Aminet 6/Aminet 6 - June 1995.iso/Aminet/docs/misc/wfbook93_texi.lha/texi/114.data

Text File | 1995-03-27 | 13.2 KB | 417 lines

@node Geography (Iran)
@section Geography (Iran)

@display

Location:
  Middle East, between the Persian Gulf and the Caspian Sea
Map references:
  Asia, Middle East, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
 total area:
  1.648 million km2
 land area:
  1.636 million km2
 comparative area:
  slightly larger than Alaska
Land boundaries:
  total 5,440 km, Afghanistan 936 km, Armenia 35 km, Azerbaijan (north) 432
  km, Azerbaijan (northwest) 179 km, Iraq 1,458 km, Pakistan 909 km, Turkey
  499 km, Turkmenistan 992 km
Coastline:
  2,440 km
 note:
  Iran also borders the Caspian Sea (740 km)
Maritime claims:
 continental shelf:
  not specified
 exclusive fishing zone:
  50 nm in the Sea of Oman; continental shelf limit, continental shelf
  boundaries, or median lines in the Persian Gulf
 territorial sea:
  12 nm
International disputes:
  Iran and Iraq restored diplomatic relations in 1990 but are still trying to
  work out written agreements settling outstanding disputes from their
  eight-year war concerning border demarcation, prisoners-of-war, and freedom
  of navigation and sovereignty over the Shatt al Arab waterway; Iran occupies
  two islands in the Persian Gulf claimed by the UAE: Tunb as Sughra (Arabic),
  Jazireh-ye Tonb-e Kuchek (Persian) or Lesser Tunb, and Tunb al Kubra
  (Arabic), Jazireh-ye Tonb-e Bozorg (Persian) or Greater Tunb; it jointly
  administers with the UAE an island in the Persian Gulf claimed by the UAE,
  Abu Musa (Arabic) or Jazireh-ye Abu Musa (Persian); in 1992 the dispute over
  Abu Musa and the Tunb Islands became more acute when Iran unilaterally tried
  to control the entry of third country nationals into the UAE portion of Abu
  Musa island, Tehran subsequently backed off in the face of significant
  diplomatic support for the UAE in the region; periodic disputes with
  Afghanistan over Helmand water rights,
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
Natural resources:
  petroleum, natural gas, coal, chromium, copper, iron ore, lead, manganese,
  zinc, sulfur
Land use:
 arable land:
  8%
 permanent crops:
  0%
 meadows and pastures:
  27%
 forest and woodland:
  11%



@end display

@node Geography (Iran 2. usage)
@section Geography (Iran 2. usage)

@display

 other:
  54%
Irrigated land:
  57,500 km2 (1989 est.)
Environment:
  deforestation; overgrazing; desertification



@end display

@node People (Iran)
@section People (Iran)

@display

Population:
  63,369,809 (July 1993 est.)
Population growth rate:
  3.49% (1993 est.)
Birth rate:
  43 births/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Death rate:
  8.06 deaths/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Net migration rate:
  0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
  62.1 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
 total population:
  65.26 years
 male:
  64.37 years
 female:
  66.19 years (1993 est.)
Total fertility rate:
  6.4 children born/woman (1993 est.)
Nationality:
 noun:
  Iranian(s)
 adjective:
  Iranian
Ethnic divisions:
  Persian 51%, Azerbaijani 24%, Gilaki and Mazandarani 8%, Kurd 7%, Arab 3%,
  Lur 2%, Baloch 2%, Turkmen 2%, other 1%
Religions:
  Shi'a Muslim 95%, Sunni Muslim 4%, Zoroastrian, Jewish, Christian, and
  Baha'i 1%
Languages:
  Persian and Persian dialects 58%, Turkic and Turkic dialects 26%, Kurdish
  9%, Luri 2%, Baloch 1%, Arabic 1%, Turkish 1%, other 2%
Literacy:
  age 15 and over can read and write (1990)
 total population:
  54%
 male:
  64%
 female:
  43%
Labor force:
  15.4 million
 by occupation:
  agriculture 33%, manufacturing 21%
 note:
  shortage of skilled labor (1988 est.)



