President: Maxwell Richards Prime minister: Kamla Persad-Bissessar
Population
78,868,711
1,226,383
Life Expectancy
70.350 years
71.670 years
Capital City
Tehran
Port-of-Spain
Largest city
Tehran (population: 7,153,310)
Chaguanas (population: 72,159)
Human Development Index
0.777
0.833
GDP per capita
$13,200 US
$20,300 US
Literacy Rate
77%
98.6%
Corruption Perception Index
2.3
3.6
Percentage of Women in Parliament
2.8%
33.3%
Wealthiest Citizens
Unemployment Rate
15.300%
6.400%
Death Penalty
Legal
Legal
Political System
theocratic republic
parliamentary democracy
Independence date
1 April 1979 (Islamic Republic of Iran proclaimed)
31 August 1962 (from UK)
Religions
Muslim 98% (Shia 89%, Sunni 9%), other (includes Zoroastrian, Jewish, Christian, and Baha'i) 2%
Roman Catholic 26%, Hindu 22.5%, Anglican 7.8%, Baptist 7.2%, Pentecostal 6.8%, Muslim 5.8%, Seventh Day Adventist 4%, other Christian 5.8%, other 10.8%, unspecified 1.4%, none 1.9% (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%
English (official), Caribbean Hindustani (a dialect of Hindi), French, Spanish, Chinese
Exports
petroleum 80%, chemical and petrochemical products, fruits and nuts, carpets
petroleum and petroleum products, liquefied natural gas (LNG), methanol, ammonia, urea, steel products, beverages, cereal and cereal products, sugar, cocoa, coffee, citrus fruit, vegetables, flowers
External Debt
$17,900,000,000 $
$4,483,000,000 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
Trinidad and Tobago dollars (TTD) per US dollar - 6.3228 (2008 est.), 6.3275 (2007), 6.3107 (2006), 6.2842 (2005), 6.299 (2004)
Military Budget as percentage of GDP
2.500%
0.300%
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
Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Venezuela
Area
1,648,195 km sq
5,128 km sq
Coastline
2,440 km
362 km
Climate
mostly arid or semiarid, subtropical along Caspian coast
