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Compare Iran (2001) - Lebanon (2001)

Compare Iran (2001) z Lebanon (2001)

 Iran (2001)Lebanon (2001)
 IranLebanon
Administrative divisions 28 provinces (ostanha, singular - ostan); Ardabil, Azarbayjan-e Gharbi, Azarbayjan-e Sharqi, Bushehr, Chahar Mahall va Bakhtiari, Esfahan, Fars, Gilan, Golestan, Hamadan, Hormozgan, Ilam, Kerman, Kermanshah, Khorasan, Khuzestan, Kohgiluyeh va Buyer Ahmad, Kordestan, Lorestan, Markazi, Mazandaran, Qazvin, Qom, Semnan, Sistan va Baluchestan, Tehran, Yazd, Zanjan 5 governorates (mohafazat, singular - mohafazah); Beyrouth, Ech Chimal, Ej Jnoub, El Bekaa, Jabal Loubnane
Age structure 0-14 years:
32.97% (male 11,150,053; female 10,654,884)

15-64 years:
62.38% (male 20,765,001; female 20,488,672)

65 years and over:
4.65% (male 1,617,045; female 1,453,310) (2001 est.)
0-14 years:
27.57% (male 509,975; female 490,031)

15-64 years:
65.72% (male 1,136,995; female 1,247,184)

65 years and over:
6.71% (male 110,964; female 132,625) (2001 est.)
Agriculture - products wheat, rice, other grains, sugar beets, fruits, nuts, cotton; dairy products, wool; caviar citrus, grapes, tomatoes, apples, vegetables, potatoes, olives, tobacco; sheep, goats
Airports 317 (2000 est.) 8 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways total:
117

over 3,047 m:
38

2,438 to 3,047 m:
23

1,524 to 2,437 m:
25

914 to 1,523 m:
24

under 914 m:
7 (2000 est.)
total:
5

over 3,047 m:
1

2,438 to 3,047 m:
2

1,524 to 2,437 m:
1

under 914 m:
1 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways total:
200

over 3,047 m:
2

2,438 to 3,047 m:
3

1,524 to 2,437 m:
13

914 to 1,523 m:
122

under 914 m:
60 (2000 est.)
total:
3

914 to 1,523 m:
2

under 914 m:
1 (2000 est.)
Area total:
1.648 million sq km

land:
1.636 million sq km

water:
12,000 sq km
total:
10,400 sq km

land:
10,230 sq km

water:
170 sq km
Area - comparative slightly larger than Alaska about 0.7 times the size of Connecticut
Background Known as Persia until 1935, Iran became an Islamic republic in 1979 after the ruling shah was forced into exile. Conservative clerical forces subsequently crushed westernizing liberal elements. Militant Iranian students seized the US Embassy in Tehran on 4 November 1979 and held it until 20 January 1981. During 1980-88, Iran fought a bloody, indecisive war with Iraq over disputed territory. The key current issue is how rapidly the country should open up to the modernizing influences of the outside world. Lebanon has made progress toward rebuilding its political institutions and regaining its national sovereignty since 1991 and the end of the devastating 16-year civil war. Under the Ta'if Accord - the blueprint for national reconciliation - the Lebanese have established a more equitable political system, particularly by giving Muslims a greater say in the political process while institutionalizing sectarian divisions in the government. Since the end of the war, the Lebanese have conducted several successful elections, most of the militias have been weakened or disbanded, and the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) have extended central government authority over about two-thirds of the country. Hizballah, the radical Shi'a party, retains its weapons. Syria maintains about 25,000 troops in Lebanon based mainly in Beirut, North Lebanon, and the Bekaa Valley. Syria's troop deployment was legitimized by the Arab League during Lebanon's civil war and in the Ta'if Accord. Damascus justifies its continued military presence in Lebanon by citing the continued weakness of the LAF, Beirut's requests, and the failure of the Lebanese Government to implement all of the constitutional reforms in the Ta'if Accord. Israel's withdrawal from its security zone in southern Lebanon in May of 2000, however, has emboldened some Lebanese Christians and Druze to demand that Syria withdraw its forces as well.
Birth rate 17.1 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) 20.16 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Budget revenues:
$27 billion

expenditures:
$27 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1999)
revenues:
$3.31 billion