@end display

@node Government (Iran)
@section Government (Iran)

@display

Names:
 conventional long form:
  Islamic Republic of Iran
 conventional short form:
  Iran
 local long form:
  Jomhuri-ye Eslami-ye Iran
 local short form:
  Iran
Digraph:
  IR
Type:
  theocratic republic
Capital:
  Tehran
Administrative divisions:
  24 provinces (ostanha, singular - ostan); Azarbayjan-e Bakhtari,
  Azarbayjan-e Khavari, Bakhtaran, Bushehr, Chahar Mahall va Bakhtiari,
  Esfahan, Fars, Gilan, Hamadan, Hormozgan, Ilam, Kerman, Khorasan, Khuzestan,
  Kohkiluyeh va Buyer Ahmadi, Kordestan, Lorestan, Markazi, Mazandaran,
  Semnan, Sistan va Baluchestan, Tehran, Yazd, Zanjan
Independence:
  1 April 1979 (Islamic Republic of Iran proclaimed)
Constitution:
  2-3 December 1979; revised 1989 to expand powers of the presidency and
  eliminate the prime ministership
Legal system:
  the Constitution codifies Islamic principles of government
National holiday:
  Islamic Republic Day, 1 April (1979)
Political parties and leaders:
  there are at least 18 licensed parties; the three most important are -
  Tehran Militant Clergy Association, Mohammad Reza MAHDAVI-KANI; Militant
  Clerics Association, Mehdi MAHDAVI-KARUBI and Mohammad Asqar
  MUSAVI-KHOINIHA; Fedaiyin Islam Organization, Sadeq KHALKHALI
Other political or pressure groups:
  groups that generally support the Islamic Republic include Hizballah,
  Hojjatiyeh Society, Mojahedin of the Islamic Revolution, Muslim Students
  Following the Line of the Imam; armed political groups that have been almost
  completely repressed by the government include Mojahedin-e Khalq
  Organization (MEK), People's Fedayeen, Kurdish Democratic Party; the Society
  for the Defense of Freedom
Suffrage:
  15 years of age; universal
Elections:
 President:
  last held July 1989 (next to be held 11 June 1993); results - Ali Akbar
  HASHEMI-RAFSANJANI was elected with only token opposition
 Islamic Consultative Assembly:
  last held 8 April 1992 (next to be held April 1996); results - percent of
  vote by party NA; seats - (270 seats total) number of seats by party NA
Executive branch:
  supreme leader (velay-t-e faqih), president, Council of Ministers
Legislative branch:
  unicameral Islamic Consultative Assembly (Majles-e-Shura-ye-Eslami)
Judicial branch:
  Supreme Court



@end display

@node Government (Iran 2. usage)
@section Government (Iran 2. usage)

@display

Leaders:
 Supreme Leader and functional Chief of State:
  Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali HOSEINI-KHAMENEI (since 4
  June 1989)
 Head of Government:
  President Ali Akbar HASHEMI-RAFSANJANI (since 3 August 1989)
Member of:
  CCC, CP, ESCAP, ECO, FAO, G-19, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, IDA, IDB,
  IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO, ITU,
  LORCS, NAM, OIC, OPEC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU,
  WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in US:
 chief of mission:
  Iran has an Interests Section in the Pakistani Embassy in Washington, DC
 chancery:
  Iranian Interests Section, 2209 Wisconsin Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20007
 telephone:
  [phone]
US diplomatic representation:
  protecting power in Iran is Switzerland
Flag:
  three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and red; the national
  emblem (a stylized representation of the word Allah) in red is centered in
  the white band; Allah Alkbar (God is Great) in white Arabic script is
  repeated 11 times along the bottom edge of the green band and 11 times along
  the top edge of the red band



@end display

@node Economy (Iran)
@section Economy (Iran)

@display

Overview:
  Iran's economy is a mixture of central planning, state ownership of oil and
  other large enterprises, village agriculture, and small-scale private
  trading and service ventures. After a decade of economic decline, Iran's
  real GDP grew by 10% in FY90 and 6% in FY91, according to Iranian Government
  statistics. An oil windfall in 1990 combined with a substantial increase in
  imports contributed to Iran's recent economic growth. Iran has also begun
  implementing a number of economic reforms to reduce government intervention
  (including subsidies) and has allocated substantial resources to development
  projects in the hope of stimulating the economy. Lower oil revenues in 1991
  - oil accounts for more than 90% of export revenues - together with a surge
  in imports greatly weakened Iran's international financial position. By
  mid-1992 Iran was unable to meet its obligations to foreign creditors.
  Subsequently the government has tried to boost oil exports, curb imports
  (especially of consumer goods), and renegotiate terms of its foreign debts.
National product:
  GNP - exchange rate conversion - $90 billion (FY92)
National product real growth rate:
  6% (FY91)
National product per capita:
  $1,500 (FY91)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  23.7% (September 1991-September 1992)
Unemployment rate:
  30% (1991 est.)
Budget:
  revenues $63 billion; expenditures $80 billion, including capital
  expenditures of $23 billion (FY90 est.)
Exports:
  $17.2 billion (f.o.b., FY91 est.)
 commodities:
  petroleum 90%, carpets, fruits, nuts, hides
 partners:
  Japan, Italy, France, Netherlands, Belgium/Luxembourg, Spain, and Germany
Imports:
  $21.0 billion (c.i.f., FY91 est.)
 commodities:
  machinery, military supplies, metal works, foodstuffs, pharmaceuticals,
  technical services, refined oil products
 partners:
  Germany, Japan, Italy, UK, France
External debt:
  $17 billion (FY91 est.)
Industrial production:
  growth rate 12% (1990 est.); accounts for almost 30% of GDP, including
  petroleum
Electricity:   15,649,000 kW capacity; 43,600 million kWh produced, 710 kWh per capita
  (1992)
Industries:
  petroleum, petrochemicals, textiles, cement and other building materials,
  food processing (particularly sugar refining and vegetable oil production),
  metal fabricating
Agriculture:
  accounts for about 20% of GDP; principal products - wheat, rice, other
  grains, sugar beets, fruits, nuts, cotton, dairy products, wool, caviar; not
  self-sufficient in food



