Telephones:
Main lines in use: 28.76 million (2012); mobile cellular: 58.16 million (2012).
Broadcast media:
State-run broadcast media with no private, independent broadcasters; Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), the state-run TV broadcaster, operates 5 nationwide channels, a news channel, about 30 provincial channels, and several international channels; about 20 foreign Persian-language TV stations broadcasting on satellite TV are capable of being seen in Iran; satellite dishes are illegal but tolerated; IRIB operates 8 nationwide radio networks, a number of provincial stations, and an external service; most major international broadcasters transmit to Iran (2009).
Internet hosts:
197,804 (2012). Internet users: 8.214 million (2009).
Iran’s tap water is potable and all purified all over the country.
All the people drink this water.
We just recommend you to drink mineral water to avoid any probable problems because of the possible differences in the combination of minerals in the tap water. Mineral water bottles are available everywhere.
Area: Total 1,648,195 km2: land 99.3%, water 0.7%.
Iran is situated in Western Central Asia in the area commonly referred to as the Middle East. It was geographically known as Persia until as recently as the twentieth century.
In the North and Northwest, it is bordered by the Caspian Sea, Republic of Azerbaijan, Armenia and the autonomous Nakhchivan enclave.
To the West lie Turkey and Iraq.
Its southern boundaries extend to the scenic shores of the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman.
It is adjacent to Afghanistan and Pakistan in the East and Turkmenistan to the Northeast.
Border countries: Turkmenistan 1,148 km (713 mi), Turkey 534 km (332 mi), Iraq 1,599 km (994 mi), Armenia 44 km (27 mi), Azerbaijan Nakhchivan Enclave 44 km (27 mi), Azerbaijan 432 km (268 mi), Afghanistan 921 km (572 mi), Pakistan 959 km (596 mi).
The Zagros (Zāgros) Mountains stretch in a northwest-southeast direction, from Iran’s borders with Turkey and Iraq in the northwest to the Strait of Hormuz in the southeast.
The Elburz (Alborz) Mountains run along the south shore of the Caspian Sea to meet the border ranges of the Khorāsān region to the east. The tallest peak in the chain is the snow-clad Mount Damāvand (Demavend), which is also Iran’s highest point.
TIME: 3:30 pm = noon GMT.
Population (2018 est):
82’531’700 (growth rate: 1.22%); birth rate: 18.23/1000; infant
Summer (DST)
UTC04:30 (Iran Daylight Time (IRDT))
Driving side right
Calling code 98
ISO 3166 code: IR
Internet TLD .ir, ایران.
mortality rate: 39/1000; life expectancy: 70.89
Supreme Leader:
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (1989)
President:
Hassan Rouhani (2013)
Land area:
631,659 sq mi (1,635,999 sq km); total area: 636,293 sq mi (1,648,000 sq km)
Capital and largest city (2011 est.):
Tehran, 7.304 million
Other large cities:
Mashhad 2.713 million; Esfahan 1.781 million; Karaj 1.635 million; Tabriz 1.509 million; Shiraz 1.321 million (2011)
National name:
Jomhuri-ye Eslami-ye Iran (Islamic Republic Of Iran)
Languages:
Persian (official) 53% (everybody speaks Persian language all over the country), Azeri Turkic and Turkic dialects 18%, Kurdish 10%, Gilaki and Mazandarani 7%, Luri 6%, Balochi 2%, Arabic 2%, other 2%
Ethnicity/race:
Persian 61%, Azeri 16%, Kurd 10%, Arab 2%, Lur 6%, Baloch 2%, Turkmen 2%, other
Religions:
Muslim (official) 99.4% (Shia 90-95%, Sunni 5-10%), other (includes Zoroastrian, Jewish, and Christian) 0.3%, unspecified 0.4% (2011 est.)
Literacy rate:
85% (2008 est.)
Current is 220V AC, and the standard frequency is 50 Hz.
Wall sockets are mainly the European, two round-pin type.
Iran is a culturally diverse society, and interethnic relations are generally amicable. The predominant ethnic and cultural group in the country consists of native speakers of Persian. But the people who are generally known as Persians are of mixed ancestry, and the country has important Turkic and Arab peoples in addition to the Kurds, Baloch, Bakhtyārī, Lurs, and other smaller minorities (Armenians, Assyrians, Jews, Brahuis, and others).
The Persians, Kurds, and speakers of other Indo-European languages in Iran are descendants of the Aryan tribes that began migrating from Central Asia into what is now Iran in the 2nd millennium BCE. Those of Turkic ancestry are the tribes that appeared in the region—also from Central Asia—beginning in the 11th century CE, and the Arab minority settled predominantly in the country’s southwest (in Khūzestān) following the Islamic conquests of the 7th century.
The Kurds have been both urban and rural (nomadic), and they are concentrated in the western mountains of Iran. Also inhabiting the western mountains are Lurs. Closely related are the Bakhtyārī tribes, who live in the Zagros Mountains west of Iṣfahān.
The Baloch are a smaller minority who inhabit Iranian Baluchistan, which borders on Pakistan.
The largest Turkic group is the Azeris, a farming and herding people who inhabit the border provinces in the northwestern corner of Iran. Two other Turkic ethnic groups are the Qashqāʾī, in the Shīrāz area to the north of the Persian Gulf, and the Turkmen, of Khorāsān in the northeast.
