Main page Compare countries Index countries Index fields

Query:
Jah-Jah.pl / Index countries / Yemen (2004) - Iran (2004) / Compare countries
##ciekawa_strona##

Compare Yemen (2004) - Iran (2004)

Compare Yemen (2004) z Iran (2004)

 Yemen (2004)Iran (2004)
 YemenIran
Administrative divisions 19 governorates (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah); Abyan, 'Adan, Ad Dali', Al Bayda', Al Hudaydah, Al Jawf, Al Mahrah, Al Mahwit, 'Amran, Dhamar, Hadramawt, Hajjah, Ibb, Lahij, Ma'rib, Sa'dah, San'a', Shabwah, Ta'izz


note: for electoral and administrative purposes, the capital city of Sanaa is treated as an additional governorate
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
Age structure 0-14 years: 46.6% (male 4,751,776; female 4,582,277)


15-64 years: 50.6% (male 5,166,437; female 4,973,543)


65 years and over: 2.8% (male 273,199; female 277,635) (2004 est.)
0-14 years: 28% (male 9,935,527; female 9,411,647)


15-64 years: 67.2% (male 23,608,621; female 22,744,128)


65 years and over: 4.8% (male 1,645,246; female 1,673,755) (2004 est.)
Agriculture - products grain, fruits, vegetables, pulses, qat (mildly narcotic shrub), coffee, cotton; dairy products, livestock (sheep, goats, cattle, camels), poultry; fish wheat, rice, other grains, sugar beets, fruits, nuts, cotton; dairy products, wool; caviar
Airports 44 (2003 est.) 303 (2003 est.)
Airports - with paved runways total: 16


over 3,047 m: 3


2,438 to 3,047 m: 9


1,524 to 2,437 m: 2


914 to 1,523 m: 1


under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)
total: 127


over 3,047 m: 39


2,438 to 3,047 m: 25


1,524 to 2,437 m: 26


914 to 1,523 m: 32


under 914 m: 5 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 28


over 3,047 m: 2


2,438 to 3,047 m: 7


1,524 to 2,437 m: 4


914 to 1,523 m: 11


under 914 m: 4 (2004 est.)
total: 178


over 3,047 m: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 9


914 to 1,523 m: 129


under 914 m: 39 (2004 est.)
Area total: 527,970 sq km


land: 527,970 sq km


water: 0 sq km


note: includes Perim, Socotra, the former Yemen Arab Republic (YAR or North Yemen), and the former People's Democratic Republic of Yemen (PDRY or South Yemen)
total: 1.648 million sq km


land: 1.636 million sq km


water: 12,000 sq km
Area - comparative slightly larger than twice the size of Wyoming slightly larger than Alaska
Background North Yemen became independent of the Ottoman Empire in 1918. The British, who had set up a protectorate area around the southern port of Aden in the 19th century, withdrew in 1967 from what became South Yemen. Three years later, the southern government adopted a Marxist orientation. The massive exodus of hundreds of thousands of Yemenis from the south to the north contributed to two decades of hostility between the states. The two countries were formally unified as the Republic of Yemen in 1990. A southern secessionist movement in 1994 was quickly subdued. In 2000, Saudi Arabia and Yemen agreed to a delimitation of their border. Known as Persia until 1935, Iran became an Islamic republic in 1979 after the ruling monarchy was overthrown and the shah was forced into exile. Conservative clerical forces established a theocratic system of government with ultimate political authority nominally vested in a learned religious scholar. Iranian-US relations have been strained since a group of 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 that eventually expanded into the Persian Gulf and led to clashes between US Navy and Iranian military forces between 1987-1988. Iran has been designated a state sponsor of terrorism for its activities in Lebanon and elsewhere in the world and remains subject to US economic sanctions and export controls because of its continued involvement. Following the elections of a reformist President and Majlis in the late 1990s, attempts to foster political reform in response to popular dissatisfaction have floundered as conservative politicians have prevented reform measures from being enacted, increased repressive measures, and consolidated their control over the government.
Birth rate 43.16 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) 17.1 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Budget revenues: $3.729 billion


