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  Basic Fact

Language

Modern Persian is the official language of Iran. An ancient literary language, Persian was written in the Pahlavi script before the Arab conquest in the 7th century. A new form written in the Arabic script developed during the 9th and 10th centuries; this is the basis of the Modern Persian language used today. As recently as 1950 there were several distinct dialects of spoken Persian, but due to the spread of public education and broadcast media, a standard spoken form, with minor regional accents, has evolved. Important languages of minority groups that have their own publications and broadcast programs include Azeri (a Turkic language of the Altaic family), Kurdish, Arabic, and Armenian.

Religion

Jafari Shiite of Islam has been the official religion of Iran since the 16th century. An estimated 93 percent of all Iranians follow Shia Islam, and nearly all are members of the Jafari group. Since Jafaries believe there are 12 legitimate successors, or imams, to  Prophet Mohammad, they are often called Twelvers (Asna Ashari). The small remaining part of the population belongs to other Islamic denominations, primarily Sunni Islam. Iran also has small communities of Armenian and Assyrian Christians, Jews, and Zoroastrians

People

The population of Iran was estimated at 65,865,302 in 2000. This figure is more than double the 1975 population of 33,379,000. Between 1956 and 1986 Iran's population grew at a rate of more than 3 percent per year. The growth rate began to decline in the mid-1980s after the government initiated a major population control program. By 2000 the growth rate had declined to 1 percent per year, with a birth rate of 20 per 1,000 persons and a death rate of 5 per 1,000. In 1998, 44 percent of the population was under the age of 15, 53 percent of the population being between 15 and 64, and only 4 percent  65 or older.

Overall population density in 2000 was 40 persons per sq km (104 per sq mi). Northern and western Iran are more densely populated than the arid eastern half of the country, where population density in the extensive desert regions is only 1 percent of the national average. In 1998, 61 percent of the population lived in urban areas. About 99 percent of rural Iranians resided in villages. Only 240,000 were nomads (people without permanent residences who migrate seasonally), a fraction of the 2 million nomads counted in 1966.

Tehran, the country's capital and largest city, serves as the main administrative, commercial, educational, financial, industrial, and publishing center. Iran's other major cities include Mashhad, a manufacturing and commercial center in the northeast and the site of the country's most important religious shrine; Esfahan, a manufacturing center for central Iran with several architecturally significant public buildings from the 17th and 18th centuries; Tabriz, the main industrial and commercial center of the northwest; Shiraz, a manufacturing center in the south near the ruins of the ancient Persian capital of Persepolis; and Ahvaz, the principal commercial and manufacturing center in the southwestern oil region.

Ethnic Groups
Iran's population is made up of numerous ethnic groups. Persians migrated to the region from Central Asia beginning in the 7th century BC and established the first Persian empire in 550 BC. They are the largest ethnic group, and include such groups as the Gilaki, who live in Gilan Province, and the Mazandarani, who live in Mazandaran Province. Accounting for about 60 percent of the total population, Persians live in cities throughout the country, as well as in the villages of central and eastern Iran. Two groups closely related to the Persians both ethnically and linguistically are the Kurds and the Lurs. The Kurds, who make up about 7 percent of the population, reside primarily in the Zagros Mountains near the borders with Iraq and Turkey. The Lurs account for 2 percent of the population; they inhabit the central Zagros region. Turkic tribes began migrating into northwestern Iran in the 11th century, gradually changing the ethnic composition of the region so that by the late 20th century East Azerbaijan Province was more than 90 percent Turkish. Since the early 1900s, Azeris (a Turkic group) have been migrating to most large cities in Iran, especially Tehran. Azeris and other Turkic peoples together account for about 25 percent of Iran's inhabitants. The remainder of the population comprises small communities of Arabs, Armenians, Assyrians, Baluchis, Georgians, Pashtuns, and others

Age structure

0-14 years: 45 percent (male 15,166,131; female 14,289,283)
15-64 years: 52 percent (male 17,326,388; female 16,731,470)
65 years and over: 3 percent (male 1,327,718; female 1,253,274) (July 1996 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.21 percent (1996 est.)
Birth rate: 19.5 births/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Death rate: 6.5 deaths/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Refugees and Immigrants: 1,963,780 (1999)

