Iran flag
Basic facts of IranOfficial name: Islamic Republic of Iran
Capital: Tehrān
Area: 1,648,000 sq km, 636,300 sq mi
Population 65,875,223 (2008 estimate)
Population growth rate: 0.79 percent (2008 estimate)
Population density: 40 persons per sq km,104 persons per sq mi (2008 estimate)
Urban/rural distribution:
Share urban 68 percent (2005 estimate)
Share rural 32 percent (2005 estimate)
Largest cities: Tehrān, Mashhad, Eşfahān, Shīrāz, Karaj
Religious affiliations:
Shiite Muslim 93 percent
Sunni Muslim 6 percent
Zoroastrian, Jewish, Christian, and Baha'i 1 percent
Life expectancy:
Total 70.9 years (2008 estimate)
Female 72.4 years (2008 estimate)
Male 69.4 years (2008 estimate)
Literacy rate:
Total 81.3 percent (2005 estimate)
Female 75.2 percent (2005 estimate)
Male 87.2 percent (2005 estimate)
Form of government: Islamic republic
Total number of military personnel: 420,000 (2004)
Introduction:
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, country in southwestern Asia, located on the northeastern shore of the Persian Gulf. One of the world's most mountainous countries, IranMount Damāvand, the highest peak in Asia west of the Himalayas. The country’s population, while ethnically and linguistically diverse, is almost entirely Muslim. For centuries, the region has been the center of the Shia branch of Islam (see Shia Islam). Iran ranks among the world’s leaders in its reserves of oil and natural gas. As is the case in other countries in the petroleum-rich Persian Gulf region, the export of oil has dominated Iran’s economy since the early 20th century.
In the 6th century bc the territory of present-day Iran was the center of the Persian Empire, the world’s preeminent power at that time. For more than 2,000 years, the region’s inhabitants have referred to it by the name Iran, derived from the Aryan tribes who settled the area long ago. However, until 1935, when the Iranian ruler demanded that the name Iran be used, the English-speaking world knew the country as Persia, a legacy of the Greeks who named the region after its most important province, Pars (present-day Fārs). Iran was a monarchy ruled by a shah, or king, almost without interruption from 1501 until 1979, when a yearlong popular revolution led by the Shia clergy culminated in the overthrow of the monarchy and the establishment of an Islamic republic. See Islamic Revolution of Iran.
Iran lies at the easternmost edge of the geographic and cultural region known as the Middle East. The country is bordered on the north by Armenia, Azerbaijan, the Caspian Sea, and Turkmenistan; on the east by Afghanistan and Pakistan; on the south by the Gulf of Oman, the Strait of Hormuz, and the Persian Gulf; and on the west by Iraq and Turkey. Iran’s capital and largest city is Tehrān, located in the northern part of the country.
Tehran, Iran
Tehrān, Iran’s capital and largest city, lies at the foot of the Elburz Mountains in northern Iran. The capital of Iran since 1788, the city was built up and modernized during the reign of the Pahlavi dynasty, which lasted from 1925 until 1979.
Imam Mosque, Iran
The Imam Mosque (Masjed-e Emam) in the central Iranian province of Esfahan, as well as the many mosques present throughout the rest of Iran, symbolizes the importance of Islam in this country. The state religion, Islam is embraced by 99 percent of the population. Some 93 percent follow Shia Islam.
Iran’s Petroleum Industry
From this facility on Kharg Island in the Persian Gulf, Iran’s oil is exported to countries around the world. Linked to mainland oilfields by pipelines, the terminal has an export capacity of about 5 million barrels per day. More than three-fourths of Iran’s export revenues come from foreign sales of oil.