Everything about Iran totally explained
Iran, (/iːˈɾɒn/↔), officially the
Islamic Republic of Iran (), formerly known internationally as
Persia until 1935, is a country in
Central Eurasia, located on the northeastern shore of the
Persian Gulf. The name Iran is a
cognate of
Aryan, and means "Land of the
Aryans".
The 18th largest country in the world in terms of area at 1,648,195 km², Iran has a population of over seventy million. Iran is a country of special
geostrategic significance, because of its central location in
Eurasia. Iran is bordered on the north by
Armenia,
Azerbaijan,
Turkmenistan, and the
Caspian Sea; on the east by
Afghanistan and
Pakistan; on the south by the
Persian Gulf and the
Gulf of Oman; and on the west by
Turkey and
Iraq.
Tehran is the capital, largest city and the political, cultural, commercial, and industrial center of the nation. Iran is a
regional power., and occupies an important position in international energy security and world economy as a result of its large reserves of
petroleum and
natural gas.
Iran is home to one of the world's oldest continuous major civilizations, with historical and urban settlements dating back to 4000 BC. The
Medes unified Iran as a nation and empire in
625 BC. as the official
religion of their empire, marking one of the most important turning points in the
history of Islam.
Etymology
The term
Iran (ایران) in modern Persian derives from the
Proto-Iranian term
Aryānām first attested in
Zoroastrianism's Avesta tradition.
Ariya- and
Airiia- are also attested as an ethnic designator in
Achaemenid inscriptions. The term
Ērān from
Middle Persian Ērān,
Pahlavi ʼyrʼn, is found at the inscription that accompanies the investiture relief of
Ardashir I at
Naqsh-e Rustam. In this inscription, the king's appellation in Middle Persian contains the term
ērān (Pahlavi:
ʼryʼn), while in the
Parthian language inscription that accompanies it, Iran is mentioned as
aryān. In Ardashir's time
ērān retained this meaning, denoting
the people rather than
the state.
Notwithstanding this inscriptional use of
ērān to refer to the
Iranian peoples, the use of
ērān to refer to the geographical empire is also attested in the early Sassanid period. An inscription of
Shapur I, Ardashir's son and immediate successor, apparently "includes in
Ērān regions such as
Armenia and the
Caucasus which were not inhabited predominantly by Iranians." In
Kartir's inscriptions the high priest includes the same regions in his list of provinces of the antonymic
Anērān. Its area roughly equals that of the
United Kingdom,
France,
Spain, and
Germany combined, or slightly less than the state of
Alaska. Its borders are with
Azerbaijan (432 km/268 mi) and
Armenia (35 km/22 mi) to the north-west; the
Caspian Sea to the north;
Turkmenistan (992 km/616 mi) to the north-east;
Pakistan (909 km/565 mi) and
Afghanistan (936 km/582 mi) to the east;
Turkey (499 km/310 mi) and Iraq (1,458 km/906 mi) to the west; and finally the waters of the
Persian Gulf and the
Gulf of Oman to the south. Iran's area is 1,648,000
km² (approximately 636,300
sq mi). The eastern part consists mostly of
desert basins like the saline
Dasht-e Kavir, Iran's largest desert, in the north-central portion of the country, and the
Dasht-e Lut, in the east, as well as some
salt lakes. This is because the mountain ranges are too high for rain clouds to reach these regions. The only large
plains are found along the coast of the
Caspian Sea and at the northern end of the Persian Gulf, where Iran borders the mouth of the
Shatt al-Arab (or the Arvand Rūd) river. Smaller, discontinuous plains are found along the remaining coast of the Persian Gulf, the
Strait of Hormuz and the
Sea of Oman.
Iran's
climate is mostly
arid or
semiarid, to
subtropical along the Caspian coast. On the northern edge of the country (the Caspian coastal plain) temperatures nearly fall below freezing and it remains humid for the rest of the year. Summer temperatures rarely exceed 29
°C (85
°F). Annual precipitation is 680
mm (27
in) in the eastern part of the plain and more than 1,700 mm (67 in) in the western part. To the west, settlements in the
Zagros basin experience lower temperatures, severe winters with below zero average daily temperatures and heavy snowfall. The eastern and central basins are arid, with less than 200 mm (eight in) of rain, and have occasional deserts. The United Nations predicts that by 2030 80% of the population will be urban. Most internal migrants have settled near the cities of
Tehran,
Isfahan,
Ahvaz, and
Qom. The listed populations are from the 2006/07 (1385
AP) census.
Tehran, with population of 7,705,036, is the largest city in Iran and is the Capital city.
Tehran is home to around 11% of Iran's population. Tehran, like many big cities, suffers from severe air pollution. It is the hub of the country's
communication and
transport network.
Mashhad is the second largest Iranian city and is one of the holiest
Shi'a cities in the world as it's the site of the
Imam Reza shrine. It is the second largest city and with a population of 2.8 million is the centre of the province of
Razavi Khorasan. It's the centre of tourism in Iran and between 15 and 20 million pilgrims go to the
Imam Reza's shrine every year.
The other major Iranian city is
Isfahan (population city: 1,986,542).