expenditures: $4.107 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (2003 est.)
revenues: $40.38 billion


expenditures: $40.29 billion, including capital expenditures of $7.6 billion (2003 est.)
Capital Sanaa Tehran
Climate mostly desert; hot and humid along west coast; temperate in western mountains affected by seasonal monsoon; extraordinarily hot, dry, harsh desert in east mostly arid or semiarid, subtropical along Caspian coast
Coastline 1,906 km 2,440 km; note - Iran also borders the Caspian Sea (740 km)
Constitution 16 May 1991; amended 29 September 1994 and February 2001 2-3 December 1979; revised 1989 to expand powers of the presidency and eliminate the prime ministership
Country name conventional long form: Republic of Yemen


conventional short form: Yemen


local long form: Al Jumhuriyah al Yamaniyah


local short form: Al Yaman
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
Currency Yemeni rial (YER) Iranian rial (IRR)
Death rate 8.78 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) 5.53 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Debt - external $6.044 billion (2003) $10.96 billion (2003 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission: Ambassador Thomas C. KRAJESKI


embassy: Saawan Street, Sanaa


mailing address: P. O. Box 22347, Sanaa


telephone: [967] (1) 303-151 through 159


FAX: [967] (1) 303-160/161/162/164/165
none; note - protecting power in Iran is Switzerland
Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission: Ambassador Abd al-Wahhab Abdallah al-HAJRI


chancery: Suite 705, 2600 Virginia Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20037


telephone: [1] (202) 965-4760


FAX: [1] (202) 337-2017
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; FAX [1] (202) 965-1073
Disputes - international Yemen protests Eritrea fishing around the Hanish Islands awarded to Yemen by the ICJ in 1999; nomadic groups in border region with Saudi Arabia resist demarcation of boundary in accordance wih 2000 Jeddah Treaty; Yemen protests Saudi erection of a concrete-filled pipe as a security barrier in 2004 to stem illegal cross-border activities in sections of the boundary Iran protests Afghanistan's limiting flow of dammed waters on Helmand River tributaries in periods of drought; thousands of Afghan refugees still reside in Iran; creation of a maritime boundary with Iraq remains in hiatus until full sovereignty is restored in Iraq; Iran and UAE engage in direct talks and solicit Arab League support to resolve disputes over Iran's occupation of Tunb Islands and Abu Musa Island; Iran stands alone among littoral states in insisting upon a division of the Caspian Sea into five equal sectors
Economic aid - recipient $2.3 billion (2003-07 disbursements) $408 million (2002 est.)
Economy - overview Yemen, one of the poorest countries in the Arab world, reported strong growth in the mid-1990s with the onset of oil production. It has been harmed by periodic declines in oil prices, but now benefits from current high prices. Yemen has embarked on an IMF-supported structural adjustment program designed to modernize and streamline the economy, which has led to substantial foreign debt relief and restructuring. International donors, meeting in Paris in October 2002, agreed on a further $2.3 billion economic support package. Yemen has worked to maintain tight control over spending and to implement additional components of the IMF program. A markedly high population growth rate and internal political dissension complicate the government's task. Plans include a diversification of the economy, encouragement of tourism, and more efficient use of scarce water resources. Iran's economy is marked by a bloated, inefficient state sector, over reliance on the oil sector, and statist policies that create major distortions throughout. Most economic activity is controlled by the state. Private sector activity is typically small-scale - workshops, farming, and services. President KHATAMI has continued to follow the market reform plans of former President RAFSANJANI, with limited progress. Relatively high oil prices in recent years have enabled Iran to amass some $22 billion in foreign exchange reserves, but have not eased economic hardships such as high unemployment and inflation. In December 2003 a major earthquake devastated the city of Bam in southeastern Iran, killing more than 30,000 people.
Electricity - consumption 2.8 billion kWh (2001) 115.9 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2001) 0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (2001) 0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - production 3.01 billion kWh (2001) 124.6 billion kWh (2001)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Arabian Sea 0 m