expenditures:
$5.55 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.)
Capital Tehran Beirut
Climate mostly arid or semiarid, subtropical along Caspian coast Mediterranean; mild to cool, wet winters with hot, dry summers; Lebanon mountains experience heavy winter snows
Coastline 2,440 km; note - Iran also borders the Caspian Sea (740 km) 225 km
Constitution 2-3 December 1979; revised 1989 to expand powers of the presidency and eliminate the prime ministership 23 May 1926, amended a number of times, most recently Charter of Lebanese National Reconciliation (Taif Accord) of October 1989
Country name conventional long form:
Islamic Republic of Iran

conventional short form:
Iran

local long form:
Jomhuri-ye Eslami-ye Iran

local short form:
Iran

former:
Persia
conventional long form:
Lebanese Republic

conventional short form:
Lebanon

local long form:
Al Jumhuriyah al Lubnaniyah

local short form:
Lubnan
Currency Iranian rial (IRR) Lebanese pound (LBP)
Death rate 5.41 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) 6.39 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Debt - external $7.5 billion (2000 est.) $9.6 billion (2000 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US none; note - protecting power in Iran is Switzerland chief of mission:
Ambassador David M. SATTERFIELD

embassy:
Antelias, Beirut

mailing address:
P. O. Box 70-840, Antelias, Beirut; PSC 815, Box 2, FPO AE 09836-0002

telephone:
[961] (4) 543600, 543600

FAX:
[961] (4) 544136
Diplomatic representation in the US none; note - Iran has an Interests Section in the Pakistani Embassy; address: Iranian Interests Section, Pakistani Embassy, 2209 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007; telephone: [1] (202) 965-4990 chief of mission:
Ambassador Dr. Farid ABBOUD

chancery:
2560 28th Street NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:
[1] (202) 939-6300

FAX:
[1] (202) 939-6324

consulate(s) general:
Detroit, New York, and Los Angeles
Disputes - international 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: Lesser Tunb (called Tunb as Sughra in Arabic by UAE and Jazireh-ye Tonb-e Kuchek in Persian by Iran) and Greater Tunb (called Tunb al Kubra in Arabic by UAE and Jazireh-ye Tonb-e Bozorg in Persian by Iran); Iran jointly administers with the UAE an island in the Persian Gulf claimed by the UAE (called Abu Musa in Arabic by UAE and Jazireh-ye Abu Musa in Persian by Iran) - over which Iran has taken steps to exert unilateral control since 1992, including access restrictions and a military build-up on the island; the UAE has garnered significant diplomatic support in the region in protesting these Iranian actions; Caspian Sea boundaries are not yet determined among Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Turkmenistan Syrian troops in northern, central, and eastern Lebanon since October 1976; Lebanese government claims Shab'a Farms area of Israeli-occupied Golan Heights as a part of Lebanon from which Hizballah conducts cross-border attacks
Economic aid - recipient $116.5 million (1995) $3.5 billion (pledges 1997-2001)
Economy - 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. President KHATAMI has continued to follow the market reform plans of former President RAFSANJANI and has indicated that he will pursue diversification of Iran's oil-reliant economy although he has made little progress toward that goal. The strong oil market in 1996 helped ease financial pressures on Iran and allowed for Tehran's timely debt service payments. Iran's financial situation tightened in 1997 and deteriorated further in 1998 because of lower oil prices. The subsequent zoom in oil prices in 1999-2000 afforded Iran fiscal breathing room but does not solve Iran's structural economic problems, including the encouragement of foreign investment. The 1975-91 civil war seriously damaged Lebanon's economic infrastructure, cut national output by half, and all but ended Lebanon's position as a Middle Eastern entrepot and banking hub. Peace enabled the central government to restore control in Beirut, begin collecting taxes, and regain access to key port and government facilities. Economic recovery was helped by a financially sound banking system and resilient small- and medium-scale manufacturers. Family remittances, banking services, manufactured and farm exports, and international aid provided the main sources of foreign exchange. Lebanon's economy has made impressive gains since the launch in 1993 of "Horizon 2000," the government's $20 billion reconstruction program. Real GDP grew 8% in 1994, 7% in 1995, 4% per year in 1996 and 1997 but slowed to 2% in 1998, -1% in 1999, and 1% in 2000. Annual inflation fell during the course of the 1990s from more than 100% to 0%, and foreign exchange reserves jumped from $1.4 billion to more than $6 billion. Burgeoning capital inflows have generated foreign payments surpluses, and the Lebanese pound has remained very stable for the past two years. Lebanon has rebuilt much of its war-torn physical and financial infrastructure. Solidere, a $2-billion firm, has managed the reconstruction of Beirut's central business district; the stock market reopened in January 1996; and international banks and insurance companies are returning. The government nonetheless faces serious challenges in the economic arena. It has funded reconstruction by tapping foreign exchange reserves and by borrowing heavily - mostly from domestic banks. The newly re-installed HARIRI government's announced policies fail to address the ever-increasing budgetary deficits and national debt burden. The gap between rich and poor has widened in the 1990s, resulting in grassroots dissatisfaction over the skewed distribution of the reconstruction's benefits.
Electricity - consumption 95.84 billion kWh (1999) 7.86 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (1999) 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (1999) 654 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - production 103.054 billion kWh (1999) 7.748 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source fossil fuel:
93.16%