Isfahan is the capital of
Isfahan Province. The
Naghsh-e Jahan Square in Isfahan has been designated by
UNESCO as a
World Heritage Site. The city contains a wide variety of
Islamic architectural sites ranging from the eleventh to the 19th century. The growth of suburb area around the city has turned Isfahan to the second most populous metropolitan area (3,430,353).
The other major Iranian cities are
Karaj (population 1,732,275),
Tabriz (population 1,597,312) and
Shiraz (population 1,227,331). Tabriz is situated north of the volcanic cone of
Sahand south of the
Eynali mountain.
Tabriz is the largest city in north-western Iran and is the capital of
East Azarbaijan Province.
Karaj is located in
Tehran province and is situated 20 km west of
Tehran, at the foot of
Alborz mountains, however the city is increasingly becoming an extension of the metropolitan
Tehran.
History
Early history (3200 BC–625 centuries before the earliest civilizations arose in nearby Mesopotamia.
Proto-Iranians first emerged following the separation of Indo-Iranians, and are traced to the Bactria-Margiana Archaeological Complex. Aryan, (Proto-Iranian) tribes arrived in the Iranian plateau in the third and second millennium BC, probably in more than one wave of emigration, and settled as nomads. Further separation of Proto-Iranians into "Eastern" and "Western" groups occurred due to migration. By the first millennium BC, Medes, Persians, Bactrians and Parthians populated the western part, while Cimmerians, Sarmatians and Alans populated the steppes north of the Black Sea. Other tribes began to settle on the eastern edge, as far as on the mountainous frontier of north-western Indian subcontinent and into the area which is now Balochistan. Others, such as the Scythian tribes spread as far west as the Balkans and as far east as Xinjiang. Avestan is an eastern Old Iranian language that was used to compose the sacred hymns and canon of the Zoroastrian Avesta in c. 1000 BC. Zoroastrianism was the state religion of the Achaemenid empire and later Iranian empires, until the 7th century.
Pre-Islamic Statehood (625 The borders of the
Persian empire stretched from the
Indus and
Oxus Rivers in the east to the Mediterranean Sea in the west, extending through
Anatolia (modern day Turkey) and Egypt. In 499 BC Athens lent support to a revolt in
Miletus which resulted in the sacking of
Sardis. This led to an Achaemenid campaign against Greece known as the
Greco-Persian Wars which lasted the first half of the 5th century BC. During the
Greco-Persian wars Persia made some major advantages and razed Athens in 480 BC, But after a string of Greek victories the Persians were forced to withdraw. Fighting ended with the
peace of Callias in 449 BC.
The Achaemenid's greatest achievement was the empire itself. The rules and ethics emanating from
Zoroaster's teachings were strictly followed by the Achaemenids who introduced and adopted policies based on
human rights,
equality and banning of
slavery. Zoroastrianism spread unimposed during the time of the Achaemenids and through contacts with the exiled
Jewish people in
Babylon freed by Cyrus, Zoroastrian concepts further propagated and influenced into other
Abrahamic religions. The
Golden Age of Athens marked by
Aristotle,
Plato and
Socrates also came about during the Achaemenid period while their contacts with Persia and the Near East abounded. The peace, tranquillity, security and prosperity that were afforded to the people of the
Near East and
Southeastern Europe proved to be a rare historical occurrence, an unparalleled period where commerce prospered, and the standard of living for all people of the region improved.
Alexander the Great invaded Achaemenid territory in 334 BC, defeating the last Achaemenid Emperor
Darius III at the
Battle of Issus in 333 BC. He left the annexed territory in 328–327. In each of the former Achaemenid territories he installed his own officers as caretakers, which led to friction and ultimately to the
partitioning of the former empire after Alexander's death. A reunification wouldn't occur until 700 years later, under the Sassanids (see below). Unlike the
diadochic Seleucids and the succeeding Arsacids, who used a
vassalary system, the Sassanids—like the Achaemenids—had a system of governors (MP:
shahrab) personally appointed by the Emperor and directed by the central government. The new empire led by Alexander became the first, of other, later, foreign ruled Iranian empires that came to promote a
Persianate society.
Parthia was led by the Arsacid Dynasty (اشکانیان Ashkâniân), who reunited and ruled over the Iranian plateau, after defeating the
Greek Seleucid Empire, beginning in the late 3rd century BC, and intermittently controlled
Mesopotamia between
ca. 150 BC and 224 AD. These were the third native dynasty of ancient Iran and lasted five centuries.
After the conquests of
Media,
Assyria,
Babylonia and
Elam, the Parthians had to organize their empire. The former elites of these countries were
Greek, and the new rulers had to adapt to their customs if they wanted their rule to last. As a result, the cities retained their ancient rights and civil administrations remained more or less undisturbed.
Parthia was the arch-enemy of the
Roman Empire in the east, limiting Rome's expansion beyond
Cappadocia (central
Anatolia). By using a heavily-armed and armoured
cataphract cavalry, and lightly armed but highly-mobile
mounted archers, the Parthians "held their own against Rome for almost 300 years". Rome's acclaimed general
Mark Antony led a disastrous campaign against the Parthians in 36 BC in which he lost 32,000 men. By the time of Roman emperor
Augustus, Rome and Parthia were settling some of their differences through diplomacy. By this time, Parthia had acquired an assortment of
golden eagles, the cherished
standards of Rome's legions, captured from
Mark Antony, and
Crassus, who suffered "a disastrous defeat" at
Carrhae in 53 BC.
