Iran: Background & Geography
| Introduction | Iran |
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Background:
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Known as Persia until 1935, Iran became an Islamic republic in 1979 after the ruling shah was forced into exile. Conservative clerical forces established a theocratic system of government with ultimate political authority vested in a learned religious scholar. A group of Iranian students seized the US Embassy in Tehran on 4 November 1979 and held it until 20 January 1981. During 1980-88, Iran fought a bloody, indecisive war with Iraq over disputed territory. Over the past decade, popular dissatisfaction with the government, driven by demographic changes, restrictive social policies, and poor economic conditions, has been pressuring for political reform. |
| Geography | Iran |
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Location:
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Middle East, bordering the Gulf of Oman, the Persian Gulf, and the Caspian Sea, between Iraq and Pakistan |
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Geographic coordinates:
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32 00 N, 53 00 E |
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Map references:
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Middle East |
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Area:
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total: 1.648 million sq km
land: 1.636 million sq km water: 12,000 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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slightly larger than Alaska |
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Land boundaries:
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total: 5,440 km
border countries: Afghanistan 936 km, Armenia 35 km, Azerbaijan-proper 432 km, Azerbaijan-Naxcivan exclave 179 km, Iraq 1,458 km, Pakistan 909 km, Turkey 499 km, Turkmenistan 992 km |
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Coastline:
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2,440 km; note - Iran also borders the Caspian Sea (740 km) |
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Maritime claims - as described in UNCLOS 1982 (see Notes and Definitions):
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territorial sea: 12 NM
continental shelf: natural prolongation contiguous zone: 24 NM exclusive economic zone: bilateral agreements or median lines in the Persian Gulf |
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Climate:
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mostly arid or semiarid, subtropical along Caspian coast |
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Terrain:
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rugged, mountainous rim; high, central basin with deserts, mountains; small, discontinuous plains along both coasts |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Caspian Sea -28 m
highest point: Kuh-e Damavand 5,671 m |
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Natural resources:
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petroleum, natural gas, coal, chromium, copper, iron ore, lead, manganese, zinc, sulfur |
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Land use:
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arable land: 10.17%
permanent crops: 1.16% other: 88.67% (1998 est.) |
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Irrigated land:
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75,620 sq km (1998 est.) |
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Natural hazards:
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periodic droughts, floods; dust storms, sandstorms; earthquakes |
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Environment - current issues:
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air pollution, especially in urban areas, from vehicle emissions, refinery operations, and industrial effluents; deforestation; overgrazing; desertification; oil pollution in the Persian Gulf; wetland losses from drought; soil degradation (salination); inadequate supplies of potable water; water pollution from raw sewage and industrial waste; urbanization |
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Environment - international agreements:
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party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation |
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Geography - note:
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strategic location on the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz, which are vital maritime pathways for crude oil transport |