-e Bozorg or
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Greater Tunb, and Jazireh-ye Tonb-e Kuchek or Lesser Tunb); periodic
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disputes with Afghanistan over Helmand water rights; Boluch question with
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Afghanistan and Pakistan
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Climate: mostly arid or semiarid, subtropical along Caspian coast
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Terrain: rugged, mountainous rim; high, central basin with deserts,
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mountains; small, discontinuous plains along both coasts
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Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, coal, chromium, copper,
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iron ore, lead, manganese, zinc, sulfur
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Land use: arable land 8%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and
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pastures 27%; forest and woodland 11%; other 54%; includes irrigated 2%
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Environment: deforestation; overgrazing; desertification
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PEOPLE
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Population: 59,051,082 (July 1991), growth rate 3.6% (1991)
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Birth rate: 44 births/1,000 population (1991)
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Death rate: 9 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
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Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
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Infant mortality rate: 66 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
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Life expectancy at birth: 64 years male, 65 years female (1991)
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Total fertility rate: 6.6 children born/woman (1991)
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Nationality: noun--Iranian(s); adjective--Iranian
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Ethnic divisions: Persian 51%, Azerbaijani 25%, Kurd 9%, Gilaki
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and Mazandarani 8%, Lur 2%, Baloch 1%, Arab 1%, other 3%
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Religion: Shia Muslim 95%, Sunni Muslim 4%, Zoroastrian, Jewish,
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Christian, and Bahai 1%
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Language: 58% Persian and Persian dialects, 26% Turkic and Turkic
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dialects, 9% Kurdish, 2% Luri, 1% Baloch, 1% Arabic, 1% Turkish, 2% other
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Literacy: 54% (male 64%, female 43%) age 15 and over can
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read and write (1990 est.)
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Labor force: 15,400,000; agriculture 33%, manufacturing 21%;
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shortage of skilled labor (1988 est.)
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Organized labor: none
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GOVERNMENT
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Long-form name: Islamic Republic of Iran
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Type: theocratic republic
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Capital: Tehran
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Administrative divisions: 24 provinces (ostanha,
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singular--ostan); Azarbayjan-e Bakhtari,
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Azarbayjan-e Khavari, Bakhtaran, Bushehr,
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Chahar Mahall va Bakhtiari, Esfahan, Fars,
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Gilan, Hamadan, Hormozgan, Ilam, Kerman,
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Khorasan, Khuzestan, Kohkiluyeh va Buyer
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Ahmadi, Kordestan, Lorestan, Markazi, Mazandaran,
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Semnan, Sistan va Baluchestan, Tehran, Yazd, Zanjan
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Independence: 1 April 1979, Islamic Republic of Iran proclaimed
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Constitution: 2-3 December 1979; revised 1989 to expand powers of
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the presidency and eliminate the prime ministership
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Legal system: the new Constitution codifies Islamic principles of
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government
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National holiday: Islamic Republic Day, 1 April (1979)
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Executive branch: cleric (faqih), president, Council of Ministers
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Legislative branch: unicameral Islamic Consultative Assembly
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(Majles-e-Shura-ye-Eslami)
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Judicial branch: Supreme Court
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Leaders:
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Cleric and functional Chief of State--Leader of the Islamic
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Revolution Ayatollah Ali Hoseini-KHAMENEI (since 4 June 1989);
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Head of Government--President Ali Akbar HASHEMI-RAFSANJANI
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(since 3 August 1989);
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Political parties and leaders: there are at least 14 licensed
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parties; the three most important are--Tehran Militant Clergy
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Association, Mohammad Reza MAHDAVI-KANI;
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Militant Clerics Association, Mehdi MAHDAVI-KARUBI and Mohammad Asqar
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MUSAVI-KHOINIHA;
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Fedaiyin Islam Organization, Sadeq KHALKHALI
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Suffrage: universal at age 15
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Elections:
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President--last held NA July 1989 (next to be held April 1993);
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results--Ali Akbar HASHEMI-RAFSANJANI was elected with only token
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opposition;
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Islamic Consultative Assembly--last held 8 April 1988 (next
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to be held June 1992); results--percent of vote by party
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NA;
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seats--(270 seats total) number of seats by party NA
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Communists: 1,000 to 2,000 est. hardcore; 15,000 to 20,000 est.
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sympathizers; crackdown in 1983 crippled the party; trials of captured
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leaders began in late 1983 and remain incomplete
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Other political or pressure groups: groups that generally
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support the Islamic Republic include Hizballah, Hojjatiyeh Society,
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Mojahedin of the Islamic Revolution, Muslim Students Following the Line
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of the Imam; armed political groups that have been almost completely
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repressed by the government include Mojahedin Khalq Organization (MKO),
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People's Fedayeen, and Kurdish Democratic Party; the Society for the
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Defense of Freedom is a group of liberal nationalists that has been
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repressed by the government for accusing it of corruption
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Member of: CCC, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-19, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD,
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ICAO, ICC, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT,
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INTERPOL, IOC, ISO, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OIC, OPEC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD,
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UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTO
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Diplomatic representation: none; protecting power in the US is
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Algeria--Iranian Interests Section, 2209 Wisconsin Avenue NW,
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Washington DC 20007; telephone (202) 965-4990;
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US--protecting power in Iran is Switzerland
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Flag: three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and red;
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the national emblem (a stylized representation of the word Allah) in red
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is
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centered
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in the white band; Allah Akbar (God is Great) in white Arabic
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script is repeated 11 times along the bottom edge of the green band and
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11 times along the top edge of the red band
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ECONOMY
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Overview: Since the 1979 revolution, the banks, petroleum industry,
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transportation, utilities, and mining have been nationalized, but the
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new five-year plan--the first since the revolution--passed in January
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1990, calls for the transfer of many government-controlled enterprises
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to the private sector. Disruptions from the bitter war with Iraq,
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massive corruption, mismanagement, demographic pressures, and ideological
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rigidities have kept economic growth at depressed levels. Oil accounts
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for over 90% of export revenues. A combination of war damage and low oil
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prices brought a 2% drop in GNP in 1988. GNP probably rose slightly in
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1989, considerably short of the 3.2% population growth rate in 1989.