highest point: Jabal an Nabi Shu'ayb 3,760 m
lowest point: Caspian Sea -28 m


highest point: Kuh-e Damavand 5,671 m
Environment - current issues very limited natural fresh water resources; inadequate supplies of potable water; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification 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, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection


signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands


signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation
Ethnic groups predominantly Arab; but also Afro-Arab, South Asians, Europeans Persian 51%, Azeri 24%, Gilaki and Mazandarani 8%, Kurd 7%, Arab 3%, Lur 2%, Baloch 2%, Turkmen 2%, other 1%
Exchange rates Yemeni rials per US dollar - NA (2003), 175.625 (2002), 168.672 (2001), 161.718 (2000), 155.718 (1999) rials per US dollar - 8,193.89 (2003), 6,906.96 (2002), 1,753.56 (2001), 1,764.43 (2000), 1,752.93 (1999)


note: Iran has been using a managed floating exchange rate regime since unifying multiple exchange rates in March 2002.
Executive branch chief of state: President Ali Abdallah SALIH (since 22 May 1990, the former president of North Yemen, assumed office upon the merger of North and South Yemen); Vice President Maj. Gen. Abd al-Rab Mansur al-HADI (since 3 October 1994)


head of government: Prime Minister Abd al-Qadir BA JAMAL (since 4 April 2001)


cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the advice of the prime minister


elections: president elected by direct, popular vote for a seven-year term (recently extended from a five-year term by constitutional amendment); election last held 23 September 1999 (next to be held NA 2006); vice president appointed by the president; prime minister and deputy prime ministers appointed by the president


election results: Ali Abdallah SALIH elected president; percent of vote - Ali Abdallah SALIH 96.3%, Najib Qahtan AL-SHAABI 3.7%
chief of state: Supreme Leader 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 26 August 2001)


cabinet: Council of Ministers selected by the president with legislative approval; the Supreme Leader has some control over appointments to the more sensitive ministries


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 June 2005)


election results: (Ali) Mohammad KHATAMI-Ardakani reelected president; percent of vote - (Ali) Mohammad KHATAMI-Ardakani 77%
Exports NA (2001) 2.2 million bbl/day (2003)
Exports - commodities crude oil, coffee, dried and salted fish petroleum 80%, chemical and petrochemical products, fruits and nuts, carpets
Exports - partners China 31.7%, Thailand 20.3%, India 15.6%, South Korea 4.9%, Malaysia 4.3% (2003) Japan 21.8%, China 9.7%, Italy 6.3%, Taiwan 5.5%, Turkey 5.4%, South Korea 5.4% (2003)
Fiscal year calendar year 21 March - 20 March
Flag description three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black; similar to the flag of Syria, which has two green stars and of Iraq which has three green stars (plus an Arabic inscription) in a horizontal line centered in the white band; also similar to the flag of Egypt, which has a heraldic eagle centered in the white band three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and red; the national emblem (a stylized representation of the word Allah in the shape of a tulip, a symbol of martyrdom) 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
GDP purchasing power parity - $15.09 billion (2003 est.) purchasing power parity - $478.2 billion (2003 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 15.2%


industry: 45%


services: 39.7% (2003)
agriculture: 12.5%


industry: 41.2%


services: 46.2% (2003 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $800 (2003 est.) purchasing power parity - $7,000 (2003 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 2.8% (2003 est.) 6.1% (2003 est.)
Geographic coordinates 15 00 N, 48 00 E 32 00 N, 53 00 E
Geography - note strategic location on Bab el Mandeb, the strait linking the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, one of world's most active shipping lanes strategic location on the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz, which are vital maritime pathways for crude oil transport
Heliports - 13 (2003 est.)
Highways total: 67,000 km


paved: 7,705 km


unpaved: 59,295 km (1999 est.)
total: 167,157 km


paved: 94,109 km (including 890 km of expressways)