hydro:
6.84%

nuclear:
0%

other:
0% (1999)
fossil fuel:
91.29%

hydro:
8.71%

nuclear:
0%

other:
0% (1999)
Elevation extremes lowest point:
Caspian Sea -28 m

highest point:
Qolleh-ye Damavand 5,671 m
lowest point:
Mediterranean Sea 0 m

highest point:
Qurnat as Sawda' 3,088 m
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; inadequate supplies of potable water deforestation; soil erosion; desertification; air pollution in Beirut from vehicular traffic and the burning of industrial wastes; pollution of coastal waters from raw sewage and oil spills
Environment - international agreements party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified:
Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation
party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified:
Environmental Modification, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation
Ethnic groups Persian 51%, Azeri 24%, Gilaki and Mazandarani 8%, Kurd 7%, Arab 3%, Lur 2%, Baloch 2%, Turkmen 2%, other 1% Arab 95%, Armenian 4%, other 1%
Exchange rates Iranian rials per US dollar - 1,754.71 (January 2001), 1,764.43 (2000), 1,725.93 (1999), 1,751.86 (1998), 1,752.92 (1997), 1,750.76 (1996)

note:
Iran has three officially recognized exchange rates; the averages for 1999 are as follows: the official floating rate of 1,750 rials per US dollar, the "export" rate of 3,000 rials per US dollar, and the variable Tehran Stock Exchange rate, which averages 7,863 rials per US dollar; the market rate averages 8,615 rials per US dollar
Lebanese pounds per US dollar - 1,507.5 (January 2001), 1,507.5 (2000), 1,507.8 (1999), 1,516.1 (1998), 1,539.5 (1997), 1,571.4 (1996)
Executive branch chief of state:
Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali Hoseini-KHAMENEI (since 4 June 1989)

head of government:
President (Ali) Mohammad KHATAMI-Ardakani (since 3 August 1997); First Vice President Dr. Mohammad Reza AREF-YAZDI (since NA August 2001)

cabinet:
Council of Ministers selected by the president with legislative approval

elections:
leader of the Islamic Revolution appointed for life by the Assembly of Experts; president elected by popular vote for a four-year term; election last held 8 June 2001 (next to be held NA 2005)

election results:
(Ali) Mohammad KHATAMI-Ardakani reelected president; percent of vote - (Ali) Mohammad KHATAMI-Ardakani 77%
chief of state:
President Emile LAHUD (since 24 November 1998)

head of government:
Prime Minister Rafiq HARIRI (since 23 October 2000); Deputy Prime Minister Issam FARES (since 23 October 2000)

cabinet:
Cabinet chosen by the prime minister in consultation with the president and members of the National Assembly; the current Cabinet was formed in 1998

elections:
president elected by the National Assembly for a six-year term; election last held 15 October 1998 (next to be held NA 2004); prime minister and deputy prime minister appointed by the president in consultation with the National Assembly; by custom, the president is a Maronite Christian, the prime minister is a Sunni Muslim, and the speaker of the legislature is a Shi'a Muslim

election results:
Emile LAHUD elected president; National Assembly vote - 118 votes in favor, 0 against, 10 abstentions
Exports $25 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.) $700 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Exports - commodities petroleum 85%, carpets, fruits and nuts, iron and steel, chemicals foodstuffs and tobacco, textiles, chemicals, precious stones, metal and metal products, electrical equipment and products, jewelry, paper and paper products
Exports - partners Japan, Italy, UAE, South Korea, France, China UAE 9%, Saudi Arabia 8%, Syria 6%, US 6%, Kuwait 6%, France 5%, Belgium 5%, Jordan 4% (1999)
Fiscal year 21 March - 20 March calendar year
Flag description 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 AKBAR (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 three horizontal bands of red (top), white (double width), and red with a green and brown cedar tree centered in the white band
GDP purchasing power parity - $413 billion (2000 est.) purchasing power parity - $18.2 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture:
24%