The end of the Parthian Empire came in 224 AD, when the empire was loosely organized and the last king was defeated by
Ardashir I, one of the empire's vassals.
Ardashir I then went on to create the Sassanid Empire. Soon he started reforming the country both economically and militarily. The Sassanids established an empire roughly within the frontiers achieved by the Achaemenids, referring to it as
Erânshahr or
Iranshahr, , "Dominion of the Aryans", for example of
Iranians), with their capital at
Ctesiphon. The Romans suffered repeated losses particularly by
Ardashir I,
Shapur I, and
Shapur II. During their reign, Sassanid battles with the
Roman Empire caused such pessimism in
Rome that the historian
Cassius Dio wrote:
In 632 raiders from the Arab peninsula began attacking the
Sassanid Empire. Iran was defeated in the
Battle of al-Qâdisiyah, paving way for the
Islamic conquest of Persia.
During Parthian, and later
Sassanid era, trade on the
Silk Road was a significant factor in the development of the great
civilizations of
China,
Egypt,
Mesopotamia,
Persia,
Indian subcontinent, and
Rome, and helped to lay the foundations for the modern world. Parthian remains display classically Greek influences in some instances and retain their oriental mode in others, a clear expression of "the cultural diversity that characterized Parthian art and life". The Parthians were
innovators of many architecture designs such as that of
Ctesiphon, which later influenced European
Romanesque architecture. Under the Sassanids, Iran
expanded relations with China, the
arts,
music, and
architecture greatly flourished, and centres such as the
School of Nisibis and
Academy of Gundishapur became world renowned centres of science and scholarship.
Middle Ages (652–1501)
After the
Islamic conquest of Persia, Iran was annexed into the
Arab Umayyad Caliphate. But the
Islamization of Iran was to yield deep transformations within the cultural, scientific, and political structure of Iran's society: The blossoming of
Persian literature,
philosophy,
medicine and
art became major elements of the newly-forming Muslim civilization.
Culturally,
politically, and religiously, the Iranian contribution to this new
Islamic civilization is of immense importance. Indeed, the culmination of Iran caused the "
Islamic Golden Age".
Abu Moslem, an Iranian general, expelled the
Umayyads from
Damascus and helped the
Abbasid caliphs to conquer
Baghdad. The
Abbasid caliphs frequently chose their "
wazirs" (viziers) among Iranians, and Iranian governors acquired a certain amount of local autonomy. Thus in 822, the governor of Khorasan,
Tahir, proclaimed his independence and founded a new Persian dynasty of
Tahirids. And by the
Samanid era, Iran's efforts to regain its independence had been well solidified.
Attempts of
Arabization thus never succeeded in Iran, and movements such as the
Shuubiyah became catalysts for Iranians to regain their independence in their relations with the Arab invaders. The cultural revival of the post-
Abbasid period led to a resurfacing of Iranian national identity. The resulting cultural movement reached its peak during the
9th and
10th centuries. The most notable effect of the movement was the continuation of the
Persian language, the language of the
Persians and the official language of Iran to the present day.
Ferdowsi, Iran's greatest epic poet, is regarded today as the most important figure in maintaining the Persian language.
After an interval of silence Iran re-emerged as a separate, different and distinctive element within Islam.
Iranian philosophy after the Islamic conquest, is characterized by different interactions with the Old
Iranian philosophy, the
Greek philosophy and with the development of
Islamic philosophy. The
Illumination School and the
Transcendent Philosophy are regarded as two of the main philosophical traditions of that era in Persia.
The movement continued well into the 11th century, when
Mahmud-a Ghaznavi founded a vast empire, with its capital at
Isfahan and
Ghazna. Their successors, the
Seljuks, asserted their domination from the
Mediterranean Sea to
Central Asia. As with their predecessors, the
divan of the empire was in the hands of Iranian
viziers, who founded the
Nizamiyya.
During this period,
hundreds of scholars and scientists vastly contributed to technology, science and medicine, later influencing the rise of European science during
the Renaissance.
In 1218, the eastern
Khwarazmid provinces of
Transoxiana and
Khorasan suffered a devastating
invasion by
Genghis Khan. During this period more than half of Iran's population were killed, turning the streets of Persian cities like
Neishabur into "rivers of blood", as the severed heads of men, women, and children were "neatly stacked into carefully constructed pyramids around which the carcasses of the city's dogs and cats were placed". Between 1220 and 1260, the total population of Iran had dropped from 2,500,000 to 250,000 as a result of mass
extermination and
famine.
In a letter to King
Louis IX of France,
Holaku, one of the
Genghis Khan's grandsons, alone took responsibility for 200,000 deaths in his raids of Iran and the Caliphate. He was followed by yet another conqueror,
Tamerlane, who established his capital in
Samarkand. The waves of devastation prevented many cities such as
Neishabur from reaching their pre-invasion population levels until the
20th century, eight centuries later.
But both
Hulagu,
Timur, and their successors soon came to adopt the ways and customs of that which they'd conquered, choosing to surround themselves with a culture that was distinctively Persian.
