Official Name: Jomhuri-ye Eslami-ye Iran (Islamic Republic of Iran)

Currency:  Rial

Current Exchange Rate: Currency Converter

Hemisphere: Northern
Continent: Asia

Location: Between the Middle East and S Asia. Neighbors: Turkey, Iraq on W, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan on N, Afghanistan, Pakistan on E.

Area: (Land area only) 628,789 sq mi, 1,628,554 sq km.

Form of Government: Unitary Islamic republic with one legislative house (Islamic Consultative Assembly 290)

Population: (2007) 71,243,000

Population Density: (2007) persons per sq mi 112.0, persons per sq km 43.2

Principal Language(s): Persian and Persian dialects, Turkic and Turkic dialects, Kurdish and Arabic

Religions: Muslim (Shi’a 89%, Sunni 9%), other (including Zoroastrian, Jewish, Christian, Baha’i) 2%

Capital: Tehran

Capital Population:  (2007) 71,243,000

Capital Average Temperature: Maximum: 16.7 degrees Celsius, 62.1 degrees Fahrenheit
                                                 
Major Cities: Mashhad 2,427,316, Esfahan 1,602,110, Tabriz 1,398,060, Shiraz 1,227,331

Topography: Interior highlands and plains surrounded by high mountains up to 18,000ft. Large salt deserts cover much of the area, but there are many cases and forest areas.. Most of population inhabits N and NW.

Economy: G.D.P. $852.6 bil

G.D.P. per Capita: $12,300
 
Vital Statistics: Vital Statistics: Vital Statistics: Vital Statistics: Birth rate per 1,000 population (2005-06) 17.7 (world average 20.3) Death rate per 1,000 population (2005-06) 5.2 (world avg. 8.6). Total fertility rate (avg. births per childbearing woman 2005) 1.82. Life expectancy at birth (2005): male 68.6 years, female 71.4 years.

Government Website: www.president.ir

Reference Sources: The World Almanac 2009, The New York Times Almanac   2009, Time Almanac 2009, World Climate Website.