Iran Information Guide & Facts

Full Country Name: Islamic Republic of Iran
Area: 1.648 million sq km (636,296 sq miles)
Population: 70 million (UN estimate for 2000)
Capital City: Tehran (population: approx 12-15 million)
People: The majority are Persian, but there is a significant Azeri minority. Some of the other ethnic groups are Kurds, Arabs, Lurs, Baluchis and Turkmen
Languages: Persian (Farsi) is the national language. Azeri is the next most widely spoken language, in the north west around Tabriz. Other languages are Kurdish (in the west), Arabic, Luri and Baluchi
Religion(s): The official religion is Shi'a Islam. The majority of the population are Muslims, approximately 91% are Shi'a, 8% are Sunni and the rest are Zoroastrian, Jewish, Christian, and Baha'i
Currency: 10 Iranian Rials=1 Toman

GEOGRAPHY

Iran is located in the Middle East, bounded to the north by Armenia, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan and the Caspian Sea, to the east by Afghanistan and Pakistan, to the south by the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, and to the west by Iraq and Turkey. It is nearly seven times the size of the UK and twice the size of Turkey. The centre and east of the country is largely barren desert, punctuated by qanats (irrigation canals) and oases. There are mountainous regions in the west along the Turkish and Iraqi borders and in the north, where the Elburz Mountains rise steeply from a fertile belt around the Caspian Sea.