Early Modern Era (1501–1921)
Iran's first encompassing
Shi'a Islamic state was established under the
Azerbaijani Safavid Dynasty (1501–1722) by
Shah Ismail I. The Safavid Dynasty soon became a major political power and promoted the flow of bilateral state contacts. The Safavid peak was during the rule of
Shah Abbas The Great. The
Safavid Dynasty frequently locked horns with the
Ottoman Empire,
Uzbek tribes and the
Portuguese Empire. The Safavids moved their capital from
Tabriz to
Qazvin and then to
Isfahan where their patronage for the arts propelled Iran into one of its most aesthetically productive eras. Under their rule, the state became highly centralized, the first attempts to modernize the military were made, and even
a distinct style of architecture developed. In 1722 Afghan rebels defeated
Shah Sultan Hossein and ended the Safavid Dynasty, but in 1735,
Nader Shah successfully drove out the Afghan rebels from Isfahan and established the
Afsharid Dynasty. He then staged an incursion into
India in 1738 securing the
Peacock throne,
Koh-i-Noor, and
Darya-ye Noor among other
royal treasures. His rule didn't last long however, and he was assassinated in 1747. The
Mashhad based Afshar Dynasty was succeeded by the
Zand dynasty in 1750, founded by
Karim Khan, who established his capital at
Shiraz. His rule brought a period of relative peace and renewed prosperity.
The Zand dynasty lasted three generations, until
Aga Muhammad Khan executed
Lotf Ali Khan, and founded his new capital in
Tehran, marking the dawn of the
Qajar Dynasty in 1794. The capable
Qajar chancellor
Amir Kabir established
Iran's first modern college system, among other modernizing reforms. Iran suffered
several wars with Imperial Russia during the
Qajar era, resulting in Iran losing almost half of its territories to
Imperial Russia and the
British Empire, via the treaties of
Gulistan,
Turkmenchay and
Akhal. In spite of
The Great Game Iran managed to maintain her sovereignty and was never colonized, unlike neighbouring states in the region. Repeated foreign intervention and a corrupt and weakened Qajar rule led to
various protests, which by the end of the Qajar period resulted in
Persia's constitutional revolution establishing
the nation's first parliament in 1906, within a
constitutional monarchy.
Late Modern Era (1921–)
In 1921,
Reza Khan overthrew the weakening
Qajar Dynasty and became
Shah. Reza Shah initiated
industrialization,
railroad construction, and the establishment of a national
education system. Reza Shah sought to balance Russian and British influence, but when
World War II started, his nascent ties to Germany alarmed Britain and Russia. In 1941,
Britain and the USSR invaded Iran in order to utilize Iranian railroad capacity during
World War II. The Shah was forced to abdicate in favour of his son,
Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.
In 1951 Dr.
Mohammed Mossadegh was elected
prime minister. As prime minister, Mossadegh became enormously popular in Iran after he
nationalized Iran's oil reserves. In response Britain embargoed Iranian oil and invited the
United States to join in a plot to depose Mossadegh, and in 1953 President
Dwight D. Eisenhower authorized
Operation Ajax. The operation was successful, and Mossadegh was arrested on
19 August,
1953.
After Operation Ajax, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi's rule became increasingly
autocratic. With American support the Shah was able to rapidly modernize Iranian infrastructure, but he simultaneously crushed all forms of political opposition with his intelligence agency,
SAVAK.
Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini became an active critic of the Shah's
White Revolution and publicly denounced the government. Khomeini, who was popular in religious circles, was arrested and imprisoned for 18 months. After his release in 1964 Khomeini publicly criticized the United States government. The Shah was persuaded to send him into exile by General
Hassan Pakravan. Khomeini was sent first to
Turkey, then to
Iraq and finally to
France. While in exile he continued to denounce the Shah.
The
Iranian Revolution, also known as the
Islamic Revolution, began in January 1978 with the first major demonstrations against the
Shah. After strikes and demonstrations paralysed the country and its economy, the
Shah fled the country in January 1979 and
Ayatollah Khomeini soon returned from exile to Tehran, enthusiastically greeted by millions of Iranians. The
Pahlavi Dynasty collapsed ten days later on
11 February when Iran's military declared itself "neutral" after guerrillas and rebel troops overwhelmed troops loyal to the Shah in armed street fighting. Iran officially became an Islamic Republic on
1 April,
1979 when Iranians overwhelmingly approved a national referendum to make it so. In December 1979 the country approved a
theocratic constitution, whereby Khomeini became
Supreme Leader of the country.
The speed and success of the revolution surprised many throughout the world, as it hadn't been precipitated by a military defeat, a financial crisis, or a peasant rebellion. Although both nationalists and Marxists joined with Islamic traditionalists to overthrow the Shah, tens of thousands were killed and executed by the Islamic regime afterward, the revolution ultimately resulted in an Islamic Republic under
Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.
