Iran (Persian: ايران) officially the Islamic Republic of Iran and formerly known internationally as Persia until 1935, is a country in Central Eurasia,located on the northeastern shore of the Persian Gulf and the southern shore of the Caspian Sea. Both “Persia” and “Iran” are used interchangeably in cultural context; however, Iran is the name used officially in political context. 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. It is a country of special geostrategic significance due to its central location in Eurasia. Iran is bordered on the north by Armenia, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan. As Iran is a littoral state of the Caspian Sea, which is an inland sea and condominium, Kazakhstan and Russia are also Iran’s direct neighbors to the north. Iran is bordered 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, the country’s largest city and the political, cultural, commercial, and industrial center of the nation. Iran is a regional power, and holds 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 7000 BC.The first Iranian dynasty formed during the Elamite kingdom in 2800 BC. The Iranian Medes unified Iran into an empire in 625 BC. They were succeeded by three Iranian Empires, the Achaemenids, Parthians and Sassanids, which governed Iran for more than 1000 years. Iranian post-Islamic dynasties and empires expanded the Persian language and culture throughout theIranian plateau. Early Iranian dynasties which re-asserted Iranian independence included the Tahirids, Saffarids, Samanids and Buyids. The blossoming of Persian literature, philosophy, medicine,astronomy,mathematics and art became major elements of Muslim civilization and started with the Saffarids and Samanids. Iran was once again reunified as an independent state in 1501 by the Safavid dynasty, who promoted Twelver Shi’a Islam as the official religion of their empire, marking one of the most important turning points in the history of Islam.”Persia’s Constitutional Revolution” established the nation’s first parliament in 1906, within a constitutional monarchy. Iran officially became an Islamic republic on 1 April 1979, following the Iranian Revolution.
Iran is a founding member of the UN, NAM, OIC and OPEC. The political system of Iran, based on the 1979 Constitution, comprises several intricately connected governing bodies. The highest state authority is the Supreme Leader. Shia Islam is the official religion and Persian is the official language.
Coordinates: 32°N 53°E / 32°N 53°E / 32; 53
Contents |
Etymology
The term Iran (ایران) in modern Persian derives from the Proto-Iranian term Aryānā, 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 (written as ʼyrʼn) is found on 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, the term aryān describes Iran. 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 relating to Shapur I, Ardashir’s son and immediate successor, includes regions which were not inhabited primarily by Iranians in Ērān regions, such as Armenia and the Caucasus.”In Kartir’s inscriptions the high priest includes the same regions in his list of provinces of the antonymic Anērān. Both ērān and aryān come from the Proto-Iranian term Aryānām, (Land) of the (Iranian) Aryas. The word and concept of Airyanem Vaejah is present in the name of the country Iran (Lit. Land of the Aryans) inasmuch as
Iran (Ērān) is the modern Persian form of the word Aryānā.
The country has always been known to its own people as Iran; however, to the outside world, the official name of Iran from the 6th century BC until 1935 was Persia or similar foreign language translations (La Perse, Persien, Perzie, etc.). In that year, Reza Shah asked the international community to call the country by the name “Iran”. A few years
later, some Persian scholars protested to the government that changing the name had separated the country from its past, so in 1949 Mohammad Reza Shah announced that both terms could officially be used interchangeably. Now both
terms are common, but “Iran” is used mostly in the modern political context and “Persia” in a cultural and historical context. Since the Iranian Revolution of 1979, the official name of the country has been the “Islamic Republic of
Iran.”