unpaved: 73,048 km (1998)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: 3%


highest 10%: 25.9% (2003)
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 narcotics consumption remains a persistent problem and according to official Iranian statistics there are at least 2 million drug users in the country; lax anti-money-laundering regulations
Imports NA (2001) NA (2001)
Imports - commodities food and live animals, machinery and equipment, chemicals industrial raw materials and intermediate goods, capital goods, foodstuffs and other consumer goods, technical services, military supplies
Imports - partners UAE 12.9%, Saudi Arabia 10.2%, China 8.9%, US 4.9%, Kuwait 4.4%, France 4.1% (2003) Germany 11%, France 8.6%, China 8.4%, Italy 8.1%, UAE 7.9%, South Korea 6.5%, Russia 4.8%, Japan 4.1% (2003)
Independence 22 May 1990 (Republic of Yemen established with the merger of the Yemen Arab Republic [Yemen (Sanaa) or North Yemen] and the Marxist-dominated People's Democratic Republic of Yemen [Yemen (Aden) or South Yemen]); note - previously North Yemen had become independent in November of 1918 (from the Ottoman Empire) and South Yemen had become independent on 30 November 1967 (from the UK) 1 April 1979 (Islamic Republic of Iran proclaimed)
Industrial production growth rate 3% (2003 est.) 3% excluding oil (2003 est.)
Industries crude oil production and petroleum refining; small-scale production of cotton textiles and leather goods; food processing; handicrafts; small aluminum products factory; cement petroleum, petrochemicals, textiles, cement and other construction materials, food processing (particularly sugar refining and vegetable oil production), metal fabricating, armaments
Infant mortality rate total: 63.26 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 68.12 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 58.15 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
total: 42.86 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 43.01 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 42.69 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 10.8% (2003 est.) 16.4% (2003 est.)
International organization participation AFESD, AMF, CAEU, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAS (observer), OIC, ONUB, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNOCI, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (observer) CP, ECO, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, OPEC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMEE, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO
Irrigated land 4,900 sq km (1998 est.) 75,620 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch Supreme Court Supreme Court - above a special clerical court, a revolutionary court, and a special administrative court
Labor force 5.79 million (2003 est.) 22.32 million


note: shortage of skilled labor (2003 est.)
Labor force - by occupation most people are employed in agriculture and herding; services, construction, industry, and commerce account for less than one-fourth of the labor force agriculture 30%, industry 25%, services 45% (2001 est.)
Land boundaries total: 1,746 km


border countries: Oman 288 km, Saudi Arabia 1,458 km
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
Land use arable land: 2.78%


permanent crops: 0.24%


other: 96.98% (2001)
arable land: 8.72%


permanent crops: 1.39%


other: 89.89% (2001)
Languages Arabic Persian and Persian dialects 58%, Turkic and Turkic dialects 26%, Kurdish 9%, Luri 2%, Balochi 1%, Arabic 1%, Turkish 1%, other 2%
Legal system based on Islamic law, Turkish law, English common law, and local tribal customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction the Constitution codifies Islamic principles of government
Legislative branch a new constitutional amendment ratified on 20 February 2001 created a bicameral legislature consisting of a Shura Council (111 seats; members appointed by the president) and a House of Representatives (301 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms)


elections: last held 27 April 2003 (next to be held NA April 2009)


election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - GPC 228, Islah 47, YSP 7, Nasserite Unionist Party 3, National Arab Socialist Ba'th Party 2, independents 14
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 20 February 2004 with a runoff held 7 May 2004 (next to be held February 2008)


election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats by party - conservatives/Islamists 190, reformers 50, independents 43, religious minorities 5, and 2 seats unaccounted for
Life expectancy at birth total population: 61.36 years


male: 59.53 years


female: 63.29 years (2004 est.)
total population: 69.66 years


male: 68.31 years


female: 71.07 years (2004 est.)
Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 50.2%