Iran's
relationship with the United States deteriorated rapidly during the revolution. On
4 November 1979, a group of Iranian students
seized US embassy personnel, labelling the embassy a "den of spies". They accused its personnel of being CIA agents plotting to overthrow the revolutionary government, as the CIA had done to
Mohammad Mossadegh in 1953. While the student ringleaders hadn't asked for permission from
Khomeini to seize the embassy,
Khomeini nonetheless supported the embassy takeover after hearing of its success. While most of the
female and
African American hostages were released within the first months, of Iraq's chemical weapons during the eight-year war. The total Iranian casualties of the war were estimated to be anywhere between 500,000 and 1,000,000. Almost all relevant international agencies have confirmed that Saddam engaged in chemical warfare to blunt Iranian
human wave attacks; these agencies unanimously confirmed that Iran never used chemical weapons during the war.
Government and politics
The political system of the Islamic
Republic is based on the 1979
Constitution. The system comprises several intricately connected governing bodies.
The Supreme Leader of Iran is responsible for
delineation and supervision of the general policies of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The Supreme Leader is
Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces, controls the military intelligence and security operations; and has sole power to declare war or peace. The Assembly of Experts is responsible for supervising the Supreme Leader in the performance of legal duties.
After the Supreme Leader, the Constitution defines the
President of Iran as the highest state authority. The President is elected by
universal suffrage for a term of four years and can only be re-elected for one term. The President is responsible for the implementation of the Constitution and for the exercise of executive powers, except for matters directly related to the Supreme Leader, who has the final say in all matters. Eight Vice-Presidents serve under the President, as well as a cabinet of twenty two ministers, who must all be approved by the legislature. Unlike many other states, the executive branch in Iran doesn't control the armed forces. Although the President appoints the Ministers of Intelligence and Defense, it's customary for the President to obtain explicit approval from the Supreme Leader for these two ministers before presenting them to the legislature for a vote of confidence. Iran's current president,
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, was elected in a run-off poll in the
2005 presidential elections. His term expires in 2009.
As of 2008 the
Legislature of Iran (also known as the
Majlis of Iran) is a
unicameral body. Before the
Iranian Revolution, the legislature was
bicameral, but the
upper house was removed under the new constitution. The
Majlis of Iran comprises 290 members elected for four-year terms. All Majlis candidates and all legislation from the assembly must be approved by the
Council of Guardians. The
Council of Guardians comprises twelve jurists including six appointed by the Supreme Leader. The others are elected by the
Parliament from among the jurists nominated by the Head of the
Judiciary. The Council interprets the constitution and may
veto Parliament. If a law is deemed incompatible with the constitution or
Sharia (Islamic law), it's referred back to Parliament for revision.
The Supreme Leader appoints the head of
Iran's Judiciary, who in turn appoints the head of the Supreme Court and the chief public prosecutor. There are several types of courts including public courts that deal with civil and criminal cases, and "revolutionary courts" which deal with certain categories of offenses, including crimes against
national security. The decisions of the revolutionary courts are final and can't be appealed. Its economic
infrastructure has been improving steadily over the past two decades but continues to be affected by
inflation and
unemployment. In the early 21st century the service sector contributed the largest percentage of the GDP, followed by industry (
mining and manufacturing) and
agriculture. In 2006, about 45% of the government's budget came from oil and natural gas revenues, and 31% came from taxes and fees. Government spending contributed to an average annual inflation rate of 14% in the period 2000–2004. Iran has earned $70 billion in
foreign exchange reserves mostly (80%) from crude oil exports (2007). In 2007, the GDP was estimated at $206 billion ($852 billion at PPP), or $3,160 per capita ($12,300 at
PPP). Because of these figures and the country’s diversified but small industrial base, the United Nations classifies Iran's economy as semi-developed.
The services sector has seen the greatest long-term growth in terms of its share of GDP, but the sector remains volatile. State investment has boosted agriculture with the liberalization of production and the improvement of packaging and marketing helping to develop new export markets. Thanks to the construction of many
dams throughout the country in recent years, large-scale
irrigation schemes, and the wider production of export-based agricultural items like
dates,
flowers, and
pistachios, produced the fastest economic growth of any sector in Iran over much of the 1990s. Iran's major commercial partners are China, Germany, South Korea, France, Japan, Russia and Italy.
Close to 1.8% of national employment is generated in the tourism sector which is slated to increase to 10% in the next five years. About 1,659,000 foreign
tourists visited Iran in 2004; most came from
Asian countries, including the republics of
Central Asia, while a small share came from the countries of the
European Union and
North America. However, in the early 2000s the industry still faced serious limitations in
infrastructure,
communications, regulatory
norms, and personnel
training. Weak advertising, unstable regional conditions, a poor public image in some parts of the world, and absence of efficient planning schemes in the tourism sector have all hindered the growth of tourism.
Since the late 1990s, Iran has increased its economic cooperation with other developing countries, including Syria, India, Cuba, Venezuela, and South Africa. Iran is expanding its trade ties with Turkey and Pakistan and shares with its partners the common goal of creating a single economic market in West and
Central Asia, called
ECO. Iran expects to attract billions of dollars of
foreign investment by creating a more favorable investment climate, such as reduced restrictions and duties on imports, and free-trade zones in
Chabahar,
Qeshm and
Kish Island.
