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Facts & Figures
Iran (officially The Islamic Republic of Iran) is a vast country in southwest Asia. Covering a surface area of 1,648,195 square kilo meters, it is bordered by Iraq (1,609 km) on the west, Turkey (486 km) on the northwest, the Republics of Armenia, Azarbaijan, Turkmanistan (all parts of the former Soviet Union), as well as the Caspian Sea (2,670 km) on the north, Afghanistan (945 km) on the east, Pakistan (978 km) on the southeast, the Persian Gulf (1,259 km) and the Sea of Oman (748 km) on the south. The Persian Gulf is the shallow marginal part of the Indian Ocean that lies between the Arabian Peninsula and the southwest Iran. The sea has an area of 240,000 square kilometers from the Arvand Rud (Shatt ol-Arab) delta to the Strait of Hormoz, which links it with the Sea of Oman. Its linear length is 900 km, and its width varies from a maximum of 338 km to minimum of 55 km in the Strait of Hormoz. It is bordered on the north, northeast and east by Iran, on the northwest by Iraq and Kuwait, on the west and southwest by Saudi Arabia and Qatar, and on the south and the southeast by the United Arab Emirates and partly by Oman.
The Sea of Oman opens into the Arabian Sea. It was generally thought that the gulf extended farther north and that sediment dropped by the Tigris, Euphrates, Karun, and Karkheh rivers filled the northern part of the gulf to create a great delta. But geologic investigation now indicates that the coastline has not moved and that the marshlands of the delta represent a sinking of the earth's crust as the Arabian land block pushes under Iran.
The Islands Regardless of Bahrain as the largest island which belonged to Iran until the early second half of the 20th century, Iran has the largest number of islands in the Persian Gulf, the most important of which are as follows: Minoo, Kharg (Iranian oil terminal, 6 km long, 3 km wide, site of one of the world's largest deep-water oil ports, and linked to the mainland by a 40-km pipeline), Sheikh Sa'ad, Sheikh Sho'ayb, Hendurabi, Kish (largest island of Iran in the Strait of Hormoz, 1,300 sq. km), Farur, Siri, Abu Mussa, the Greater and Lesser Tumbs, Qeshm, Hengam, Larak, Farsi, Hormoz, and Lavan. The most significant Iranian ports on the Persian Gulf are Abadan, Khorramshahr, Bandar-e Imam Khomeini (former Shahpur), Mahshahr, Deilam, Genaveh, Rig, Bushehr, Bandar-e Lengeh, and Bandar-e Abbas.
The Rivers Several rivers are flowing inside Iranian mainland, the only navigable one of which is the Karun (920-km). Other large rivers are: The Atrak (535 km), Dez (515 km), Hendijan (488 km), Jovein (440 km) Jarahi (438 km), Karkheh (755 km), Mand (685 km), Qara Chai (540 km), Sefid Rud (795 km), and the Zayandeh Rud (405 km).
During the summertime, there is little water flowing in the mainland rivers. However, water flows underground, finding its outlets in subterranean water canals (locally called qanats), springs, and tapped by wells.
The Mountains The high Alborz range in the north, the Zagros range in the west and southwest as well as the eastern mountains of Iran, which surround the Iranian Plateau, provide Iran with a ruggedly mountainous terrain.
Population More than 60,000,000 with a population density of 32.26 per sq. km. The nation consists of the following national and ethnic groups: Turks, Kurds, Baluchis, Lurs, Turkmans, Arabs, the Armenians, the Assyrians, and the nomads (consisting of the Bakhtiari, Qashqa'i and several other smaller tribes).
According to 1992 census, some 33, 137,567 or 57.3% of the total population were living in cities and towns, while 24,972,660 or 42.97% were either living in rural areas or migrating.
