Official name: Islamic Republic of Iran (formerly known as Persia)
Location: Middle East, neighboring Iraq and Turkey on the west, Afghanistan and Pakistan on the east, Caspian Sea in the north and the Persian Gulf in the south
Population: 70 million (U.N., 2005)
Size: 636,313 square miles (slightly larger than Alaska)
Major cities: Teheran (capital), Esfehan, Shiraz, Mashhad, and Tabriz
Official language: Persian (Farsi). Arabic is the religious language of Islam, but most Iranians cannot speak or understand Arabic.
Major Religions: Shi’i Muslims, 89%. Sunni Muslims 9%. Iran’s constitution officially recognizes four religions: Islam, Christianity, Judaism, and Zoroastrianism (the religion of indigenous people)
Major ethnic groups: Persian 51%, Azeri 24%, Kurdish 7%, Arab 3%, Baloch 2%
Currency: rials (10 Iranian rials = 1 toman) $1US = 900 tomans
Calendar: Iran and Afghanistan, alone in the world, employ a unique composite Islamic/solar calendar. The first day of the week is Saturday; Friday is the public holiday. The Iranian year starts on March 21, the first day of spring.
Main exports: Petroleum, carpets, agricultural products
Political system: Shi’i theocracy (since 1979). Iran is the only country in the world where the Shi’i interpretation of Sharia law is the official law of the land. According to Iran’s constitution, the ultimate political power is in the hands of the “Supreme Leader,” a high-ranking Shi’i clergyman selected by an elected body of top clerics. The Supreme Leader is both religious and political leader of the country. He is Commander in Chief, has veto power in almost all political matters, and selects the Chief Justice. The head of the executive body, the President, is elected by the people. Iran also has a national parliament (known as the Islamic Assembly or Majlis) whose members are elected by direct vote.
Political leaders:
Supreme leader: Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
President: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
Chief Justice: Ayatollah Hashemi Shahrudi
Speaker of the parliament: Gholam Ali Haddad Aadel
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