The administration continues to follow the market reform plans of the previous one and indicated that it'll diversify Iran's oil-reliant economy. It is attempting to do this by
investing revenues in areas like
automobile manufacturing,
aerospace industries, consumer
electronics,
petrochemicals and
nuclear technology. Iran has also developed a
biotechnology,
nanotechnology, and
pharmaceuticals industry. The strong oil market since 1996 helped ease financial pressures on Iran and allowed for Tehran's timely debt service payments. Iranian
budget deficits have been a chronic problem, mostly due to
large-scale state subsidies, that include foodstuffs and especially gasoline, totaling more than $84 billion in 2008 for the energy sector alone.
Energy
Iran ranks second in the world in
natural gas reserves and third in
oil reserves. In 2005, Iran spent US$4 billion dollars on fuel imports, because of
contraband and inefficient domestic use. Oil industry output averaged 4 million barrels per day in 2005, compared with the peak of six million barrels per day reached in 1974. In the early 2000s, industry
infrastructure was increasingly inefficient because of technological lags. Few exploratory
wells were drilled in 2005.
In 2004, a large share of Iran’s natural gas reserves were untapped. The addition of new
hydroelectric stations and the streamlining of conventional
coal and oil-fired stations increased installed capacity to 33,000 megawatts. Of that amount, about 75% was based on natural gas, 18% on oil, and 7% on hydroelectric power. In 2004, Iran opened its first
wind-powered and geothermal plants, and the first
solar thermal plant is to come online in 2009.
Demographic trends and intensified industrialization have caused
electric power demand to grow by 8% per year. The government’s goal of 53,000 megawatts of installed capacity by 2010 is to be reached by bringing on line new gas-fired plants and by adding hydroelectric, and
nuclear power generating capacity. Iran’s first
nuclear power plant at
Bushehr wasn't online by 2007.
Industrial production
The authorities so as the private sector have put in the past 15 years an emphasis on the local production of domestic-consumption oriented goods such as home appliances, cars, agricultural products, pharmaceutical, etc. Today, Iran possesses a good manufacturing industry, despite
restrictions imposed by foreign countries. However, nationalized industries such as the
bonyads have often been managed badly, making them ineffective and uncompetitive with years. Today, the government is trying to
privatize these industries, such as
Damavand Mineral water company, and despite some successes, there are still several problems to be overcome such as the lagging corruption in the public sector (and therefore, nationalized industries) and lack of competitiveness.
Globally, Iran has leading manufacture industry in the fields of car-manufacture and transportations, construction materials, home appliances, food and agricultural goods, armaments, pharmaceuticals, information technology, power and petrochemicals.
Demography
Iran is a diverse country consisting of people of many religions and ethnic backgrounds cemented by the
Persian culture.
Persians constitute the majority of the
population. 70% of present-day Iranians are
Iranic peoples, native speakers of
Iranian branches of the
Indo-European languages. The majority of the population speaks the official language,
Persian, and other
Iranian languages or dialects, in addition Arabic is spoken in Southwestern Iran, and Turkic dialects, (for example Azeri, etc) are spoken in different areas in Iran. The main ethnic groups are
Persians (51%),
Azeris (24%),
Gilaki and
Mazandarani (8%),
Kurds (7%),
Arabs (3%),
Baluchi (2%),
Lurs (2%),
Turkmens (2%),
Laks,
Qashqai,
Armenians,
Persian Jews,
Georgians,
Assyrians,
Circassians,
Tats,
Mandaeans,
Gypsies,
Brahuis,
Hazara,
Kazakhs and others (1%). Studies show that Iran's rate of population growth will continue to slow until it stabilizes above 90 million by 2050. More than two-thirds of the population is under the age of 30, and the literacy rate is 82%.
Most Iranians are Muslims; 89% belong to the
Twelver Shi'a branch of
Islam, the official state religion, and about 9% belong to the
Sunni branch, mainly Kurds and Iran's Balochi Sunni. The remaining 2% are non-Muslim
religious minorities, including
Bahá'ís,
Mandeans,
Hindus,
Sikhs,
Yezidis,
Yarsanis,
Zoroastrians,
Jews, and
Christians. Currently, the Islamic Republic of Iran is noted for significant
human rights violations, despite efforts by human right activists, writers,
NGOs and some political parties. Human rights violations include governmental impunity, restricted
freedom of speech,
gender inequality, treatment of
homosexuals, execution of
minors, and in some cases torture.
According to the
Iranian Constitution, the government is required to provide every citizen of the country with access to
social security that covers
retirement,
unemployment, old age,
disability,
accidents, calamities,
health and medical treatment and
care services. This is covered by
public revenues and income derived from public contributions. The
World Health Organization in the last report on health systems ranks Iran's performance on health level 58th, and its overall
health system performance 93rd among the world's nations.
Foreign relations and military
Iran's foreign relations are based on two strategic principles: eliminating outside influences in the region and pursuing extensive diplomatic contacts with developing and
non-aligned countries. Iran maintains diplomatic relations with almost every member of the
United Nations, except for
Israel, which Iran doesn't recognize, and the
United States since the
Iranian Revolution. Since 2005,
Iran's Nuclear Program has become the subject of contention with the West because of suspicions regarding Iran's military intentions. This has led the
UN Security Council to impose
sanctions against Iran on select companies linked to this program, thus furthering its economic
isolation on the international scene.