Sex ratio

At birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
Under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/ female
15-64 years: 1.104 male(s)/ female
All ages: 1.05 male(s)/ female (1996 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 52.7 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)
 

Health

Children mortality under 5 years rates (per 1000): 37.3 (1997)
Life expectancy: 69.5 (1997)
Doctors (per 100,000): 107.9 (1997)
Aids Rate (per 100,000): 0.30 (1997)
 

Religions

Shia Muslim 93 percent,
Sunni Muslim 6 percent,
Zoroastrian, Jewish and Christian 1 percent.

Languages: Persian

Literacy:
(6-14 years): 94.55 percent (Sept. 1997)
(15 and over):72.91 percent (Sept. 1997)
Urban areas: 96.88 percent
Rural areas: 91.37 percent
Male: 81.9 percent (nationwide) (1997)
Female: 67.0 percent (nationwide) (1997)
 

Government

Name of country : Islamic Republic of Iran (Jomhuriy-e Islamiy-e Iran)
Capital: Tehran
Administrative divisions:
28 provinces (ostanha, singular: ostan);
Ardebil, Azarbaijan-e Gharbi, Azarbaijan-e Sharqi,
Boushehr, Chahar Mahal va Bakhtiari, Fars, Golestan,
Gilan, Hamedan, Hormozgan,
Isfahan, Ilam, Kerman,
Kermanshahan, Khorassan, Khouzestan,
Kohkilouyeh va Buyer Ahmad, Kurdestan, Lorestan,
Markazi (Central), Mazandaran, Qazvin, Qom,
Semnan, Sistan va Balouchestan, Tehran, Yazd.
 

Independence: 1 April 1979 (Islamic Republic of Iran proclaimed)
National Holiday: Islamic Republic Day, 1 April (1979)
Constitution:
2-3 December 1979; revised 1989 to expand powers of the presidency and eliminate the premiership Parliament (Majlis-e Shora-ye-Islami) and the Council of Guardians of the Constitution. Under the provisions of the Constitution all legislations must first be approved by the Majlis and then be ratified by the Council of Guardians. They are signed into laws by the president. Two more legislative bodies were created in 1988 by (the late IRI leader) Imam Khomeini. They were the Expediency Discernment Council (EDC) and the Council of Policy Making for Reconstruction.
Islamic Consultative Assembly (Majlis-e Shora-ye-Islami): Elections last held 18 February 2000

Judicial branch: Supreme Court

International organization participation:
CCC, CP, ECO, ESCAP,FAO, G-19, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD,
ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF,
IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat,Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer),
ISO, ITU, NAM, OIC, OPEC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR,
UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Economy

Average GDP Growth Rate: 3.8 percent (1995-1998)
GDP (current prices): 327,596 billion rials (1998)
Per Capita Income (current prices): 4,375 thousand rials (1998)
Gross National Savings /GNP: 26.1 percent (1998)
Net External Assets of the Banking System: 676 billion rials (Sep. 1999)
Banking System Facilities: 228,480 billion rials (Sep. 1999)
Liquidity (M2): 183,247 billion rials (Sep. 1999)
Trade Balance: 2,465 million dollars (Apr. - Sep. 1999)
Motor vehicles (cars) production: 206,000 set (1998)
Steel production: 6,000,000 ton (1998)
Oil export (barrel per day): 2,333,000 (1998)
 

Quantitative Targets in Second Five Year Development Plan (SFYDP) (1995-1999)

Inflation rate (annual average): 26.9 percent (1995-1998)
Exports: $13,118 billion (1998)
Commodities: petroleum 75.73 percent
Carpets, Fruits, Nuts, Hides, Iron, Steel Imports (fob): $14,286 million (1998)
Fiscal year: 21 March - 20 March

Electricity:
Capacity: 26,600,000 kw
Production: 97,862 billion kwh (1998)
consumption per capita: 1604 kwh (1998)

