| |
JUST Response
country factsheets: IRAN
ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN
- Basic
facts
- Supreme
religious leader: Ayatollah Ali Hoseini-Khamenei
- President:
Ali Mohammad Khatami-Ardakani
- Population:
70 million.
- Population
growth rate: 1.07%.
- Population
below poverty line: 40%.
- Religions:
Shiite Muslim (89%), Sunnite Muslim (9%) - Zoroastrian, Jewish,
Christian & Bahai (2%).
- Total
area: 1,648,000 sq km.
- Currency:
Iranian rial (IRR) - US$ 1 = IRR 7,900 (Aug 2004).
- Oil
production:
3.804 million bbl/day.
- Oil
exports: 2.2 million bbl/day.
- GNP
growth rate: 6% (2003).
-
- Persistent problems
- Death penalty and cruel, degrading
punishments.
- Domestic drug consumption - over 2
million users.
- Drug trafficking - key point for
Southwest Asian heroin to Europe.
- Lax anti-money-laundering
regulations.
- Human rights reforms continue to be
blocked by Guardian Council, Iran's highest legislative body.
-
- Recent human rights violations
- Over 108 executions carried out in
2003.
- Severe curtailment of freedom of
expression - closure of scores of publications and internet site
filtering.
- Continuing parliamentary failure to
curtail powers of Guardian Council.
- Hundreds of students arrested
following mass demonstrations against privatisation of
universities.
- Continuing unfair detention with
denial of access to legal help.
-
- Important
dates
- 550
BC: Persian Empire established by Cyrus the Great.
- 820-1220:
Golden age of Persian culture.
- 1220-1500:
Mongol era.
- 1500-1795:
Safavid dynasty.
- 1795-1925:
Qajar dynasty.
- 1925-1979:
Pahlavi dynasty.
- 1970s:
Shah's opponents unite under Ayatollah
Khamenei.
- 1979:
Shah overthrown - Iran becomes a theocratic, Islamic republic after
2,500 years of monarchy.
- 1980:
Shah dies in exile in Egypt.
[More information will be added at future
updates]
Return to top
Return to
opening page
|
|
