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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
Captial: Tehran
Area:
total: 1.648 million sq km
land: 1.636 million sq km
water: 12,000 sq km
Area - comparative: Slightly larger
than Alaska
Population: 66,128,965
Religions: Shi'a Muslim 89%, Sunni
Muslim 10%, Zoroastrian, Jewish, Christian, and Baha'i 1%
Land boundaries: 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
Climate: mostly arid or semiarid,
subtropical along Caspian coast
Terrain: rugged, mountainous rim;
high, central basin with deserts, mountains; small, discontinuous
plains along both coasts
Ethnic groups: Persian 51%, Azeri
24%, Gilaki and Mazandarani 8%, Kurd 7%, Arab 3%, Lur 2%, Baloch
2%, Turkmen 2%, other 1%
Languages: Persian and Persian dialects
58%, Turkic and Turkic dialects 26%, Kurdish 9%, Luri 2%, Balochi
1%, Arabic 1%, Turkish 1%, other 2%
Chief of state: Leader of the Islamic
Revolution Ayatollah Ali Hoseini-KHAMENEI (since 4 June 1989)
Head of government: President (Ali)
Mohammad KHATAMI-Ardakani (since 3 August 1997); First Vice President
Hasan Ebrahim HABIBI (since NA August 1989)
Cabinet: Council of Ministers selected
by the president with legislative approval
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 NA 2005)
Legislative branch: 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)
Oil's importance: around 80% of total
export earnings; 40%-50% of the government budget
Oil Reserves: 90 billion barrels of
proven oil reserves, or roughly 9% of the world's total
Links to Information on Iran's History:
From
Library of Congress
From the webzine Cyber
Iran
From
Lonely Planet Travel Guides
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