Agriculture: Wheat, rice, other grains, sugar beets, fruits, nuts, cotton; dairy products, wool, caviar

Economic aid:
Recipient: ODA, $40 million (1993)
Currency: 10 Iranian rials (IR) = 1 toman; domestic figures are generally referred to in terms of the toman

Transportation

Railways:
Total: 7,199 km
Free ways: total: 713 km (1997)
Highways: Total: 165,724 km (1997)
Paved: 94,162 km (1997)
Unpaved: 71,562 km (1997)

Waterways: 904 km; the Arvand River (Shatt al Arab) is usually navigable by maritime traffic for about 130 km; channel has been dredged to 3 m and is in use
Pipelines: Crude oil 5,900 km; petroleum products 3,900 km; natural gas 4,550 km

Ports: Abadan (largely destroyed in fighting during the 1980-88 war with Iraq), Ahwaz, Boushehr, Bandar-e Abbas, Bandar-e Anzali, Bandar-e Boushehr, Bandar-e Khomeini, Bandar-e Mahshahr, Bandar-e Torkeman, Jazireh-ye Kharg, Jazireh-ye Lavan, Jazireh-ye Sirri, Khorramshahr (limited operation since November 1992), Now Shahr

Merchant marine

Total: 130 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,791,892 GRT/4,891,615 DWT
Ships by type: Bulk 47, cargo 41, chemical tanker 5, combination bulk 2, liquefied gas tanker 1, multifunction large-load carrier 1, oil tanker 19, refrigerated cargo 3, roll-on/roll-off cargo 9, short-sea passenger 1, specialized tanker 1 (1995 est.)

Airports:

Total: 41 (1998)
 Communications

Telephones: 8.150 million (Dec. 1999)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 77, FM 6 (1996)
Radios (per 1000 families): 720 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 32 (1996)
Color T.V. receiver (per 1000 families): 399 (1998)
Black and white T.V. receiver (per 100 inhabitants): 40 (1998)
News Paper circulation (per 100 inhabitants): 40 (1999)

Defense

Branches: Islamic Republic of Iran regular forces (includes Ground Forces, Navy, Air and Air Defense Forces), Revolutionary Guards (includes Ground, Air, Navy, Qods, and Basij mobilization forces),

Education

Public primary education was introduced in Iran after the country's first constitution was drafted in 1906. Predominantly an urban system, it expanded only gradually and did not include secondary education until 1925. At the time of the 1979 Islamic revolution, only 60 percent of Iranian children of primary school age, and less than 50 percent of those of secondary school age, were enrolled in public schools; overall adult literacy was only 48 percent. Since 1979 the government has given a high priority to education, with programs focusing on adult literacy, new school construction, and expansion of public colleges and other institutes of higher education. By 2000 literacy for all Iranians aged 15 and older had reached 76.9 percent. The literacy rate was higher for males (83.7 percent) than for females (70 percent); the rate was also higher in cities than in rural areas.

Both the public education system and an expanding private school system consist of a five-year primary school cycle, a three-year middle school cycle, and a four-year high school cycle. Education is compulsory for children between the ages of 6 and 11. All villages now have at least a primary school, and 89.6 percent of primary school-aged children were enrolled in school in 1996. Dropout rates begin during middle school and increase significantly during high school. In 1996 only 74.2 percent of secondary school-aged children were enrolled in secondary school. Dropout rates are significantly higher in rural areas, where there is a shortage of high schools within easy commuting distance.

Iran has more than 30 tuition-free public universities and many other institutes of higher learning. These include medical universities and specialized colleges providing instruction in teacher training, agriculture, and other subjects. In all, only 17 percent of Iranians of relevant age were enrolled in institutions of higher learning in 1996. Tehran serves as a center for higher education, with more than 15 universities and numerous colleges and institutes. Other important universities are located in Hamedan, Esfahan, Shiraz, and Tabriz. In addition to the public system, Iran has a private system of higher education that consists of theological colleges and the Islamic Free University, which has been developing campuses in cities throughout the country since its establishment in the late 1980s

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