 IRAN'S
ISLAMIC REVOLUTION and the subsequent war with Iraq transformed
the country. The U.S.-backed shah was deposed in a 1979 revolution by fundamentalist
Islamic clergy that brought the Ayatollah Khomeini to power. This new force emboldened
Iran to take on its western neighbor, Iraq, in a social and economic war that last eight
years. A group of students held 52 Americans hostaged for 444 days in the U.S. Embassy in
Tehran, releasing them on Jan. 20, 1981, hours after Jimmy Carter left office. A moderate
was elected president last year, Mohammad Khatami, promising to bring about social reforms
and make overtures toward the United States. He sometimes finds himself opposed by
religious officials, who are now led by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. 
People |
Languages |
Persian and dialects 58%, Turkic and
dialects 26%, Kurdish 9%, Luri 2%, Balochi 1%, Arabic 1%, Turkish 1% |
| Major Religions |
Shi'a
Muslim 89%, Sunni Muslim 10%, Zoroastrian, Jewish, Christian, and Baha'i 1% |
| Ethnic groups |
Persian
51%, Azerbaijani 24%, Gilaki and Mazandarani 8%, Kurd 7%, Arab 3%, Lur 2%, Baloch 2%,
Turkmen 2%, other 1% |
| Growth rate |
2.04% |
| Birth rate |
31.37
births/1,000 |
| Death rate |
6.19
deaths/1,000 |
| Fertility rate |
4.31
children/woman |
| Male life expectancy |
66 |
| Female life expectancy |
69 |
| Infant mortality rate |
48.95
deaths/1,000 live births |
Economy |
Labor force |
15.4 million |
| Unemployment rate |
30% (1995) |
| Inflation Rate |
23% (1996) |
| Gross domestic product (total value of goods and services produced annually) |
$371.2
billion (1997 est.) |
| Budget |
$34.9
billion |
| Debt |
$21.9
billion (1996) |
| Exports |
$19.0
billion (1997 est.), primarily petroleum 80%, carpets, fruits, nuts, hides, iron, steel |
| Imports |
$15.6
billion (1997 est.), primarily machinery, military supplies, metal works, foodstuffs,
pharmaceuticals, technical services, refined oil products |
| Defense spending |
N/A |
| Highways |
162,000 km
(1996) |
Source: 1998 CIA World Factbook
|
|
