Preface


Iran is situated in south-west Asia , and in the north it is bordered by the Republic of Amenia , the republic of Azarbaijan ,the Caspian sea and Turkmenistan , in the Easy by Afghanistan and Pakistan The Sea of Oman and the Persian Gulf ,and in the west by Iraq and Turkey.

The area of Iran is 1648000 sq.km.with about 6000 km of land borders and 2700 km of sea boundaries . the name "IRAN" has been derived from the Pahlavi ord "eran" which means the seat of the Aryan People .
The population of Iran is presently close to 70 million, and the population growth rate which had reached 3.7% in 1989, has fallen to the current level of 1.8%.

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Historical Places


Iran is the seat of one the most ancient of civilizations, dating back to over 6000 years, and includes a arge number of historical places and monuments.The ruins of Passargad City and remnants of Takht- e-Jamshid (Perspolis)
palaces as well as stone reliefs depicting the Sassanid kings in Fars province, fire temples, castles and temples are monuments illustrating the history of Iran.

The most porominent and outstanding Islamic era works are mosques, shrines, caravanseries, castles and Bazaars in different cities include the masjid-Jomeh, Masjed- Imam, and Masjid-Sheikh Lotfollah in Isfhan, the holy Razavi shrine and the Goharshad mosque in Mashhad, the mosque and the bazaar of wakil in Shiraz and the Arg-e-Bam in the city of Bam.
There are varieties of natural wonders & sights in Iran.

The most important of them are: Caspian Sea coastal areas,Gilan & Mazandaran forests, deserts, lakes, rivers, mountain peaks, Alborz and Zagross mountain skirts, and caves,especially the natural underground cave of Ali-Sadr in the vicinity of Hamadan city.

Iran is a major center of tourism in the world. The historical cities of Isfahan, Shiraz, Kashan and Yazd attract a large number of tourists from around the globe.

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Ecology


Varying weather conditions, vast area, forests and mountains pastures, the Caspian Sea in the north, the Persian Gulf and the sea of Oman in the south, as well as ample mineral resources, have all created an abundance of opportunities and potentials for Iran's advance and development.

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Agriculture


Agriculture is one of the oldest income resources in Iran. Close to one third of the working population in this land, are engaged in agriculture, animal husbandry. fishing, poultry farming and apiculture.

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Animal Husbandry


Animal husbandry is more or less , prevalent throughout Iran, but much more so in Fars, Chaharmahal-O-Bakhtiari, Kohkiloyeh-Va- Boyerahmad, Mazandaran,Khorasan and Azerbaijan mountain areas.

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Industry


Industry is another source of income and about a third of the employed population is engaged in industrial activities, In Iran, industry includes the machine tool and the manual sectors.

The first industry sector of Iran covers oil and gas industries, steel mills, copper, petrochemicals, steel and aluminum, and automobile assemblies.

Khozestan province is the major center of petroleum industry in Iran. Presently, there are over 30 oil-producing fields in the country.
Over half of the oil is exported as crude oil to various countries and the remainder is used for domestic consumption. Manual industries or handicrafts include carpet and gelim weaving, pottery, tile-making, inlaid works , engravings, enamelware , light summer shoes, woodcarvings and material weavings called termeh, shawl, karbas. 

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Commerce


Commerce and services are mostly prevalent in major and port cities. A major part of the working population is engaged in these fields. Tehran, Mashhad, Tabriz, Isfahan, Shiraz, Bandar-Abbas and Bandar-Anzali are
Iran's major centers of commerce and trade. 

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Transportation


Land, sea and air routes interconnect different parts of Iran and connect the country to the outside world.
Iran's land routes (asphalt, non-asphalt and railroads) total 90 thousand km .

The country's railway network has been laid from north to south and from east to west of the country. As a result of the completion of Bafgh , Bandar-Abbas, and Mashhad-Sarakhs railroads, the network is now over
6000 km.Caspian Sea, the Persian Gulf, the Sea of Oman, the Karoun river (from Khorramshahr to Ahwaz), and the Arvand river comprise Iran's sea routes and waterways Kish and Qeshm Islands and the Chah-Bahar
ports are nowadays the country's free trade zones.

Iran's 5 international and 25 domestic airports transport people and cargo among major cities and other countries. 

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Language


Iran's national and official language is Persian Different languages and dialects are used in different regions and among the variety of tribes that dwell in Iran. Azerbaijanis, Turkmens, Qashghais and people in some
cities speak Turkics. People of Kurdistan and parts of Khorasan and west-Azerbaijan speak in Kurdish. Gilaki and Astarabadi (Mazandarani) are dialects spoken in southern Caspian Sea regions. In Baluchistan, Baluchi is the spoken dialect and in the southern Iranian province of Khuzistan, Arabic is also the spoken tongue.

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Faith


The official faith in Iran is Islam. with Athna-Ashari (12 Imams) Shiism being the nation's official religion.
Over 98% of the population are Muslims and over 91% of them are shia.
The rest are followers of Hanafi, Shafei,Maleki Hanbali and Zaidi religions.Religious minorities officially recognized in Iran are Christians. Jews and Zoroastrians. 

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Government


The victory of the Islamic Revolution in Iran in 1979 established the Islamic Republic in the country. Independence, freedom, establishment of the Islamic Repulic, disruption of all political, military, economic and
cultural reliance on big powers were the main objectives of the revolution.

In the Islamic Republic,the Executive,Judicial and the Legislative bodies run the affairs of the country under the supervision of the leadership. The leader is a comprehensively qualified Islamic Jurisprudent elected by the Assembly of Experts.

Members of the Assembly of Experts are qualified clerics elected by popular votes. The President is chief of the Executive Body elected by popular votes for a 4-year term. The Islamic Consultative Assembly has legislative duties and its members are elected by the people for a 4-year term.

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