Geography and climate
Iran is the eighteenth largest country in the world 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) Iran consists of the Iranian Plateau with the exception of the coasts of the Caspian Sea and Khuzestan. It is one of the world’s most mountainous countries, its landscape dominated by rugged mountain ranges that separate various basins or plateaux from one another. The populous western part is the most mountainous, with ranges such as the Caucasus, Zagros and Alborz Mountains; the latter contains Iran’s highest point, Mount Damavand at 5,610 m (18,405 ft), which is not only the country’s highest peak but also the highest mountain on the Eurasian landmass west of the Hindu Kush. The Northern part of Iran is covered by dense rain forests called Shomal or the Jungles of Iran. The eastern part consists mostly of desert basins such as the Dasht-e avir, 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 ranges from arid or semiarid, to subtropical along the Caspian coast and the northern forests. On the
northern edge of the country (the Caspian coastal plain) temperatures rarely fall below freezing and the area 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. Average summer temperatures exceed 38 °C (100 °F). The coastal plains of the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman in southern Iran have mild winters, and very humid and hot summers. The annual precipitation ranges from 135 to 355 mm (five to fourteen inches).
Iran’s wildlife is
composed of several animal species including bears, gazelles, wild pigs, wolves,
jackals, panthers, Eurasian lynx, and foxes. Domestic animals include, sheep,
goats, cattle, horses, water buffalo, donkeys, and camels. The pheasant,
partridge, stork, eagles and falcon are also native to Iran.
Provinces and cities
Iran is divided into thirty provinces
(ostān), each governed by an appointed governor (استاندار, ostāndār). The
provinces are divided into counties (shahrestān), and
subdivided into districts (bakhsh) and sub-districts
(dehestān).
Iran has one of the highest urban growth rates in the world. From 1950 to
2002, the urban proportion of the population increased from 27% to 60%. 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 andtransport network.
Mashhad,
with a population of 2.8 million, is the second largest Iranian city and the
centre of the province of Razavi Khorasan. Mashahd
is one of the holiest Shi’a cities in the world as it
is the site of the Imam Reza shrine. It is
the centre of tourism in Iran and between 15 and 20 million pilgrims go to theImam Reza’s shrine every
year.
Another major Iranian city is Isfahan (population 1,986,542),
which is the capital of Isfahan Province. TheNaghsh-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 fourth major city of Iran is Tabriz (population 1,597,312)
capital of the East Azarbaijan
province which is the second industrial city of Iran after Tehran. Tabriz has been the second
largest city in Iran until the late 1960s and one of its former capitals and
residence of the crown prince under the Qajar dynasty. The city has proven
extremely influential in the country’s recent history.
The other major cities are Karaj (population 1,532,275), andShiraz
(population 1,227,331). 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 metropolitan
Tehran.
RECENT HISTORY
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, amidst Cold War
fears, 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 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
returned from exile to Tehran. 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 had not 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 had not 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, the remaining fifty-two hostages were held for 444 days. Subsequently attempts
by the Jimmy Carter administration
to negotiate or rescue were
unsuccessful. In January 1981 the hostages were set free according to the Algiers
declaration.
Iraqi leader Saddam
Hussein decided to take advantage of what he perceived to be disorder in the
wake of the Iranian Revolution and its unpopularity with Western governments.
The once-strong Iranian military had
been disbanded during the revolution. Saddam sought to expand Iraq’s access to
the Persian Gulf by acquiring
territories that Iraq had claimed earlier from Iran during the Shah’s rule. Of
chief importance to Iraq was Khuzestan which not
only has a substantial Arab population, but boasted rich
oil fields as well. On the unilateral behalf of the United Arab
Emirates, the islands of Abu Musa and the Greater and Lesser
Tunbs became objectives as well. On 22 September 1980 the Iraqi army invaded
Iran at Khuzestan, precipitating the Iran–Iraq War.
Although Saddam Hussein’s forces made several early advances, by 1982,
Iranian forces managed to push the Iraqi army back into Iraq. Khomeini sought toexport his Islamic
revolution westward into Iraq, especially on the majority Shi’a Arabs living
in the country. The war then continued for six more years until 1988, when
Khomeini, in his words, “drank the cup of poison” and accepted a truce mediated
by the United Nations. The total Iranian casualties of the war were estimated to
be anywhere between 500,000 and 1,000,000; with more than 100,000 Iranians being
victims of Iraq’s chemical weapons. 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.
