Geography

Geography of Iran

Iran, a Middle Eastern country south of the Caspian Sea and north of the Persian Gulf, is three times the size of Arizona. It shares borders with Iraq, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Armenia, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.

The Elburz Mountains in the north rise to 18,603 ft (5,670 m) at Mount Damavend. From northwest to southeast, the country is crossed by a desert 800 mi (1,287 km) long.

Land area: 631,659 sq mi (1,635,999 sq km);
total area: 636,293 sq mi (1,648,000 sq km)
Population (2007 est.): 65,397,521 (growth rate: 0.7%);
birth rate: 16.6/1000;
infant mortality rate: 38.1/1000;
life expectancy: 70.6;
density per sq mi: 104

Capital and largest city (2003 est.):
Tehran, 7,796,257 (city proper)
Other large cities:
Mashad, 2,061,100; Isfahan, 1,378,600; Tabriz, 1,213,400
Monetary unit: Rial

Languages:
Persian and Persian dialects 58%,
Turkic and Turkic dialects 26%,
Kurdish 9%,
Luri 2%,
Balochi 1%,
Arabic 1%,
Turkish 1%,
other 2%

Ethnicity/race:
Persian 51%,
Azerbaijani 24%,
Gilaki and Mazandarani 8%,
Kurd 7%,
Arab 3%,
Lur 2%,
Baloch 2%,
Turkmen 2%,
other 1%

Religions:
Islam 98% (Shi'a 89%, Sunni 9%);
Zoroastrian, Jewish, Christian, and Baha'i 2%
Literacy rate: 77% (2005 est.)

Economic summary:
GDP/PPP (2007 est.): $852.6 billion; per capita $12,300.
Real growth rate: 4.3%.
Inflation: 17%.
Unemployment: 11% (2007 est.).
Arable land: 9%.
Agriculture: wheat, rice, other grains, sugar beets, fruits, nuts, cotton; dairy products, wool; caviar.
Labor force: 28.7 million; note: shortage of skilled labor;
agriculture 30%,
industry 25%,
services 45% (2006 est.).

Industries:
petroleum, petrochemicals, textiles, cement and other construction materials, food processing (particularly sugar refining and vegetable oil production), metal fabrication, armaments.

Natural resources:
petroleum, natural gas, coal, chromium, copper, iron ore, lead, manganese, zinc, sulfur.

Exports:
$76.5 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.):
petroleum 80%, chemical and petrochemical products,
fruits and nuts, carpets. Imports: $61.3 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.):
industrial raw materials and intermediate goods, capital goods, foodstuffs and other consumer goods, technical services, military supplies.
Major trading partners: Japan, China, Italy, South Korea, Turkey, Netherlands, Germany, France, UAE, South Korea, Russia (2004).

Communications:
Telephones: main lines in use: 21.981 million (2006);
mobile cellular: 13.659 million (2006).
Radio broadcast stations: AM 72, FM 5, shortwave 5 (1998).
Television broadcast stations:
28 (plus 450 low-power repeaters) (1997).
Internet hosts: 6,111 (2007).
Internet users: 18 million (2006).

Transportation:
Railways: 8,3673 km (2006).
Highways: total: 179,388 km;
paved: 120,782 km (including 878 km of expressways);
unpaved: 58,606 km (2003).
Waterways: 850 km (on Karun River and Lake Urmia) (2004).
Ports and harbors: Assaluyeh, Bushehr.
Airports: 331 (2007).
Geography of Iran Infoplease