male: 70.5%


female: 30% (2003 est.)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 79.4%


male: 85.6%


female: 73% (2003 est.)
Location Middle East, bordering the Arabian Sea, Gulf of Aden, and Red Sea, between Oman and Saudi Arabia Middle East, bordering the Gulf of Oman, the Persian Gulf, and the Caspian Sea, between Iraq and Pakistan
Map references Middle East Middle East
Maritime claims territorial sea: 12 nm


contiguous zone: 24 nm


exclusive economic zone: 200 nm


continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
territorial sea: 12 nm


contiguous zone: 24 nm


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


continental shelf: natural prolongation
Merchant marine total: 6 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 19,766 GRT/24,794 DWT


by type: cargo 1, livestock carrier 1, petroleum tanker 3, roll on/roll off 1


foreign-owned: Hong Kong 2, Lebanon 1


registered in other countries: 5 (2004 est.)
total: 134 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 4,715,242 GRT/8,240,069 DWT


by type: bulk 40, cargo 36, chemical tanker 3, container 7, liquefied gas 1, multi-functional large load carrier 5, petroleum tanker 33, roll on/roll off 8, short-sea/passenger 1


registered in other countries: 10 (2004 est.)
Military - note establishment of a Coast Guard, scheduled for May 2001, has been delayed -
Military branches Army (including Special Forces), Naval Forces and Coastal Defenses (including Marines), Air Force (including Air Defense Forces), Republican Guard Islamic Republic of Iran regular forces (includes Ground Forces, Navy, Air Force and Air Defense Command), Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) (includes Ground Forces, Air Force, Navy, Qods Force [special operations], and Basij [Popular Mobilization Army]), Law Enforcement Forces
Military expenditures - dollar figure $885.6 million (2003) $4.3 billion (2003 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 7.9% (2003) 3.3% (2003 est.)
Military manpower - availability males age 15-49: 4,617,064 (2004 est.) males age 15-49: 20,937,348 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service males age 15-49: 2,590,720 (2004 est.) males age 15-49: 12,434,810 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually males: 255,426 (2004 est.) males: 912,569 (2004 est.)
National holiday Unification Day, 22 May (1990) Republic Day, 1 April (1979)


note: additional holidays celebrated widely in Iran include Revolution Day, 11 February (1979); Noruz (New Year's Day), 21 March; Constitutional Monarchy Day, 5 August (1925)
Nationality noun: Yemeni(s)


adjective: Yemeni
noun: Iranian(s)


adjective: Iranian
Natural hazards sandstorms and dust storms in summer periodic droughts, floods; dust storms, sandstorms; earthquakes
Natural resources petroleum, fish, rock salt, marble, small deposits of coal, gold, lead, nickel, and copper, fertile soil in west petroleum, natural gas, coal, chromium, copper, iron ore, lead, manganese, zinc, sulfur
Net migration rate 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) -0.84 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Pipelines gas 88 km; oil 1,174 km (2004) condensate/gas 212 km; gas 16,998 km; liquid petroleum gas 570 km; oil 8,256 km; refined products 7,808 km (2004)
Political parties and leaders there are more than 12 political parties active in Yemen, some of the more prominent are: General People's Congress or GPC [President Ali Abdallah SALIH]; Islamic Reform Grouping or Islah [Shaykh Abdallah bin Husayn al-AHMAR]; National Arab Socialist Ba'th Party [Dr. Qassim SALAAM]; Nasserite Unionist Party [Abdel Malik al-MAKHLAFI]; Yemeni Socialist Party or YSP [Ali Salih MUQBIL]


