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Iran
Islamic republic of Iran
Persian: jumhuriyya 'islamiyya 'īrān
INTRODUCTION
1. Political situation
2. Economy
3. Health & Education
4. Religions & Peoples
5. History
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MAJOR CITIES
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Teheran 7.5 million
Mashhad 2.1 million
Esfahan 1.4 million
Tabriz 1.3 million
Shiraz 1.1 million
Karaj 1 million
Ahvaz 890,000
Qom 850,000
Bukhtaran 750,000
Orumiyeh 480,000
Zahedan 460,000
Rasht 450,000
Hamadan 440,000
Kerman 420,000
Arak 410,000
Ardabil 370,000
Yazd 360,000
Abadan 330,000
Qazvin 320,000
Zanjan 310,000
Sanandaj 300,000
Bandar-e-Abbas 300,000
Khorramabad 300,000
Borujerd 250,000
Dezful 240,000
Sari 230,000
Khomeynishahr 220,000
Gorgan 210,000
Sabzevar 200,000
Amol 190,000
Babol 190,000
Najafabad 190,000
Neyshabur 180,000
Khvoy 170,000
Bushehr 160,000
Qa'emshahr 160,000
Sirjan 160,000
Birjand 150,000
Bojnurd 150,000
Khorramshahr 150,000
Maragheh 150,000
Ilam 140,000
Mahabad 140,000
Saveh 140,000
Masjed-e Soleyman 130,000
Saqqez 130,000
Gonbad-e Qabus 120,000
Semnan 120,000
Bandar-e Anzali 110,000
Zabol 110,000
Shahr Kord 110,000
Yasuj 100,000
All figures are 2005 estimates.
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STATUS
| Independent Islamic republic, divided into 28 provinces (ostan (sing.) ostanha (plur.)).
See Iranian provinces
National holiday: April 1, 1979 (proclamation of the Islamic republic).
| GOVERNMENT
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Heads of state: Leader of the Islamic Revolution (Wali Faqih) Ayatollah Ali Hoseini-Khamenei and President Mohammed Khatami
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will succeed as new president on August 2.
The president functions as the head of the government. The government has 7 vice-presidents, all responsible for specific sectors. Below these, the government consists of 22 ministers.
National Assembly (Islamic Consultative Assembly): 270 members, of which about one-third are elected from single-member constituencies.
In addition there are 5 councils. The Supreme Council for National Security, and has 10 members. The Council of Experts has 86 members, all Islamic theologians. The Council of Guardians is made up of 6 Muslim jurists. The two further councils oversee the implementation of Sharia, Muslim law, in Iran.
| GEOGRAPHY
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Inhabitants: 67 million (2003 estimate).
Population growth rate: 0.8%
Total area: 1,648,000 kmē
Water: 12,000 km²
Density: 41 per kmē
Border: 5,440 km (Azerbaijan 611 km, Armenia 35 km, Turkey 499 km, Iraq 1,458 km, Pakistan 909 km, Afghanistan 936 km, Turkmenistan 992 km).
Coastline: 2,440 km plus 740 km to the Caspian Sea.
Highest point: Kuh-e Damavand 5,671 m
Lowest point: Caspian Sea -28 m
Arable land: 10.2%
Capital: Teheran
| HUMAN DEVELOPMENT INDEX
| World rank (of 177): 96
Index (1.0 max): 0.746
Explanation
| DEMOGRAPHY
| Ethnic groups: Persians, Azeris, Gilakis and Mazandaranis, Kurds, Arabs, Lur, Balochis, Turkmen and other.
Languages: Persian and Persian dialects, Turkish and Turkic dialects, Kurdish, Luri, Balochi, Arabic, Turkish and other.
Religions: Shi'i Islam, Sunni Islam, Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity and Baha'i.
| ECONOMY
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Currency: Rials
1000 Rials=US$0.12. US$1=8,150 Rials (June 2003)
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CLIMATE AND GEOGRAPHY
Iran has a continental climate with forests in the north and the west. But desert dominates in the central regions, and semi-desert in the east and south.
Iran is one of the most mountainous countries in the world, and all principal cities lies on altitudes above 1,000 metres above sea level. This provides for a milder climate in summer, but results in snow in winter.
© Copyright 1996-2008 LookLex Ltd. All rights reserved
By: Tore Kjeilen
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