President: Tony Tan Prime minister: Lee Hsien Loong
Population
78,868,711
5,353,494
Life Expectancy
70.350 years
83.750 years
Capital City
Tehran
Singapore
Largest city
Tehran (population: 7,153,310)
Singapore (population: 3,547,810)
Human Development Index
0.777
0.918
GDP per capita
$13,200 US
$60,500 US
Literacy Rate
77%
92.5%
Corruption Perception Index
2.3
9.2
Percentage of Women in Parliament
2.8%
24.5%
Wealthiest Citizens
NA
Ng Teng Fong & family ($5.5bn US)
Unemployment Rate
15.300%
2.000%
Death Penalty
Legal
Legal
Political System
theocratic republic
parliamentary republic
Independence date
1 April 1979 (Islamic Republic of Iran proclaimed)
9 August 1965 (from Malaysian Federation)
Religions
Muslim 98% (Shia 89%, Sunni 9%), other (includes Zoroastrian, Jewish, Christian, and Baha'i) 2%
Buddhist 42.5%, Muslim 14.9%, Taoist 8.5%, Hindu 4%, Catholic 4.8%, other Christian 9.8%, other 0.7%, none 14.8% (2000 census)
Languages
Persian and Persian dialects 58%, Turkic and Turkic dialects 26%, Kurdish 9%, Luri 2%, Balochi 1%, Arabic 1%, Turkish 1%, other 2%
Mandarin 35%, English 23%, Malay 14.1%, Hokkien 11.4%, Cantonese 5.7%, Teochew 4.9%, Tamil 3.2%, other Chinese dialects 1.8%, other 0.9% (2000 census)
Exports
petroleum 80%, chemical and petrochemical products, fruits and nuts, carpets
machinery and equipment (including electronics), consumer goods, pharmaceuticals and other chemicals, mineral fuels
External Debt
$17,900,000,000 $
$23,580,000,000 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
Singapore dollars (SGD) per US dollar - 1.415 (2008 est.), 1.507 (2007), 1.5889 (2006), 1.6644 (2005), 1.6902 (2004)
Military Budget as percentage of GDP
2.500%
4.900%
Beijing Olympics Medal Count
2
1
Location
Middle East, bordering the Gulf of Oman, the Persian Gulf, and the Caspian Sea, between Iraq and Pakistan
Southeastern Asia, islands between Malaysia and Indonesia
Area
1,648,195 km sq
697 km sq
Coastline
2,440 km
193 km
Climate
mostly arid or semiarid, subtropical along Caspian coast
tropical; hot, humid, rainy; two distinct monsoon seasons - Northeastern monsoon (December to March) and Southwestern monsoon (June to September); inter-monsoon - frequent afternoon and early evening thunderstorms
