| Government type: | theocratic republic |
| Capital: | Tehran |
| Background: | Known as Persia until 1935, Iran became an Islamic republic in 1979 after the ruling shah was forced into exile. Conservative clerical forces subsequently crushed westernizing liberal elements. Militant 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. The key current issue is how rapidly the country should open up to the modernizing influences of the outside world. |
| Location: | Middle East, bordering the Gulf of Oman, the Persian Gulf, and the Caspian Sea, between Iraq and Pakistan |
| Geographic coordinates: | 32 00 N, 53 00 E |
| Map references: | Middle East |
| Area: | total: 1.648
million sq km land: 1.636 million sq km water: 12,000 sq km |
| Climate: | mostly arid or semiarid, subtropical along Caspian coast |
| Population: | 66,128,965 (July 2001 est.) |
| Age structure: | 0-14 years:
32.97% (male 11,150,053; female 10,654,884) 15-64 years: 62.38% (male 20,765,001; female 20,488,672) 65 years and over: 4.65% (male 1,617,045; female 1,453,310) (2001 est.) |
| Birth rate: | 17.1 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
| Death rate: | 5.41 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
| Sex ratio: | at birth:
1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.11 male(s)/female total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2001 est.) |
| Infant mortality rate: | 29.04 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) |
| Life expectancy at birth: | total population:
69.95 years male: 68.61 years female: 71.37 years (2001 est.) |
| Total fertility rate: | 2.02 children born/woman (2001 est.) |
| Ethnic groups: | Persian 51%, Azeri 24%, Gilaki and Mazandarani 8%, Kurd 7%, Arab 3%, Lur 2%, Baloch 2%, Turkmen 2%, other 1% |
| Religions: | Shi'a Muslim 89%, Sunni Muslim 10%, Zoroastrian, Jewish, Christian, and Baha'i 1% |
| Languages: | Persian and Persian dialects 58%, Turkic and Turkic dialects 26%, Kurdish 9%, Luri 2%, Balochi 1%, Arabic 1%, Turkish 1%, other 2% |
| Literacy: | definition:
age 15 and over can read and write total population: 72.1% male: 78.4% female: 65.8% (1994 est.) |
| Political parties and leaders: | the following organizations appeared to have achieved considerable success at elections to the sixth Majlis in early 2000: Assembly of the Followers of the Imam's Line, Freethinkers' Front, Islamic Iran Participation Front, Moderation and Development Party, Servants of Construction Party, Society of Self-sacrificing Devotees |
| GDP: | purchasing power parity - $413 billion (2000 est.) |
| GDP - real growth rate: | 3% (2000 est.) |
| GDP - per capita: | purchasing power parity - $6,300 (2000 est.) |
| GDP - composition by sector: | agriculture:
24% industry: 28% services: 48% (2000 est.) |
| Population below poverty line: | 53% (1996 est.) |
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