Following the Iran–Iraq War President Akbar Hashemi
Rafsanjani and his administration concentrated on a pragmatic pro-business
policy of rebuilding and strengthening the economy without making any dramatic
break with the ideology of the revolution. Rafsanjani served until 1997 when he
was succeeded by the moderate reformist Mohammad Khatami.
During his two terms as president, Khatami advocated freedom of
expression, tolerance and civil society,
constructive diplomatic relations with other states including EU and Asian governments, and
an economic policy that supported free market and foreign
investment. However, Khatami is widely regarded as having been unsuccessful in
achieving his goal of making Iran more free and democratic. In the 2005
presidential elections, Iran made yet another change in political direction,
when conservative populist candidate Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
was elected over Akbar Hashemi
Rafsanjani.
A significant challenge to Ahmadinejad’s political power occurred during the2009
Iranian presidential election that was held on 12 June 2009, the tenth presidential election to be held in the country.The Islamic
Republic News Agency, Iran’s official news agency, announced that, with
two-thirds of the votes counted, incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
had won the election with 66% of the votes cast, and that Mir-Hossein Mousavi
had received 33% of the votes cast.
The European Union and
several western countries expressed concern over alleged irregularities during
the vote, and some analysts and journalists from the United States and United
Kingdom news media voiced doubts about the authenticity of the results.Mousavi issued a statement accusing the Interior Ministry, responsible for
conducting the election, of widespread election fraud and urged his supporters
to engage in peaceful protests. He also lodged an official appeal with the
Guardian Council for new and more transparent elections. Protests, in
favour of Mousavi and against the alleged fraud, broke out in Tehran. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali
Khamenei urged the nation to unite behind Ahmadinejad, labeling his victory
as a “divine assessment”.Khamenei then announced there would be an investigation into vote-rigging
claims. On 16 June, the Guardian Council
announced it would recount 10% of the votes. However, Mousavi stated that a
recount would not be sufficient since 14 million unused ballots were missing,
giving the Interior Ministry an opportunity to manipulate the results.On June 19, Supreme Leader Ayatullah Ali Khamenei denounced the pro-Mousavi
demonstrations as illegal, and protests the next day were met with stiff resistance from government forces,
with many reported deaths.
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 heads of the judiciary, state radio and television networks, the commanders
of the police and military forces and six of the twelve members of the Council of
Guardians are appointed by the Supreme Leader. The Assembly of Experts
elects and dismisses the Supreme Leader on the basis of qualifications and
popular esteem. 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. Presidential candidates must be approved by the Council of
Guardians prior to running in order to ensure their allegiance to the ideals
of the Islamic revolution.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. The President appoints and supervises the Council of
Ministers, coordinates government decisions, and selects government policies
to be placed before the legislature. 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 does not control the
armed forces. Although the President appoints the Ministers of Intelligence and
Defense, it is 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. The Majlis drafts legislation, ratifies
international treaties, and approves the
national budget. 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 is
referred back to Parliament for revision.In a controversial exercise of its authority, the Council has drawn upon a
narrow interpretation of Iran’s constitution to veto parliamentary candidates.
The Expediency
Council has the authority to mediate disputes between Parliament and the
Council of Guardians, and serves as an advisory body to the Supreme Leader,
making it one of the most powerful governing bodies in the country.
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 cannot be appealed. The Special Clerical Court handles crimes allegedly committed by clerics, although it has also
taken on cases involving lay people. The Special
Clerical Court functions independently of the regular judicial framework and is
accountable only to the Supreme Leader. The Court’s rulings are final and cannot
be appealed.
The Assembly of Experts,
which meets for one week annually, comprises 86 “virtuous and learned” clerics
elected by adult suffrage for eight-year terms. As with the presidential and
parliamentary elections, the Council of
Guardians determines candidates’ eligibility. The Assembly elects the Supreme Leader and has the constitutional authority to
remove the Supreme Leader from power at any time.As all of their meetings and notes are strictly confidential, the Assembly has
never been publicly known to challenge any of the Supreme Leader’s
decisions.
