Iran

Country	Islamic Republic of Iran
Capital	Tehran
Independence	1 April 1979 (Islamic Republic of Iran proclaimed); notable earlier dates: ca. 625 B.C. (unification of Iran under the Medes); ca. A.D. 1501 (Iran reunified under the Safavids); 12 December 1925 (modern Iran established under the Pahlavis)
National holiday	Republic Day, 1 April (1979)
Population	79,853,900 (July 2013 est.)
Sex ratio	1.05 male(s)/female 0-14 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-24 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 25-54 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 55-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.89 male(s)/female total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2013 est.)
Population growth rate	1.24% (2013 est.)
Birth rate	18.4 births/1,000 population (2013 est.)
Death rate	5.94 deaths/1,000 population (2013 est.)
Nationality	Iranian
Religions	Muslim (official) 98% (Shia 89%, Sunni 9%), other (includes Zoroastrian, Jewish, Christian, and Baha'i) 2%
Languages	Persian (official) 53%, Azeri Turkic and Turkic dialects 18%, Kurdish 10%, Gilaki and Mazandarani 7%, Luri 6%, Balochi 2%, Arabic 2%, other 2%
Literacy	age 15 and over can read and write total population: 85% male: 89.3% female: 80.7% (2008 est.)
Location	Middle East, bordering the Gulf of Oman, the Persian Gulf, and the Caspian Sea, between Iraq and Pakistan
Geographic coordinates	32 00 N, 53 00 E
Map references	Middle East
Area	Total: 1,648,195 sq km Land: 1,531,595 sq km Water: 116,600 sq km
Area - comparative	Slightly smaller than Alaska
Land boundaries	Total: 5,440 km Border countries: Afghanistan 936 km, Armenia 35 km, Azerbaijan-proper 432 km, Azerbaijan-Naxcivan exclave 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	Territorial sea: 12 nm Contiguous zone: 24 nm Exclusive economic zone: bilateral agreements or median lines in the Persian Gulf Continental shelf: natural prolongation
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
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Caspian Sea -28 m highest point: Kuh-e Damavand 5,671 m
Natural resources	Petroleum, Natural Gas, Coal, Chromium, Copper, Iron Ore, Lead, Manganese, Zinc, Sulfur
Exports - commodities	Petroleum 80%, Chemical and petrochemical products, Fruits and nuts, Carpets
Imports - commodities	Industrial supplies, Capital goods, Foodstuffs and other consumer goods, Technical services
Industries	Petroleum, Petrochemicals, Fertilizers, Caustic soda, Textiles, Cement and other construction materials, Food processing (particularly sugar refining and vegetable oil production), ferrous and non-ferrous metal fabrication, armaments
Imports	$66.97 billion (2012 est.) $74.41 billion (2011 est.)
Exports	$65.33 billion (2012 est.) $106.8 billion (2011 est.)
Land use	arable land: 9.78% permanent crops: 1.29% other: 88.93% (2005)
Irrigated land	89,930 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources	137.5 cu km (1997)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)	total: 72.88 cu km/yr (7%/2%/91%) per capita: 1,048 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards	periodic droughts, floods; dust storms, sandstorms; earthquakes
Environment - current issues	air pollution, especially in urban areas, from vehicle emissions, refinery operations, and industrial effluents; deforestation; overgrazing; desertification; oil pollution in the Persian Gulf; wetland losses from drought; soil degradation (salination); inadequate supplies of potable water; water pollution from raw sewage and industrial waste; urbanization
Environment - international agreements	party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation
Geography - note	strategic location on the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz, which are vital maritime pathways for crude oil transport