industry:
28%

services:
48% (2000 est.)
agriculture:
12%

industry:
27%

services:
61% (1999 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $6,300 (2000 est.) purchasing power parity - $5,000 (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 3% (2000 est.) 1% (2000 est.)
Geographic coordinates 32 00 N, 53 00 E 33 50 N, 35 50 E
Geography - note - Nahr al Litani only major river in Near East not crossing an international boundary; rugged terrain historically helped isolate, protect, and develop numerous factional groups based on religion, clan, and ethnicity
Heliports 11 (2000 est.) -
Highways total:
140,200 km

paved:
49,440 km (including 470 km of expressways)

unpaved:
90,760 km (1998 est.)
total:
7,300 km

paved:
6,350 km

unpaved:
950 km (1999 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%:
NA%

highest 10%:
NA%
lowest 10%:
NA%

highest 10%:
NA%
Illicit drugs despite substantial interdiction efforts, Iran remains a key transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin to Europe; domestic consumption of narcotics remains a persistent problem and Iranian press reports estimate that there are at least 1.2 million drug users in the country inconsequential producer of hashish; a Lebanese/Syrian eradication campaign started in the early 1990s has practically eliminated the opium and cannabis crops
Imports $15 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.) $6.2 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Imports - commodities industrial raw materials and intermediate goods, capital goods, foodstuffs and other consumer goods, technical services, military supplies foodstuffs, machinery and transport equipment, consumer goods, chemicals, textiles, metals, fuels, agricultural foods
Imports - partners Germany, South Korea, Italy, UAE, France, Japan Italy 13%, France 11%, Germany 8%, US 7%, Switzerland 6%, Japan, UK, Syria (1999)
Independence 1 April 1979 (Islamic Republic of Iran proclaimed) 22 November 1943 (from League of Nations mandate under French administration)
Industrial production growth rate 4.4% (nonoil) (1999) NA%
Industries petroleum, petrochemicals, textiles, cement and other construction materials, food processing (particularly sugar refining and vegetable oil production), metal fabricating, armaments banking; food processing; jewelry; cement; textiles; mineral and chemical products; wood and furniture products; oil refining; metal fabricating
Infant mortality rate 29.04 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) 28.35 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 16% (2000 est.) 0% (2000 est.)
International organization participation CCC, CP, ECO, ESCAP, FAO, G-19, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, NAM, OIC, OPCW, OPEC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WToO ABEDA, ACCT, AFESD, AL, AMF, CCC, ESCWA, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OAS (observer), OIC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNRWA, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (observer)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 8 (2000) 22 (2000)
Irrigated land 94,000 sq km (1993 est.) 860 sq km (1993 est.)
Judicial branch Supreme Court four Courts of Cassation (three courts for civil and commercial cases and one court for criminal cases); Constitutional Council (called for in Ta'if Accord - rules on constitutionality of laws); Supreme Council (hears charges against the president and prime minister as needed)
Labor force 17.3 million

note:
shortage of skilled labor (1998)
1.3 million (1999 est.)

note:
in addition, there are as many as 1 million foreign workers (1997 est.)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture 33%, industry 25%, services 42% (1999 est.) services NA%, industry NA%, agriculture NA%
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
total:
454 km

border countries:
Israel 79 km, Syria 375 km
Land use arable land:
10%

permanent crops:
1%

permanent pastures:
27%

forests and woodland:
7%

other:
55% (1993 est.)
arable land:
18%

permanent crops:
9%

permanent pastures:
1%

forests and woodland:
8%

other:
64% (1996 est.)
Languages Persian and Persian dialects 58%, Turkic and Turkic dialects 26%, Kurdish 9%, Luri 2%, Balochi 1%, Arabic 1%, Turkish 1%, other 2% Arabic (official), French, English, Armenian
Legal system the Constitution codifies Islamic principles of government mixture of Ottoman law, canon law, Napoleonic code, and civil law; no judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Legislative branch unicameral Islamic Consultative Assembly or Majles-e-Shura-ye-Eslami (290 seats, note - changed from 270 seats with the 18 February 2000 election; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)

elections:
last held 18 February-NA April 2000 (next to be held NA 2004)