The Islamic Republic of Iran has two kinds of
armed forces: the regular forces
Islamic Republic of Iran Army,
Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force,
Islamic Republic of Iran Navy and the
Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), totalling about 545,000 active troops. Iran also has around 350,000 Reserve Force totalling around 900,000 trained troops.
Iran has a paramilitary, volunteer militia force within the IRGC, called the
Basij, which includes about 90,000 full-time, active-duty uniformed members. Up to 11 million men and women are members of the Basij who could potentially be called up for service;
GlobalSecurity.org estimates Iran could mobilize "up to one million men". This would be among the largest troop mobilizations in the world.
Iran's military capabilities are kept largely secret. Since 1992, it has produced its own
tanks,
armored personnel carriers,
guided missiles,
submarines, and
fighter planes. In recent years, official announcements have highlighted the development of weapons such as the
Fajr-3 (MIRV),
Hoot,
Kowsar,
Zelzal,
Fateh-110,
Shahab-3 missiles, and a variety of
unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
The
Fajr-3 (MIRV) is currently Iran's most advanced
ballistic missile. It is a domestically-developed and produced
liquid fuel missile with an unknown range. The
IRIS solid-fuelled missile is a program which is supposed to be Iran's first missile to bring
satellites into orbit. In 2005, Iran's military spending represented 3.3% of the GDP or $91 per capita, the lowest figure of the
Persian Gulf nations. Iran's official military doctrine is to
defend its territorial integrity only.
Culture
The Culture of Iran is a mix of ancient pre-Islamic culture and Islamic culture.
Iranian culture probably originated in
Central Asia and the
Andronovo culture is strongly suggested as the predecessor of Iranian culture
ca. 2000 BC. Iranian culture has long been a predominant culture of the
Middle East and
Central Asia, with
Persian considered the language of intellectuals during much of the 2nd millennium, and the language of religion and the populace before that. The
Sassanid era was an important and influential historical period in Iran as Iranian culture influenced China, India and Roman civilization considerably, and so influenced as far as Western Europe and Africa. This influence played a prominent role in the formation of both European and Asiatic medieval art. This influence carried forward to the
Islamic world. Most of what later became known as Islamic learning, such as
philology,
literature,
jurisprudence,
philosophy,
medicine,
architecture and the
sciences were some of the practises taken from the
Sassanid Persians in to the broader Muslim world.
The Iranian New Year (
Nowruz) is an ancient tradition celebrated on
21 March to mark the beginning of spring in Iran. It is also celebrated in Afghanistan, Republic of Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan and previously also in Georgia and Armenia. It is also celebrated by the Iraqi and Anatolian Kurds. Norouz was nominated as one of
UNESCO's
Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity in 2004.
Iranian cinema has thrived in modern Iran, and many Iranian directors have garnered worldwide recognition for their work. Iranian movies have won over three hundred awards in the past twenty-five years. One of the best-known directors is
Abbas Kiarostami. The
media of Iran is a mixture of private and state-owned, but books and movies must be approved by the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance before being released to the public. State
censorship is often brought upon films which don't meet approval. The
Internet has become enormously popular among the Iranian youth. Iran is now the world's fourth largest country of
bloggers.
Language and literature
Article 15 of the Iranian constitution states that the "Official language (of Iran)... is Persian...[and]... the use of regional and tribal languages in the press and mass media, as well as for teaching of their literature in schools, is allowed in addition to Persian." Persian serves as a
lingua franca in Iran and most publications and broadcastings are in this language. Next to Persian there are many publications and broadcastings in other relatively large languages of Iran such as
Azeri,
Kurdish and even in relatively smaller ones such as
Arabic and
Armenian.
Many
languages have originated from Iran, but Persian is the most used language. Persian is a tongue belonging to the
Aryan or
Indo-Iranian branch of the
Indo-European family of languages. The oldest records in
Old Persian date back to the
Achaemenid Empire and examples of Old Persian have been found in present-day Iran,
Iraq,
Turkey and
Egypt. In the late 8th century the
Persian language was highly Arabized and written in a
modified Arabic script. This caused a movement supporting the revival of Persian. An important event of this revival was the writing of the
Shahname by
Ferdowsi (Persian:
Epic of Kings), Iran's national epic, which is said to have been written entirely in native Persian. This gave rise to a strong reassertion of Iranian national identity, and is in part responsible for the continued existence of Persian as a separate language.
—Ferdowsi (935–1020)
Persian beside Arabic has been a medium for literary and scientific contributions to the
Islamic world especially in
Anatolia,
central Asia and
Indian sub-continent. Poetry is a very important part of Persian culture. Poetry is used in many classical works, whether from Persian literature, science, or metaphysics. For example about half of
Avicenna's medical writings are known to be versified. Iran has produced a number of famous poets, however only a few names such as
Rumi and
Omar Khayyám have surfaced among western popular readership, even though the likes of
Hafez and
Saadi are considered by many Iranians to be just as influential. The books of famous poets have been translated into western languages since 1634. An example of Persian poetic influence is the poem below which is inscribed on the entrance of
United Nations' Hall of Nations.