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Heating oil and gasoline are rationed. Agriculture has suffered from the
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war, land reform, and shortages of equipment and materials. The five-year
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plan seeks to reinvigorate the economy by increasing the role of the
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private sector, boosting nonoil income, and securing foreign loans. The
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plan is overly ambitious but probably will generate some short-term
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relief.
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GNP: $80.0 billion, per capita $1,400; real growth rate 0.5%
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(1990 est.)
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Inflation rate (consumer prices): 30-50% (1989 est.)
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Unemployment rate: 30% (1989)
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Budget: revenues $63 billion; expenditures $80 billion, including
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capital expenditures of $23 billion (FY90 est.)
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Exports: $12.3 billion (f.o.b., 1989);
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commodities--petroleum 90%, carpets, fruits, nuts, hides;
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partners--Japan, Turkey, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, France, FRG
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Imports: $11.6 billion (c.i.f., 1989);
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commodities--machinery, military supplies, metal works, foodstuffs,
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pharmaceuticals, technical services, refined oil products;
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partners--FRG, Japan, Turkey, UK, Italy
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External debt: $4-5 billion (1989)
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Industrial production: growth rate NA%
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Electricity: 14,579,000 kW capacity; 40,000 million kWh produced,
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740 kWh per capita (1989)
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Industries: petroleum, petrochemicals, textiles, cement and other
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building materials, food processing (particularly sugar refining and
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vegetable oil production), metal fabricating (steel and copper)
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Agriculture: principal products--wheat, rice, other grains, sugar
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beets, fruits, nuts, cotton, dairy products, wool, caviar; not
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self-sufficient in food
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Illicit drugs: illicit producer of opium poppy for the domestic and
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international drug trade
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Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-80), $1.0
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billion; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments
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(1970-88), $1.6 billion; Communist countries (1970-89), $976 million;
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note--aid fell sharply following the 1979 revolution
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Currency: Iranian rial (plural--rials); 1 Iranian rial (IR) =
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100 dinars; note--domestic figures are generally referred to in terms of
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the toman (plural--tomans), which equals 10 rials
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Exchange rates: Iranian rials (IR) per US$1--64.941 (January 1991),
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68.096 (1990), 72.015 (1989), 68.683 (1988), 71.460 (1987), 78.760
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(1986), 91.052 (1985) at the official rate; black market rate 1,400
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(January 1991)
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Fiscal year: 21 March-20 March
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COMMUNICATIONS
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Railroads: 4,601 km total; 4,509 km 1.432-meter gauge, 92 km
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1.676-meter gauge; 730 km under construction from Bafq to Bandar Abbas
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Highways: 140,072 km total; 46,866 km gravel and crushed stone;
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49,440 km improved earth; 42,566 km bituminous and bituminous-treated
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surfaces; 1,200 km (est.) rural road network
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Inland waterways: 904 km; the Shatt al Arab is usually navigable by
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maritime traffic for about 130 km, but closed since September 1980
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because of Iran-Iraq war
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Pipelines: crude oil, 5,900 km; refined products, 3,900 km; natural
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gas, 3,300 km
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Ports: Abadan (largely destroyed in fighting during 1980-88 war),
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Bandar Beheshti, Bandar-e Abbas, Bandar-e Bushehr, Bandar-e
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Khomeyni, Bandar-e Shahid Rajai, Khorramshahr (largely
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destroyed in fighting during 1980-88 war)
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Merchant marine: 133 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 4,634,204
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GRT/8,671,769 DWT; includes 36 cargo, 6 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 33
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petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 4 chemical tanker, 3
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refrigerated cargo, 49 bulk, 2 combination bulk
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Civil air: 42 major transport aircraft
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Airports: 214 total, 186 usable; 80 with permanent-surface runways;
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17 with runways over 3,659 m; 16 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 70 with
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runways 1,220-2,439 m
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Telecommunications: radio relay extends throughout country; system
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centered in Tehran; 2,143,000 telephones; stations--62 AM, 30 FM, 250
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TV; satellite earth stations--2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT and 1 Indian
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Ocean INTELSAT; HF and microwave to Turkey, Pakistan, Syria, Kuwait, and
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USSR
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DEFENSE FORCES
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Branches: Islamic Republic of Iran Ground Forces, Navy, Air
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Force, Air Defense, and Revolutionary Guard Corps (includes Basij
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militia and own ground, air, and naval forces);
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a merger of the Komiteh, Police, and Gendarmerie has produced a new
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Security Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran
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Manpower availability: males 15-49, 12,750,593; 7,588,711 fit for
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military service; 576,321 reach military age (21) annually
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Defense expenditures: $13 billion, 13.3% of GNP (1991 est.)
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