Political Divisions of the Country The country is divided into 26 provinces as follows:
Ayatollah Ali Khamenie, Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution, is the Supreme Head of the Government and the General Commander of the Armed Forces as well. He co-ordinates government policies with Divine decrees. Tehran is the nation's capital. A governor-general ( ostandar) is appointed to each province (ostan), which acts as the civil chief of all the government offices in his province. Each province is divided into many townships (sharestans) under a governor (farmandar), and each of these in turn being divided into many counties (bakhshes) under bakhshdar, who supervises several rural distinct managed by dehdars. Government Iran is an Islamic Republic established following the Islamic Revolution of 1979. Under the Constitution of Nov 1979 all cultural, social, political, and economic institutions of Iranian society are to be based on the Islamic principles and norms. All government policies are supervised and correlated with Divine decrees through the Vali-e Faqih (Jurisconsult or the Supreme Leader). According to the Constitution he is responsible for this concordance before God and the people during the time when the 12th Imam is in occultation. The legislative wing of the State, Majlis-e Shura-ye Eslami (Islamic Consultative Assembly) consists of 270 representatives elected by the direct vote of the people for a term of four years. The Constitution has also provided for a constitutional council of sages known as the Council of the Guardians of the Constitution (Shura-ye Negahban-e Qanun-e Assasi) which has the power to either approve or vote out the Assembly's resolutions. The Assembly of Experts (Majlis-e Khebregan), is another Islamic body responsible for the choosing of a Leader in the event of the present leader's demise, or to replace him with another one if required. The country is divided into 25 Ostans (provinces) ruled over by an Ostandar (governor-general).
Religions The state religion of Iran is Ja'fari Faith of the Twelve Imams. According to official 1986 statistics, about 98.5% of the population is Muslim, most of whom belong to Shi'ite Sect. Other Islamic sects are Hanafi, Shafe'i, Maleki, Hanbali, and Zeidi, all of which are respected and enjoy perfect freedom. The Zoroastrian, Armenian, Jewish, Assyrian, and Chaldean religious minorities have their own religious organizations. Islam The Arabic word for "submission" to the will of the God (Allah), Islam is the name of the religion, which originated in Arabia during the 7th century AD through the Prophet Muhammad. Followers of Islam are known as Muslims, and their religion embraces every aspect of life. They believe that individuals, societies and governments should all be obedient to the will of God as it set forth in the Koran, which they regard as the word of God revealed to his Messenger, Muhammad. The Koran teaches that God is one and has no partners. He is the Creator of all things, and holds absolute power over them. All persons should commit themselves to a life of grateful and praise of Resurrection they will be judged. Those who have obeyed God's commandments will dwell forever in Paradise, but those who have sinned against God and not repented will be condemned eternally to the fires of Hell.
Since the beginning of creation God has sent prophets, including Moses and Jesus, to provide the guidance necessary for the attainment of eternal reward, a succession culminating in the revelation to Muhammad of the perfect word of God. There are five essential religious duties known as the "Pillars of Islam": (1) The Shahada (profession of faith) is the sincere recitation of the two-fold creed: "There is no God but God" and "Muhammad is the Messenger of God". (2) The Salat (formal prayer) must be performed at fixed hours five times a day while facing towards the Holy City of Mecca. (3) Alms-giving through the payment of Zakat ('purification') is regarded primarily as an act of worship, and is the duty of sharing one's wealth out of gratitude of God's favor, according to the uses laid down in the Koran. (4) There is a duty to fast (Saum) during the month of Ramadan. (5) The Hajj or pilgrimage to Mecca is to be performed if at all possible at least once during one's lifetime. Shari is a sacred law of Islam, and applies to all aspects of life, not just religious practices. It describes the Islam way of life, and prescribes the way for a Muslim to fulfill the commands of God and reach Heaven. There is an annual cycle of festivals, including Hijra, the beginning of Islamic year, and Ramadan, the month during which Muslims fast during the hours of daylight. There are two basic groups within Islam. Sunni Muslims are in the majority, and they recognize the first four caliphs as Mohammed's