Iran: Facts and Figures - Facts and Figures

Official name

Islamic Republic of Iran

Capital

Tehran

Area

1,648,000 sq km

636,300 sq mi

Largest cities (population)

Tehran

11,689,000 (2002)

Mashhad

1,887,405 (1996)

Eşfahān

1,266,072 (1996)

Population

65,397,521 (2007 estimate)

Population growth rate

0.66 per cent (2007 estimate)

Population density

40 persons per sq km (2007 estimate)

104 persons per sq mi (2007 estimate)

Urbanization

Per cent urban

68 per cent (2005 estimate)

Per cent rural

32 per cent (2005 estimate)

Life expectancy

Total

70.6 years (2007 estimate)

Female

72.1 years (2007 estimate)

Male

69.1 years (2007 estimate)

Infant mortality rate

38 deaths per 1,000 live births (2007 estimate)

Literacy rate

Total

81.3 per cent (2005 estimate)

Female

75.2 per cent (2005 estimate)

Male

87.2 per cent (2005 estimate)

Ethnic divisions

Persian

60 per cent

Azerbaijani and other Turkic

25 per cent

Kurdish

7 per cent

Lur

2 per cent

Baloch, Turkmen, and other

6 per cent

Languages

Western Farsi (or Persian) (official), South Azerbaijani, Kurdish, Turkmen, Arabic

Religions

Shiite Muslim

95 per cent

Sunni Muslim

4 per cent

Zoroastrian, Jewish, Christian,<p />and Bahai

1 per cent

Type of government

Islamic republic

Independence

April 1, 1979 (Islamic Republic of Iran proclaimed)

Constitution

December 2-3, 1979; revised 1989 to expand powers of the presidency and eliminate the prime ministry

Voting rights

Universal at age 15

Gross domestic product (GDP) (US$)

189,784 million (2005)

GDP per capita (US$)

2,780.70 (2005)

GDP by economic sector

GDP, agriculture

10.4 per cent (2005)

GDP, industry

44.6 per cent (2005)

GDP, services

45 per cent (2005)

National budget (US$)

Total revenue

38,984 million (2005)

Total expenditure

67,640 million (2005)

Monetary unit

1 rial (IR), consisting of 100 dinars

Exports

Petroleum, carpets, fruits, nuts, hides, iron and steel

Imports

Machinery, military supplies, metalwork, foodstuffs, pharmaceuticals, technical services, refined oil products

Major trading partners for exports

Japan, United States, United Kingdom, Germany, South Korea, United Arab Emirates

Major trading partners for imports

Germany, Italy, Japan, Belgium, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom

Industries

Petroleum, petrochemicals, textiles, cement and other building materials, food processing (particularly sugar refining and vegetable oil production), metal fabricating, armaments, military equipment

Agriculture

Principal products: wheat, rice, other grains, sugar beet, fruits, nuts, cotton, dairy products, wool, caviar

Natural resources

Petroleum, natural gas, coal, chromium, copper, iron ore, lead, manganese, zinc, sulphur

Basic Facts and People sections

Area data are from the statistical bureaus of individual countries. Population, population growth rate, and population projections are from the United States Census Bureau, International Programs Center, International Data Base (IDB) (www.census.gov). Urban and rural population data are from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN), FAOSTAT database (www.fao.org). Largest cities population data and political divisions data are from the statistical bureaus of individual countries. Ethnic divisions and religion data are largely from the latest Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) World Factbook and from various country censuses and reports. Language data are largely from the Ethnologue, Languages of the World, Summer Institute of Linguistics International (www.sil.org).

Health and Education section

Life expectancy and infant mortality data are from the United States Census Bureau, International Programs Center, International database (IDB) (www.census.gov). Population per physician and population per hospital bed data are from the World Health Organization (WHO) (www.who.int). Education data are from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) database (www.unesco.org).

Government section

Government, independence, legislature, constitution, highest court, and voting qualifications data are largely from various government Web sites, the latest Europa World Yearbook, and the latest Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) World Factbook. The armed forces data are from Military Balance.

Economy section

Gross domestic product (GDP), GDP per capita, GDP by economic sectors, employment, and national budget data are from the World Bank database (www.worldbank.org). Monetary unit, agriculture, mining, manufacturing, exports, imports, and major trade partner information is from the latest Europa World Yearbook and various International Monetary Fund (IMF) publications.

Energy, Communication, and Transportation section

Electricity information is from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) database (www.eia.doe.gov). Radio, telephone, television, and newspaper information is from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) database (www.unesco.org). Internet hosts, motor vehicles, and road data are from the World Bank database (www.worldbank.org).

Note

Figures may not total 100 per cent due to rounding.