1 April 1979 (Islamic Republic of Iran proclaimed)
25 June 1991 (from Yugoslavia)
Religions
Muslim 98% (Shia 89%, Sunni 9%), other (includes Zoroastrian, Jewish, Christian, and Baha'i) 2%
Catholic 57.8%, Muslim 2.4%, Orthodox 2.3%, other Christian 0.9%, unaffiliated 3.5%, other or unspecified 23%, none 10.1% (2002 census)
Languages
Persian and Persian dialects 58%, Turkic and Turkic dialects 26%, Kurdish 9%, Luri 2%, Balochi 1%, Arabic 1%, Turkish 1%, other 2%
Slovenian 91.1%, Serbo-Croatian 4.5%, other or unspecified 4.4% (2002 census)
Exports
petroleum 80%, chemical and petrochemical products, fruits and nuts, carpets
manufactured goods, machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, food
External Debt
$17,900,000,000 $
$61,230,000,000 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 - 0.67 (2008 est.), 0.7345 (2007), tolars per US dollar - 190.85 (2006), 192.71 (2005), 192.38 (2004) note: Slovenia adopted the euro as its currency on 1 January 2007
Military Budget as percentage of GDP
2.500%
1.700%
Beijing Olympics Medal Count
2
5
Location
Middle East, bordering the Gulf of Oman, the Persian Gulf, and the Caspian Sea, between Iraq and Pakistan
Central Europe, eastern Alps bordering the Adriatic Sea, between Austria and Croatia
Area
1,648,195 km sq
20,273 km sq
Coastline
2,440 km
47 km
Climate
mostly arid or semiarid, subtropical along Caspian coast
Mediterranean climate on the coast, continental climate with mild to hot summers and cold winters in the plateaus and valleys to the east
