King: Albert II Prime Minister-designate: Elio di Rupo
Population
78,868,711
10,438,353
Life Expectancy
70.350 years
79.650 years
Capital City
Tehran
Brussels
Largest city
Tehran (population: 7,153,310)
Brussels (population: 1,019,020)
Human Development Index
0.777
0.948
GDP per capita
$13,200 US
$38,200 US
Literacy Rate
77%
99%
Corruption Perception Index
2.3
7.3
Percentage of Women in Parliament
2.8%
36.2%
Wealthiest Citizens
NA
Albert Frere ($2.4bn US)
Unemployment Rate
15.300%
7.700%
Death Penalty
Legal
Abolished
Political System
theocratic republic
federal parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy
Independence date
1 April 1979 (Islamic Republic of Iran proclaimed)
4 October 1830 (a provisional government declared independence from the Netherlands); 21 July 1831 (King LEOPOLD I ascended to the throne)
Religions
Muslim 98% (Shia 89%, Sunni 9%), other (includes Zoroastrian, Jewish, Christian, and Baha'i) 2%
Roman Catholic 75%, other (includes Protestant) 25%
Languages
Persian and Persian dialects 58%, Turkic and Turkic dialects 26%, Kurdish 9%, Luri 2%, Balochi 1%, Arabic 1%, Turkish 1%, other 2%
Dutch (official) 60%, French (official) 40%, German (official) less than 1%, legally bilingual (Dutch and French)
Exports
petroleum 80%, chemical and petrochemical products, fruits and nuts, carpets
machinery and equipment, chemicals, diamonds, metals and metal products, foodstuffs
External Debt
$17,900,000,000 $
$1,399,000,000,000 US
Exchange Rate
Iranian rials (IRR) per US dollar - 9,142.8 (2008 est.), 9,407.5 (2007), 9,227.1 (2006), 8,964 (2005), 8,614 (2004) note: Iran has been using a managed floating exchange rate regime since unifying multiple exchange rates in March 2002
euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.6802 (2008), 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004)
Military Budget as percentage of GDP
2.500%
1.300%
Beijing Olympics Medal Count
2
2
Location
Middle East, bordering the Gulf of Oman, the Persian Gulf, and the Caspian Sea, between Iraq and Pakistan
Western Europe, bordering the North Sea, between France and the Netherlands
Area
1,648,195 km sq
30,528 km sq
Coastline
2,440 km
67 km
Climate
mostly arid or semiarid, subtropical along Caspian coast
