General
Information
|
Total Land Area: |
1,622,000 km2 |
|
Land boundaries: |
5,440 km |
|
Coastline: |
2,440 km |
|
Capital: |
Tehran |
|
Other Large
Cities: |
Mashhad, Esfahan,
Tabriz |
|
Official
Language: |
Farsi (Persian) |
|
National
Currency Unit: |
Iranian Rial (IRR) |
|
National Day: |
April 1 |
Location and
Geography
Iran is located at
the strategic
crossroads between
the Western and
Eastern worlds. It
is bordered by
Armenia, Azerbaijan,
Turkmenistan and the
Caspian Sea in the
North, Afghanistan
and Pakistan in the
East, Iraq and
Turkey in the West,
and the Gulf of
Oman, the Strait of
Hormuz and the
Persian Gulf in the
South. The
topography of Iran
consists mainly of
deserts and
mountains. These
areas are virtually
uninhabitable. Most
of the population
lives in the
Northern and
Northwestern areas.
Two mountain chains
dominate the
landscape: the
Zagros Mountains and
the Elbruz range.
Iran has a small
area of arable land
with meadows and
pastures covering
about a quarter of
its land. Forests
and woodlands are
rather limited. The
climate is generally
arid or semiarid,
and subtropical
along the Caspian
coast. Due to
limited annual
rainfall, Iran
suffers from chronic
water shortages.
Demography
|
Population:
|
65.50 million
(2002) |
|
Crude Birth
Rate:
|
18 per thousand
people (2002) |
|
Crude Death
Rate:
|
6 per thousand
people (2002) |
|
Infant Mortality
Rate:
|
34 per thousand
(2002) |
|
Life Expectancy:
|
Male: 68 years,
Female: 70 years
(2002) |
|
Urban
Population:
|
65.0 percent
(2002) |
|
Adult Literacy:
|
81.70 percent
(2002) |
Economy
Iran is one of the
leading producers of
petroleum and has
the second largest
natural gas reserves
in the world. In
addition to crude
oil and gas, the
country produces
petrochemicals,
textiles, vegetable
oil and other food
products, carpets,
cement, building
materials and
fertilisers. The
principal
agricultural crops
are wheat, rice,
barley, nuts,
cotton, sugar beets,
and fruits. Wool is
also an important
product in the
Iranian economy.
|
GDP at Current
Market Prices:
|
145186 million
US$ (2002) |
|
Per Capita GDP:
|
2217 US$ (2002) |
|
Share of Sectors
in GDP:
|
12.0%
Agriculture,
39.0% Industry,
49.0% Services,
(2002) |
|
Total Exports:
|
24744 million
US$ (2002) |
|
Total Imports:
|
20937 million
US$ (2002) |
|
Major Exports
Items: |
Petroleum,
carpets, fruits,
nuts, hides,
agricultural
products, iron
and steel |
|
Major Imports
Items: |
Machinery,
military
supplies, metal
work,
foodstuffs, and
technical
services |
|
Major Trading
Partners: |
UAE, Germany,
Italy, Turkey,
India and Japan |
|
