Ethnicity/Race: Persian 51%, Azerbaijani 24%, Gilaki and Mazandarani
8%, Kurd 7%, Arab 3%, Lur 2%, Baloch 2%, Turkmen
2%, other 1%
Language: Persian
(Farsi) is the most widely spoken language. Arabic
is spoken in Khuzestan in the southwest, and Turkish
in the northwest around Tabriz. English, French
and (to a lesser extent) German are spoken by
many businessmen and officials.
Currency: Iranian
Rial (IR) = 100 dinars. Notes are in denominations
of IR10,000, 5000, 2000 and 1000. Coins are in
denominations of IR250, 100, 50, 20, 10 and 5.
Religion: Predominantly
Islamic; mostly Shiite, with a minority of Sunnis.
The 1976 census recorded 300,000 Christians, 80,000
Jews and 30,000 Zoroastrians.
Time: GMT + 3.5
(GMT + 4.5 from 20 March to 21 September).
Electricity:
220 volts AC, 50Hz. Plugs are of the round two-pin
type.
Geography:
Iran is located in the Middle East, bounded to
the north by Turkmenistan and the Caspian Sea,
the east by Afghanistan and Pakistan, the south
by the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, and
the west by Iraq and Turkey. The centre and east
of the country are largely barren undulating desert,
punctured by qanats (irrigation canals) and green
oases, but there are mountainous regions in the
west along the Turkish and Iraqi borders and in
the north where the Elburz Mountains rise steeply
from a fertile belt around the Caspian Sea.
Climate: Dry
and hot in summer, harsh in winter. Low annual
rainfall.
Government Structure:
IIran is a theocratic Islamic republic
governed under the constitution of 1979, which
codified Islamic principles of government. The
constitution was revised in 1989, expanding presidential
powers and eliminating the position of prime minister.
The president, who is popularly elected for a
four-year term, serves as the head of government.
The supreme leader, who effectively serves as
the chief of state, is appointed for life by an
Islamic religious advisory board that works in
close conjunction with the government. The legislative
branch consists of the 270-seat Islamic consultative
assembly, whose members are elected by popular
vote. Although Iran has no legal political parties,
there are at least three important political groups,
as well as a number of pressure groups, some of
which have been suppressed by the government.
Heritage and Traditions
of Iran: An Iranian wedding custom
began when the country was still called Persia.
The groom would purchase the ceremonial wedding
dress for his bride-to-be. This gown consisted
of ten feet of sheeting that he would wrap around
his intended wife.
During wedding ceremony, it is an Iranian custom
for a happily married woman to hold a translucent
shawl over the couple's heads.
After the newlyweds have exchanged their wedding
vows, crumbs from two decorated sugar cones are
shaved over their heads for good luck.
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Telephone: IDD
service available. Country code: 98. Outgoing
international code: 00. Telephone booths are yellow
Mobile telephone:
GSM 900 network. Main network operators include
Payam Kish (website: www.payamkish.com) and TCI
(website: www.iran-telecom.com).
Fax: Facilities
are available at main post offices. There are
three charge bands. There are also fax facilities
at the major hotels
Internet: ISPs
include Tehran Web (website: www.mz3.com) and
Pishgaman Kavir Yazd (website: www.yazd.co.ir).
There are Internet cafes in Teheran and other
cities.
Post: Airmail
to Western Europe can take at least two weeks.
There are ten main Post offices in Tehran. Post
boxes are yellow. Stamps can be bought at some
cigarette kiosks. Post office hours: Generally
Sat-Thurs 0730-1500, but some main post offices
stay open until 2100.
Press: The main
English-language papers are the Tehran Times,
Kayhan International and Iran News.