—Saadi (1184–1283)
Art
Greater Iran is home to one of the richest
artistic traditions in world history and encompasses many disciplines, including
architecture,
painting,
weaving,
pottery,
calligraphy,
metalworking and
stone masonry. Carpet-weaving is one of the most distinguished manifestations of Persian culture and art, and dates back to ancient Persia. Persians were among the first to use
mathematics,
geometry, and
astronomy in architecture and also have extraordinary skills in making massive domes which can be seen frequently in the structure of bazaars and mosques. The main building types of classical
Iranian architecture are the
mosque and the
palace. Iran, besides being home to a large number of art houses and galleries, also holds one of the
largest and valuable jewel collections in the world. The oldest
backgammon in the world along with 60 pieces has been unearthed in southeastern Iran.
Iran ranks seventh among countries in the world with the most archeological architectural ruins and attractions from antiquity as recognized by
UNESCO. Fifteen of
UNESCO's
World Heritage Sites are creations of Iranian architecture and the
mausoleum of Maussollos was identified as one of the
Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
Cuisine
The
cuisine of Iran is diverse, with each province featuring dishes, as well as culinary traditions and styles, distinct to their regions. The main Persian cuisines are combinations of rice with meat, chicken or fish and some onion, vegetables, nuts, and herbs. Herbs are frequently used along with fruits such as plums, pomegranates, quince, prunes, apricots, and raisins. To achieve a balanced taste, characteristic Persian flavourings such as saffron, dried limes, cinnamon, and parsley are mixed delicately and used in some special dishes. Onions and garlic are normally used in the preparation of the accompanying course, but are also served separately during meals, either in raw or pickled form. Iranian food isn't spicy.
Science and technology
Ancient Iranians built
Qanats and
Yakhchal to provide and keep water. The first
windmill appeared in Iran in the
9th century. Iranians contributed significantly to the current understanding of
astronomy,
nature,
medicine,
mathematics, and
philosophy.
Muhammad ibn Mūsā al-Khwārizmī is widely hailed as the father of algebra. The discovery ethanol (alcohol) was first achieved by Persian alchemists such as Muhammad ibn Zakarīya Rāzi. Throughout the
Middle Ages, the
natural philosophy and
mathematics of the ancient Greeks and Persians were furthered and preserved within Persia. The
Academy of Gundishapur was a renowned centre of learning in the city of
Gundeshapur during late antiquity and was the most important medical centre of the ancient world during the sixth and seventh centuries. During this period, Persia became a centre for the manufacture of
scientific instruments, retaining its reputation for quality well into the 19th century.
Iran strives to revive the golden age of Persian science. The country has increased its publication output nearly tenfold from 1996 through 2004, and has been ranked first in terms of output growth rate followed by
China.
Despite the limitations in funds, facilities, and international collaborations,
Iranian scientists remain highly productive in several experimental fields as
pharmacology,
pharmaceutical chemistry,
organic chemistry, and
polymer chemistry. Iranian scientists are also helping construct the
Compact Muon Solenoid, a detector for
CERN's
Large Hadron Collider due to come online in May 2008.
In the biomedical sciences, Iran's
Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics is a
UNESCO chair in biology. in late 2006, Iranian scientists successfully
cloned a sheep by somatic cell nuclear transfer, at the
Rouyan research centre in Isfahan.
The
Iranian nuclear program was launched in the 1950s. Iran's current facilities includes several research reactors, a
uranium mine, an almost complete commercial
nuclear reactor, and uranium processing facilities that include a
uranium enrichment plant. The
Iranian Space Agency launched its first
reconnaissance satellite named
Sina-1 in 2006, and a "space rocket" in 2007, which aimed at improving science and research for university students.
Iranian scientists outside of Iran have also made some major contributions to science. In 1960,
Ali Javan co-invented the first
gas laser and
fuzzy set theory was introduced by
Lotfi Zadeh. Iranian cardiologist,
Tofy Mussivand invented and developed the first artificial cardiac pump, the precursor of the
artificial heart. Furthering research and treatment of diabetes,
HbA1c was discovered by
Samuel Rahbar. Iranian physics is especially strong in
string theory, with many papers being published in Iran. Iranian-American string theorist
Cumrun Vafa proposed the
Vafa-Witten theorem together with
Edward Witten.
Sports
With two thirds of Iran's population under the age of 25, sports constitutes a highly active portion of Iran's society, both traditional and modern. Iran hence was the birthplace of sports such as
polo, and
Varzesh-e Pahlavani.
Freestyle wrestling is traditionally referred to as Iran's
national sport. Former
WWF champion
Iron Sheik wrestled as an amateur in Iran before moving to the United States but today, the most popular sport in Iran is
football (soccer), with the
national team reaching the
World Cup finals three times, having won the
Asian Cup on three occasions and was the first country in the
Middle East to host the
Asian Games. Iran is home to several unique skiing resorts, with the
Tochal resort being the world's fifth-highest ski resort (at its highest station) situated only fifteen minutes away from Tehran. Being a mountainous country, Iran offers enthusiasts abundant challenges for hiking, rock climbing, and mountain climbing.
Women are also active in sports, primarily in
volleyball and
badminton and even
rallying. Female drivers participate in national rally tournaments, such as the famous driver
Laleh Seddigh.
Further Information
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