Local City
Councils are elected by public vote to four-year terms in all cities and
villages of Iran. According to article seven of Iran’s Constitution, these local
councils together with the Parliament are “decision-making and administrative
organs of the State”. This section of the constitution was not implemented until
1999 when the first local council elections were held across the country.
Councils have many different responsibilities including electing mayors,
supervising the activities of municipalities; studying, planning, co-ordinating
and implementing of social, cultural, educational, health, economic, and welfare
requirements of their constituencies.
Iranian presidential election 2009
On June 12, 2009, an Iranian presidential election was held between reformist
candidates Mir-Hossein Mousavi
and Mehdi Karroubi, and the
conservative candidate Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Official results handed President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad a 63% victory, sparking street
protests against alleged electoral fraud and in
support of opposition candidate Mir-Hossein Mousavi.
Many Iranians, and some analysts, have called the controversial election results
a coup
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 does not 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 the
Western suspicions that Iran could divert the civilian Nuclear technology to a
weapons program. 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 types 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 totaling around 900,000 trained
troops.Iran has not invaded any country over the past two centuries. 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. 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 military doctrine is based on deterrence
Since the Iranian revolution,
to overcome foreign embargo, Iran has developed its own military
industry, produced its own tanks, armored personnel
carriers, guided missiles, submarines,
military vessels, radar systems, helicopters and fighter planes.In recent years, official announcements have highlighted the development of
weapons such as the Hoot, Kowsar, Zelzal, Fateh-110, Shahab-3 and Sajjil missiles, and
a variety of unmanned aerial
vehicles (UAVs).The Fajr-3 (MIRV) is currently
Iran’s most advanced ballistic missile, it
is a liquid fuel missile with an
undisclosed range which was developed and produced domestically.
Economy
Iran’s economy is a mixture of central planning, state ownership of oil
and other large enterprises, village agriculture, and small-scale
private trading and service ventures. 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 from crude oil exports (80% as of 2007).In 2007, the GDP was estimated at $206 billion ($852 billion at PPP), or $3,160
per capita ($12,300 at PPP).Iran’s official annual growth rate was at 6% (2008). Because of these figures and the country’s diversified but small industrial
base, the United Nations classifies Iran’s economy as semi-developed.
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. Iran currently ranks 89th in tourist income, but is rated
among the 10 most touristic countries in the world. 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.
The administration continues to follow the market reform plans of the
previous one and indicated that it will diversify Iran’s oil-reliant economy.
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.
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.
Currently, the government is trying to privatize these
industries, and, despite 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.
Energy
Iran ranks second in the world in natural gas reserves and
also second in oil
reserves.It is OPEC’s 2nd
largest oil exporter. In 2005, Iran spent $4 billion on fuel
imports, because of contraband and inefficient
domestic use. Oil industry output averaged 4 million barrels per day (640,000 m³/d)
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 is
set to go online by mid-2009.
Demography
Iran is a diverse country consisting of people of many religions and ethnic
backgrounds cemented by the Persian culture. The
majority of the population speaks the Persian language, which
is also the official language of
the country, as well as other Iranian languages or
dialects. Turkic languages and
dialects (most importantly Azeri) are spoken in different
areas in Iran. Additionally, Arabic is spoken in the
southwestern parts of the country.
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%)
Iran’s population increased dramatically during the latter half of the 20th
century, reaching about 72 million by 2008. In recent years, however, Iran’s birth rate has dropped
significantly. Studies project 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 77%.Women today compose more than half of the incoming classes for universities
around the country and increasingly continue to play pivotal roles in
society.
Iran hosts one of the largest refugee populations in the
world, with more than one million refugees, mostly from Afghanistan and Iraq. Since 2006,
Iranian officials have been working with the UNHCR and Afghan officials for
their repatriation..According to estimates, between two and three million Iranian citizens
have emigrated to other countries, mostly since the Iranian Revolution in
1979.