legitimate successors. The Shiites comprise the largest minority group, and regard the imam as the principal religious authority. There are a number of subsects, including the Ismailis (one group of which, the Nizaris, regard the Agha Khan as their imam), and the Wahhabis, an apparently reform movement begun in the 18th century. There are over one billion Muslims throughout the world. Religious Minorities While Muslims constitute more than 98.5% of the country's population, the Christians command a population of 0.7%, the Jews 0.3%, the Zoroastrians 0.1%, and the followers of other religions 0.1%. Protection of the cultural, social, and political rights of all religious minorities are recognized by the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Iranian Jews, apart from being represented in the Parliament, have around 30 synagogues all over the country, their own association, a journal named Tamous, and private schools. The Armenians and Assyrians, who have peacefully lived in Iran since ancient times, constitute Iran's Christian community. Armenians, like other minorities, have their own private schools, a journal in Armenian named Alik, and are represented in the Parliament. There are around twenty Gregorian Churches where religious ceremonies take place, as well as a Catholic Church, and other centers for Protestant Armenians. The Assyrians have their own association, which takes care of their community, churches where religious ceremonies take place, and a number of publication centers. They are also represented in the Parliament. There are other sects of Christianity like Protestants, Roman Catholics, Adventists, all of whom have their own centers of worship. Zoroastrianism prevailed in Iran much earlier than the advent of Islam. Zoroastrianism is a dualistic ancient Iranian religion the creation of which is credited to the mythical prophet. Zarathushtra (Zoroaster in Greek). Zoroastrianism had been fully shaped by the 7th century BC. The main thing in Zoroastrianism is the doctrine of the constant struggle in the world between two opposite elements: good, personified by the god of lightness Ahura Mazda (Ormanzd), and evil, personified by the god of darkness Angro Mainyush (Ahriman). Its eschatological ideas on the end of the world, judgment, resurrection of the dead and a future savior born of a Virgin exerted great influence on Judaism and Christianity. Apart from Iran, at present, exists in the form of Parsiism in India and has preserved the old dualistic ideas but developed the concept of a single Almighty God. Dams In Iran Water has always placed a key role in the long history of this country. Iranians are credited for qanats and the invention of the Persian Wheel, the two irrigation systems, which are well known in the world. According to Herodotus, the Greek historian, qanat digging technique was documented and was practiced in the Achaemeian era (550-330 BC), 2500 years ago. Remains of reservoirs have been discovered along with water intakes, spillways and outlets, and even the seage systems belonging to the pre-Achaemenian and Assyrian periods (1500-600 BC). Dam construction in Iran dates back to the Sassanian era, particularly the reign of Shapur I. The dams constructed at that period are 1300-1700 years old now. A regulating dam and a bridge-diversion dam (500 meters long with 40 spans) in Shushtar, are among such monuments. Amir Dam constructed as a three purpose dam by the Buyid dynasty 35 km to the north of Shiraz, is 1000 years old, still functioning as planned at that time. During the Safavid rule (1501-1736 AD) water engineering developed significantly, and many storage and diversion dams and bridges were constructed in Esfahan and Mashhad, some of which exist even today. As is shown by recent studies, Iranians carefully applied the three basic factors in the process of work: site selection, foundation conditions and treatment, and materials. All ancient Iranian dams can be included in the following categories: gravity dams, arch dams, and buttress dams. 1945 marks the modern period of dam construction efforts in Iran for flood control and water regulation. As a result, 13 storage dams were constructed up to 1957 with a total capacity of 13 billion cubic meters and annual regulating capacity of 22 billion cubic meters. The country's all-round progress in dam construction projects started after the victory of the Islamic Revolution. At present more than 25 huge dams are either completed or in the final phases of their construction, which will significantly increase the hydro potential of the country.
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© 2003 The Embassy of The Islamic Republic of Iran, Ottawa-Canada All Rights Reserved. Last Updated: October 22, 2003 3:09 PM EST |
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