Upgrade your Encarta experience

Also on Encarta

Also on MSN
Iran Facts and Figures from Encarta Go to article
Basic Facts
Official name Islamic Republic of Iran
Capital Tehrān
Area 1,648,000 sq km
636,300 sq mi
Iran: Flag and Anthem
Iran: Flag and Anthem
Expand
People
Population 65,397,521 (2007 estimate)
Population growth
Population growth rate 0.66 percent (2007 estimate)
Projected population in 2025 76,779,032 (2007 estimate)
Projected population in 2050 81,490,039 (2007 estimate)
Population density 40 persons per sq km (2007 estimate)
104 persons per sq mi (2007 estimate)
Urban/rural distribution
Share urban 68 percent (2005 estimate)
Share rural 32 percent (2005 estimate)
Largest cities, with population
Tehrān 11,689,000 (2002)
Mashhad 1,887,405 (1996)
Eşfahān 1,266,072 (1996)
Shīrāz 1,053,025 (1996)
Karaj 940,968 (1996)
Ethnic groups
Persian 60 percent
Azerbaijani and other Turkic 25 percent
Kurdish 7 percent
Lur 2 percent
Baluch, Turkmen, and other 6 percent
Languages
Persian (Farsi) and Persian dialects 58 percent
Turkic and Turkic dialects 26 percent
Kurdish 9 percent
Luri, Baluchi, Arabic, Turkmen, and other 7 percent
Religious affiliations
Shiite Muslim 93 percent
Sunni Muslim 6 percent
Zoroastrian, Jewish, Christian, and Baha'i 1 percent
Health and Education
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)
Population per physician 953 people (2004)
Population per hospital bed 625 people (2001)
Literacy rate
Total 81.3 percent (2005 estimate)
Female 75.2 percent (2005 estimate)
Male 87.2 percent (2005 estimate)
Education expenditure as a share of gross national product (GNP) 4.9 percent (2002-2003)
Number of years of compulsory schooling 5 years (2002-2003)
Number of students per teacher, primary school 24 students per teacher (2002-2003)
Government
Form of government Islamic republic
Head of state Wali Faqih (supreme religious leader)
Head of government President
Legislature Unicameral legislature
Majlis (Islamic Consultative Assembly): 290 members
Voting qualifications Universal at age 15
Constitution 2-3 December 1979; revised 1989 to expand powers of the presidency and to eliminate the prime ministry
Highest court Supreme Court
Armed forces Army, Navy, Air Force, Revolutionary Guard Corps
Total number of military personnel 420,000 (2004)
Military expenditures as a share of gross domestic product (GDP) 2.4 percent (2003)
First-level political divisions 30 provinces
Economy
Gross domestic product (GDP, in U.S.$) $189.8 billion (2005)
GDP per capita (U.S.$) $2,780.70 (2005)
GDP by economic sector
Agriculture, forestry, fishing 10.4 percent (2005)
Industry 44.6 percent (2005)
Services 45 percent (2005)
Employment
Number of workers 27,542,662 (2005)
Workforce share of economic sector
Agriculture, forestry, fishing 25 percent (2005)
Industry 30 percent (2005)
Services 45 percent (2005)
Unemployment rate 11.6 percent (2003)
National budget (U.S.$)
Total revenue $38,984 million (2005)
Total expenditure $67,640 million (2005)
Monetary unit 1 Iranian rial (IR), consisting of 100 dinars
Agriculture
Wheat, barley, potatoes, rice, grapes, fresh and dried fruit, sugar beets, sugarcane, vegetables, pulses, maize, tea, tobacco, oilseeds, pistachio nuts, mutton and poultry
Mining
Petroleum, natural gas, coal, iron ore, chromite, lead, zinc, copper, manganese
Manufacturing
Textiles, food products, construction material, nonelectrical machinery, iron and steel, petrochemicals
Major exports
Crude petroleum and petroleum products, carpets, fruits, nuts, animal hides
Major imports
Machinery, iron and steel, foodstuffs, pharmaceuticals, refined petroleum products
Major trade partners for exports
Japan, China, Italy, South Korea, and Greece
Major trade partners for imports
Germany, United Arab Emirates, Italy, Russia, and France
Energy, Communications, and Transportation
Electricity production
Electricity from thermal sources 92.97 percent (2003 estimate)
Electricity from hydroelectric sources 7.03 percent (2003 estimate)
Electricity from nuclear sources 0 percent (2003 estimate)
Electricity from geothermal, solar, and wind sources 0 percent (2003 estimate)
Number of radios per 1,000 people 252 (1998 estimate)
Number of telephones per 1,000 people 278 (2005)
Number of televisions per 1,000 people 158 (2000 estimate)
Number of Internet hosts per 10,000 people 0.76 (2003)
Daily newspaper circulation per 1,000 people 24 (1996)
Number of motor vehicles per 1,000 people 41 (1997)
Paved road as a share of total roads 66 percent (2002)
Sources
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 is 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 statistical bureaus of individual countries, latest Europa World Yearbook, and various United Nations and 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 percent due to rounding.
© 2008 Microsoft