Location: Middle East, bordering the Gulf of Oman, the Persian Gulf and the Caspian Sea, between Iraq and Pakistan.
Land Area: 1.648 million sq. km (636,293 sq. miles)
Coastline: 3,180 km (1,976 miles)
Highest Point: Kuh-e Damavand 5,671 m (18,601 ft)
Lowest Point: Caspian Sea -28 m (-92 ft)
Notable Landmarks: Take a peek...

Iran's economy is marked by a bloated, inefficient state sector, over-reliance on the oil. Most economic activity is controlled by the state. Private business activity is typically small-scale - workshops, farming, and services. President KHATAMI has continued to follow the market reform plans of former President RAFSANJANI, with limited progress. Relatively high oil prices in recent years have enabled Iran to amass some $30 billion in foreign exchange reserves, but have not eased economic hardships such as high unemployment and inflation. The proportion of the economy devoted to the development of weapons of mass destruction remains a contentious issue with leading Western nations.

Gross Domestic Product (GDP): $516.7 billion (2004 est.)
GDP Per Capita: $7,700 dollars (2004 est.)
Number of Workers: 23 million (shortage of skilled workers) (2004 est.)
Unemployment Rate: 11.2% with considerable underemployment (2004 est.)
Industries: Petroleum, petrochemicals, textiles, cement and other construction materials; food processing (particularly sugar refining and vegetable oil production), metal fabrication, and weapons.
Currency: Iranian rial (IRR) What does it look like?

Type of Government: Theocratic republic
Chief of State: Supreme Leader Ayatolla ali Hoseini-Khamenei (since 4 June 1989)
Head of Government: President Mahmud Ahmadi-Nejad (3 August 2005)
Capital City: Tehran
Legal Age to Vote: 15, universal.
Flag Design: Three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and red; the national emblem (a stylized representation of the word Allah in the shape of a tulip, a symbol of martyrdom) in red is centered in the white band; ALLAH AKBAR (God is Great) in white Arabic script is repeated 11 times along the bottom edge of the green band and 11 times along the top edge of the red band.
Official Language: Persian and Persian dialects, 58 percent; Turkic and Turkic dialects, 26 percent; Kurdish, 9 percent; Luri, 2 percent; Balochi, 1 percent; Arabic, 1 percent; Turkish, 1 percent; and other, 2 percent.
Religions: Shiía Muslim 89 percent; Sunni Muslim 9 percent; Zoroastrian, jewish, Christian and Baha'i 2 percent.

Known as Persia until 1935, Iran became an Islamic republic in 1979 after the ruling monarchy was overthrown and the shah was forced into exile. Conservative clerical forces established a theocratic system of government with ultimate political authority placed in a learned religious scholar. Iranian-U.S. relations have been strained since a group of Iranian students seized the U.S. Embassy in Tehran on November 4, 1979 and held it until January 20, 1981. During 1980 to 88, Iran fought a bloody, indecisive war with Iraq that eventually expanded into the Persian Gulf and led to clashes between U.S. Navy and Iranian military forces between 1987 and 1988. Iran has been designated a state sponsor of terrorism for its activities in Lebanon and elsewhere in the world. It remains subject to U.S. economic sanctions and export controls because of its continued involvement. Following the elections of a reformist president and Majlis in the late 1990s, attempts to foster political reform in response to popular dissatisfaction have floundered as conservative politicians have prevented reform measures from being enacted, increased repressive measures, and consolidated their control over the government.