election results:
percent of vote - NA%; seats by party - reformers 170, conservatives 45, and independents 10; 65 seats were up for runoff election on 5 May 2000 (reformers 52, conservatives 10, independents 3)
unicameral National Assembly or Majlis Alnuwab (Arabic) or Assemblee Nationale (French) (128 seats; members elected by popular vote on the basis of sectarian proportional representation to serve four-year terms)

elections:
last held 27 August and 3 September 2000 (next to be held NA 2004)

election results:
percent of vote by party - Muslim 57% (of which Sunni 25%, Sh'ite 25%, Druze 6%, Alawite less than 1%), Christian 43% (of which Maronite 23%); seats by party - Muslim 64 (of which Sunni 27, Sh'ite 27, Druze 8, Alawite 2), Christian 64 (of which Maronite 34)
Life expectancy at birth total population:
69.95 years

male:
68.61 years

female:
71.37 years (2001 est.)
total population:
71.52 years

male:
69.13 years

female:
74.03 years (2001 est.)
Literacy definition:
age 15 and over can read and write

total population:
72.1%

male:
78.4%

female:
65.8% (1994 est.)
definition:
age 15 and over can read and write

total population:
86.4%

male:
90.8%

female:
82.2% (1997 est.)
Location Middle East, bordering the Gulf of Oman, the Persian Gulf, and the Caspian Sea, between Iraq and Pakistan Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Israel and Syria
Map references Middle East Middle East
Maritime claims contiguous zone:
24 NM

continental shelf:
natural prolongation

exclusive economic zone:
bilateral agreements or median lines in the Persian Gulf

territorial sea:
12 NM
territorial sea:
12 NM
Merchant marine total:
152 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 4,097,977 GRT/7,131,688 DWT

ships by type:
bulk 49, cargo 38, chemical tanker 4, combination bulk 1, container 10, liquefied gas 1, multi-functional large-load carrier 6, petroleum tanker 32, refrigerated cargo 1, roll on/roll off 9, short-sea passenger 1

note:
includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Singapore 1 (2000 est.)
total:
71 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 379,705 GRT/592,672 DWT

ships by type:
bulk 10, cargo 42, chemical tanker 1, combination bulk 1, combination ore/oil 1, container 4, liquefied gas 1, livestock carrier 5, refrigerated cargo 1, roll on/roll off 2, vehicle carrier 3

note:
includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Netherlands 1, Syria 1 (2000 est.)
Military 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), Law Enforcement Forces Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF; includes Army, Navy, and Air Force)
Military expenditures - dollar figure $5.787 billion (FY98/99) $343 million (FY99/00)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 2.9% (FY98/99) 4.8% (FY99/00)
Military manpower - availability males age 15-49:
18,319,328 (2001 est.)
males age 15-49:
980,412 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service males age 15-49:
10,872,407 (2001 est.)
males age 15-49:
605,332 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - military age 21 years of age -
Military manpower - reaching military age annually males:
823,040 (2001 est.)
-
National holiday Republic Day, 1 April (1979) Independence Day, 22 November (1943)
Nationality noun:
Iranian(s)

adjective:
Iranian
noun:
Lebanese (singular and plural)

adjective:
Lebanese
Natural hazards periodic droughts, floods; dust storms, sandstorms; earthquakes along western border and in the northeast dust storms, sandstorms
Natural resources petroleum, natural gas, coal, chromium, copper, iron ore, lead, manganese, zinc, sulfur limestone, iron ore, salt, water-surplus state in a water-deficit region, arable land
Net migration rate -4.51 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Pipelines crude oil 5,900 km; petroleum products 3,900 km; natural gas 4,550 km crude oil 72 km (none in operation)
Political parties and leaders the following organizations appeared to have achieved considerable success at elections to the sixth Majlis in early 2000: Assembly of the Followers of the Imam's Line, Freethinkers' Front, Islamic Iran Participation Front, Moderation and Development Party, Servants of Construction Party, Society of Self-sacrificing Devotees political party activity is organized along largely sectarian lines; numerous political groupings exist, consisting of individual political figures and followers motivated by religious, clan, and economic considerations
Political pressure groups and leaders active student groups include the pro-reform "Organization for Strengthening Unity" and "the Union of Islamic Student Societies'; groups that generally support the Islamic Republic include Ansar-e Hizballah, Mojahedin of the Islamic Revolution, Muslim Students Following the Line of the Imam, and the Islamic Coalition Association; opposition groups include the Liberation Movement of Iran and the Nation of Iran party; armed political groups that have been almost completely repressed by the government include Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization (MEK), People's Fedayeen, Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan; the Society for the Defense of Freedom NA
Population 66,128,965 (July 2001 est.) 3,627,774 (July 2001 est.)
Population below poverty line 53% (1996 est.) 28% (1999 est.)
Population growth rate 0.72% (2001 est.) 1.38% (2001 est.)
Ports and harbors Abadan (largely destroyed in fighting during 1980-88 war), Ahvaz, Bandar 'Abbas, Bandar-e Anzali, Bushehr, Bandar-e Emam Khomeyni, Bandar-e Lengeh, Bandar-e Mahshahr, Bandar-e Torkaman, Chabahar (Bandar Beheshti), Jazireh-ye Khark, Jazireh-ye Lavan, Jazireh-ye Sirri, Khorramshahr (limited operation since November 1992), Now Shahr Antilyas, Batroun, Beirut, Chekka, El Mina, Ez Zahrani, Jbail, Jounie, Naqoura, Sidon, Tripoli, Tyre
Radio broadcast stations AM 72, FM 5, shortwave 5 (1998) AM 20, FM 22, shortwave 4 (1998)
Radios 17 million (1997) 2.85 million (1997)
Railways total:
5,600 km