note: President SALIH's General People's Congress or GPC won a landslide victory in the April 1997 legislative election and no longer governs in coalition with Shaykh Abdallah bin Husayn al-AHMAR's Islamic Reform Grouping or Islah - the two parties had been in coalition since the end of the civil war in 1994; the YSP, a loyal opposition party, represents the remnants of the former South Yemeni leadership; leaders of the 1994 secessionist movement have been pardoned by President SALIH and some are now returning to Yemen from exile
formal political parties are a relatively new phenomenon in the Islamic Republic and most conservatives still prefer to work through political pressure groups rather than parties; a loose pro-reform coalition called the 2nd Khordad front, which includes political parties as well as less formal pressure groups and organizations, achieved considerable success at elections to the sixth Majles in early 2000; groups in the coalition include: Islamic Iran Participation Front (IIPF); Executives of Construction Party (Kargozaran); Solidarity Party; Islamic Labor Party; Mardom Salari; Mojahedin of the Islamic Revolution Organization (MIRO); and Militant Clerics Society (Ruhaniyun); the coalition is expected to participate in the seventh Majles elections in early 2004; a new apparently conservative group, the Builders of Islamic Iran, took a leading position in the new Majles afte winning a majority of the seats in February 2004
Political pressure groups and leaders NA political pressure groups conduct most of Iran's political activities; groups that generally support the Islamic Republic include Ansar-e Hizballah, Muslim Students Following the Line of the Imam, Tehran Militant Clergy Association (Ruhaniyat), Islamic Coalition Party (Motalefeh), and Islamic Engineers Society; active pro-reform student groups include the Organization for Strengthening Unity; opposition groups include Freedom Movement of Iran, the National Front, Marz-e Por Gohar, and various ethnic and Monarchist organizations; armed political groups that have been almost completely repressed by the government include Mujahidin-e Khalq Organization (MEK), People's Fedayeen, Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan, and Komala
Population 20,024,867 (July 2004 est.) 69,018,924 (July 2004 est.)
Population below poverty line 15.7% (2001) 40% (2002 est.)
Population growth rate 3.44% (2004 est.) 1.07% (2004 est.)
Ports and harbors Aden, Al Hudaydah, Al Mukalla, As Salif, Ras Issa, Mocha, Nishtun 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
Radio broadcast stations AM 6, FM 1, shortwave 2 (1998) AM 72, FM 5, shortwave 5 (1998)
Railways - total: 7,203 km


broad gauge: 94 km 1.676-m gauge


standard gauge: 7,109 km 1.435-m gauge (189 km electrified) (2003)
Religions Muslim including Shaf'i (Sunni) and Zaydi (Shi'a), small numbers of Jewish, Christian, and Hindu Shi'a Muslim 89%, Sunni Muslim 9%, Zoroastrian, Jewish, Christian, and Baha'i 2%
Sex ratio at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.98 male(s)/female


total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2004 est.)
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.98 male(s)/female


total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2004 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal 15 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment: since unification in 1990, efforts have been made to create a national telecommunications network


domestic: the national network consists of microwave radio relay, cable, tropospheric scatter, and GSM cellular mobile telephone systems


international: country code - 967; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (2 Indian Ocean and 1 Atlantic Ocean), 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region), and 2 Arabsat; microwave radio relay to Saudi Arabia and Djibouti
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: country code - 98; 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
Telephones - main lines in use 542,200 (2002) 14,571,100 (2003)
Telephones - mobile cellular 411,100 (2002) 3,376,500 (2003)
Television broadcast stations 7 (plus several low-power repeaters) (1997) 28 (plus 450 low-power repeaters) (1997)
Terrain narrow coastal plain backed by flat-topped hills and rugged mountains; dissected upland desert plains in center slope into the desert interior of the Arabian Peninsula rugged, mountainous rim; high, central basin with deserts, mountains; small, discontinuous plains along both coasts
Total fertility rate 6.75 children born/woman (2004 est.) 1.93 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Unemployment rate 35% (2003 est.) 15.7% (2002 est.)
Waterways - 850 km (on Karun River and Lake Urmia) (2004)
Sitemap: Compare countries listing (map site) | Country listing (map site)
Links: Add to favorites | Information about this website | Stats | Polityka prywatnosci
This page was generated in ##czas## s. Size this page: ##rozmiar_strony## kB.