The Armenians, with a different ethnic heritage, are concentrated in Tehrān, Iṣfahān, and the Azerbaijan region. A community of Georgians is centred on and around the city of Fereydūnshahr, in Iṣfahān province.
A few isolated groups speaking Dravidian dialects are found in the Sīstān region to the southeast.
Semites—Jews, Assyrians, and Arabs—constitute only a small percentage of the population. The Jews trace their heritage in Iran to the Babylonian Exile of the 6th century BCE. They have traditionally clustered in the largest cities. The Assyrians are concentrated in the northwest, and the Arabs live in Khūzestān as well as in the Persian Gulf islands.
In general, there live almost 61 ethnic groups in Iran with a very good peace and harmony.
Linguistically diverse, Persian (Farsi) is spoken by the majority of Iranians.
Several other related Indo-Iranian languages belonging to the Indo-European language family are spoken - Kurdish, Gilaki, Mazandarani, et al.
The minority languages include Armenian, Azeri Turkish, Caucasian languages such as Georgian and Circadian, and Arabic, among others.
A large percentage of Iranians speak moderate to advanced English. Tourist information is available in English at many hotels and cultural attractions.
As expected, signs, services and general information in rural and remote areas are less likely to accommodate the Anglophone tourist than in more populated areas.
The Perso-Arabic alphabet is the national standard. However, some signs, menus and general information are posted in English.
1-According to the IATA, any amount exceeding 10,000 USD must be declared upon arrival as is standard when entering most countries.
2-Ladies should cover their head with scarfs as soon as they enter into Iranian territory.
3-Drinking alcoholic beverages is forbidden according the law.
4-You can carry your mobile phone, tablet, or laptop with you.
Iranians are generally quite forgiving of Westerners for any minor cultural transgressions – they don't expect you to know all of the rules. Some useful things to remember are:
Dress modestly. This applies to both men and women.
Learn some Farsi before you go – a sure way to win local friends.
Take some small gifts from home to repay the many small acts of kindness and hospitality you're likely to receive while in Iran.
When invited to dinner take a tin of the local sweets (eg gaz in Isfahan).
Take the time greet people you meet – greetings are important to Iranians and starting conversation without a greeting is considered rude.
Never use the thumbs up sign, which is the equivalent of the middle finger ‘up yours’.
Men should not offer to shake a woman’s hand unless she offers first.
Take off your shoes when entering a home or a mosque.
The gents should close the door of the toilet to use it. It is a bad sign to keep it open.
Railways: 8,442 km (2010).
Roadways: total: 198,866 km; paved: 160,366 km (including 1,948 km of expressways); unpaved: 38,500 km (2010).
Waterways: 850 km (on Karun River and Lake Urmia) (2012). Ports and harbors: Assaluyeh, Bushehr. Airports: 319 (2013).
Iran had 178,152 km (110,811 mi) of roads in 2002, of which 118,115 km (73,468 mi) were paved, including 751 km (467 mi) of expressways.
A1, a major paved highway, runs from Bazargan on the Turkish border to the border with Afghanistan. Another major highway, A2, runs from the Iraqi border to the Pakistani border.
Much of the revolutionary government's road-building activity centered on improving roads in rural areas. In 2003 there were over 2,578,850 passenger cars and 666,550 commercial vehicles.
The state-owned Iranian State Railway has 7,203 km (4,480 mi) of broad and standard gauge track, as of 2004. Standard gauge accounts for nearly all—or 7,109 km (4,422 mi)—of all railroad right-of-way. The main line runs south for 1,392 km (865 mi) from Bandar Turkman on the Caspian Sea, through Tehrān, to Bandar-e Imam Khomeini on the Persian Gulf. Rail construction from Bafq to Sirjan has been completed and is operational.
New lines under construction are: Tehran-Kermanshah which will go to the border with Iran. And Tehran-Rasht-Ardebil, and some other railways.
Iran's main ports at Khorramshahr and Ābādān on the Persian Gulf were largely destroyed in fighting during the 1980–88 war with Iraq. Khorramshahr was restored to operation by November 1992. Other ports on the Gulf are Bandar-e Khomeini, Bandar-e 'Abbās, and Bandar-e Būshehr. Both Bandar-e Khomeini and Bandar-e Būshehr were damaged because of the war. The government was continuing the program to modernize the port at Bandar-e 'Abbās.
On the Caspian Sea, there are the ports of Bandar Anzeli (formerly Bandar Pahlavi) and Naushahr. In addition, there are the oil shipment ports of Kharg Island (a principal target in the war with Iraq) and Ābādān. As of 2004, there were 850 km (529 mi) of inland waterways on Daryācheh-ye Orūmiyeh (Lake Orumieh) and the Kārūn River. In addition, the Shatt al Arab is usually navigable by maritime traffic for about 130 km (81 mi). In 2005, the Iranian merchant marine included 144 vessels of at least 1,000 gross registered tonnage (GRT), with a total capacity of 4,715,242 GRT.
Iran had an estimated 305 airports in 2004, 129 of which had paved runways as of 2005; there were 15 heliports. Principal airports include Bandar-e 'Abbās, Mehrabad International at Tehrān, and Shirāz International at Shirāz. The state-owned Iran Air maintains frequent service to 15 cities in Iran and is an international carrier. In 2003, about 9.554 million passengers were carried on scheduled domestic and international flights.