Religion in Iran is
dominated by the Twelver Shi’a
branch of Islam,
which is the official state religion and to which about 89% of Iranians belong.
About 9% of Iranians belong to the Sunni branch of Islam,
mainly Kurds and Iran’s Balochi Sunni. The remaining 2% are non-Muslim religious
minorities, including Bahá’ís, Mandeans, Hindus, Yezidis, Yarsanis, Zoroastrians, Jews,
and Christians. The latter three minority religions are
officially recognized and protected, and have reserved seats in the Majlis (Parliament). However the Bahá’í Faith,
Iran’s largest religious minority,
is not officially recognized, and has been persecuted during its existence in
Iran. Since the 1979 revolution the persecution
of Bahá’ís has increased with executions, the denial of civil rights and
liberties, and the denial of access to higher education and employment.
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.
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 Asiatic and
European medieval art.This influence carried forward to the Islamic world. Much of
what later became known as Islamic learning, such as philology, literature, jurisprudence, philosophy, medicine, architecture and
the sciences were based on
some of the practises taken from the Sassanid Persians to
the broader Muslim world.
After Islamicization of
Iran Islamic rituals have penetrated in the Iranian culture. The most
noticeable one of them is commemoration
of Husayn ibn Ali. Every year in Day of Ashura most of
Iranians, including Armenians and Zoroastrians participate in
mourning for the martyrs of battle of Karbala.
Daily life in modern Iran is closely interwoven with Shia Islam and the country’s
art, literature, and architecture are an ever-present reminder of its deep
national tradition and of a broader literary culture.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.Nowrouz was nominated as one of UNESCO’s Masterpieces
of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity in 2004.
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
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. Iran is also famous for its caviar.Iranian food is not spicy.
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. Themedia
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. 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 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 credited for the continued
existence of Persian as a separate language.
| “ |
بسی رنج بردم در این سال سی
عجم زنده کردم بدین For thirty years, I suffered much pain and strife with |
” |
—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. Persian literature has been considered by such thinkers as Goethe as one of the four main bodies of world literature. The Persian language has produced a number of famous poets; however, only a few poets as Rumi and Omar Khayyám have surfaced among western popular readership, even though the likes of Hafez, Saadi, Nezami, Attar, Sanai, Naser Khusraw 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 widely popular:
| “ |
بنى آدم اعضاء يک پیکرند
که در آفرينش ز يک گوهرند چو عضوى دگر عضوها را نماند قرار Of one Essence is the human race thus has Creation put the base One Limb impacted is sufficient For all Others to feel the Mace |
” |
—Saadi (1184–1283)
Art and Architecture
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.
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.
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, natural science, medicine, mathematics, and philosophy. Muhammad
ibn Mūsā al-Khwārizmī is widely hailed as the father of algebra. Ethanol
(alcohol) was first identified 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.
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 Tehran.
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.
Iran placed its domestically-built satellite, Omid into the orbit on its 30th anniversary of Iranian Revolution, on February 2, 2009, through Safir rocket, becoming the ninth country in the world capable of both producing a satellite and sending it intospace from a domestically-made launcher.
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 has been traditionally referred to as Iran’s national sport, but today, the most popular sport in Iran is football (soccer), with the national team having reached the World Cup Final Tournament three times, and having won the Asian Cup on three occasions. Iran was the first country in the Middle East to host the Asian Games. It is home to several unique skiing resorts, with the Tochal resort being the world’s fifth-highest ski resort (3,730 m/12,238 ft
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.Iranian women are also
active in sports.
References
Further reading
- General
- Other
- Amazing Iran
- Contemporary Iranian Architecture
- Photography gallery: People, roads and landscapes of Iran
- James Whitaker speaks about his life in Iran, a discussion about Iran
- What You Know About Iran is Wrong by Fareed Zakaria, Newsweek, May 23 2009
NEPAL
Post a Comment