@end display

@node Economy (Iran 2. usage)
@section Economy (Iran 2. usage)

@display

Illicit drugs:
  illicit producer of opium poppy for the domestic and international drug
  trade; transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin to Europe
Economic aid:
  US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-80), $1.0 billion; Western (non-US)
  countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $1.675 billion;
  Communist countries (1970-89), $976 million; note - aid fell sharply
  following the 1979 revolution
Currency:
  1 Iranian rial (IR) = 10 tomans
Exchange rates:
  Iranian rials (IR) per US$1 - 67.095 (January 1993), 65.552 (1992), 67.505
  (1991), 68.096 (1990), 72.015 (1989), 68.683 (1988); black-market rate 1,400
  (January 1991); note - in March 1993 the Iranian government announced a new
  single-parity exchange rate system with a new official rate of 1,538 rials
  per dollar
Fiscal year:
  21 March - 20 March



@end display

@node Communications (Iran)
@section Communications (Iran)

@display

Railroads:
  4,852 km total; 4,760 km 1.432-meter gauge, 92 km 1.676-meter gauge; 480 km
  under construction from Bafq to Bandar-e Abbas, rail construction from Bafq
  to Sirjan has been completed and is operational; section from Sirjan to
  Bandar-e Abbas still under construction
Highways:
  140,200 km total; 42,694 km paved surfaces; 46,866 km gravel and crushed
  stone; 49,440 km improved earth; 1,200 km (est.) rural road network
Inland waterways:
  904 km; the Shatt al Arab is usually navigable by maritime traffic for about
  130 km; channel has been dredged to 3 meters 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 1980-88 war), Bandar Beheshti,
  Bandar-e Abbas, Bandar-e Bushehr, Bandar-e Khomeyni, Bandar-e Torkeman
  (Caspian Sea port), Khorramshahr (repaired after being largely destroyed in
  fighting during 1980-88 war) has been in limited operation since November
  1992
Merchant marine:
  135 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 4,480,726 GRT/8,332,593 DWT; includes
  39 cargo, 6 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 32 oil tanker, 4 chemical tanker, 3
  refrigerated cargo, 48 bulk, 2 combination bulk, 1 liquefied gas
Airports:
 total:
  219
 usable:
  194
 with permanent-surface runways:
  83
 with runways over 3,659 m:
  16
 with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
  20
 with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
  70
Telecommunications:
  microwave radio relay extends throughout country; system centered in Tehran;
  2,143,000 telephones (35 telephones per 1,000 persons); broadcast stations -
  77 AM, 3 FM, 28 TV; satellite earth stations - 2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT and
  1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT; HF radio and microwave radio relay to Turkey,
  Pakistan, Syria, Kuwait, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan; submarine fiber optic
  cable to UAE



@end display

@node Defense Forces (Iran)
@section Defense Forces (Iran)

@display

Branches:
  Islamic Republic of Iran Ground Forces, Navy, Air and Air Defense Force,
  Revolutionary Guards (including Basij militia and own ground, air, and naval
  forces), Law Enforcement Forces
Manpower availability:
  males age 15-49 13,812,367; fit for military service 8,218,286; reach
  military age (21) annually 575,392 (1993 est.)
Defense expenditures:
  hard currency expenditures on defense are 7-10% of total hard currency
  expenditures; rial expenditures on defense are 8-13% of total rial
  expenditures (1992 est.)
 note:
  conversion of rial expenditures into US dollars using the prevailing
  exchange rate could produce misleading results



@end display