broad gauge:
94 km 1.676-m gauge

standard gauge:
5,506 km 1.435-m gauge (146 km electrified)

note:
broad gauge track is employed at the borders with Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan which have broad-gauge rail systems (2001)
total:
399 km (mostly unusable because of damage in civil war)

standard gauge:
317 km 1.435-m

narrow gauge:
82 km (1999)
Religions Shi'a Muslim 89%, Sunni Muslim 10%, Zoroastrian, Jewish, Christian, and Baha'i 1% Muslim 70% (including Shi'a, Sunni, Druze, Isma'ilite, Alawite or Nusayri), Christian 30% (including Orthodox Christian, Catholic, Protestant), Jewish NEGL%
Sex ratio at birth:
1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years:
1.05 male(s)/female

15-64 years:
1.01 male(s)/female

65 years and over:
1.11 male(s)/female

total population:
1.03 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
at birth:
1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years:
1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years:
0.91 male(s)/female

65 years and over:
0.84 male(s)/female

total population:
0.94 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Suffrage 15 years of age; universal 21 years of age; compulsory for all males; authorized for women at age 21 with elementary education
Telephone system general assessment:
inadequate but currently being modernized and expanded with the goal of not only improving the efficiency and increasing the volume of the urban service but also bringing telephone service to several thousand villages, not presently connected

domestic:
as a result of heavy investing in the telephone system since 1994, the number of long-distance channels in the microwave radio relay trunk has grown substantially; many villages have been brought into the net; the number of main lines in the urban systems has approximately doubled; and thousands of mobile cellular subscribers are being served; moreover, the technical level of the system has been raised by the installation of thousands of digital switches

international:
HF radio and microwave radio relay to Turkey, Azerbaijan, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Syria, Kuwait, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan; submarine fiber-optic cable to UAE with access to Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe (FLAG); Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE) fiber-optic line runs from Azerbaijan through the northern portion of Iran to Turkmenistan with expansion to Georgia and Azerbaijan; satellite earth stations - 9 Intelsat and 4 Inmarsat; Internet service available but limited to electronic mail to promote Iranian culture
general assessment:
telecommunications system severely damaged by civil war; rebuilding well underway

domestic:
primarily microwave radio relay and cable

international:
satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Atlantic Ocean) (erratic operations); coaxial cable to Syria; microwave radio relay to Syria but inoperable beyond Syria to Jordan; 3 submarine coaxial cables
Telephones - main lines in use 6.313 million (1997) 700,000 (1999)
Telephones - mobile cellular 265,000 (August 1998) 580,000 (1999)
Television broadcast stations 28 (plus 450 low-power repeaters) (1997) 15 (plus 5 repeaters) (1995)
Terrain rugged, mountainous rim; high, central basin with deserts, mountains; small, discontinuous plains along both coasts narrow coastal plain; Al Biqa' (Bekaa Valley) separates Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon Mountains
Total fertility rate 2.02 children born/woman (2001 est.) 2.05 children born/woman (2001 est.)
Unemployment rate 14% (1999 est.) 18% (1997 est.)
Waterways 904 km

note:
the Shatt al Arab is usually navigable by maritime traffic for about 130 km; channel has been dredged to 3 m and is in use
none
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