Compare any two countries
Israel | Country | 
Iran |
Israeli president: Shimon Peres | Leader | 
Supreme leader: Ayatollah Ali Khamenei |
parliamentary democracy
| Political system | theocratic republic
|
14 May 1948 (from League of Nations mandate under British administration)
| Independence date | 1 April 1979 (Islamic Republic of Iran proclaimed)
|
7,112,360
| Population | 65,875,200
|
80.61 years
| Life expectancy | 70.86 years
|
Jerusalem
| Capital | Tehran
|
| Jerusalem (population: 714,000) | Largest city | Tehran (population: 7,153,310) |
| 0.93 | Human development index | 0.777 |
$28,900 US
| GDP per capita | $13,100 US
|
97.1%
| Literacy rate | 77%
|
| 6 | Corruption perception index | 2.3 |
| 14.2% | Percentage of women in parliament | 2.8% |
| Abolished except for special circumstances | Death penalty status | Legal |
Jewish 76.4%, Muslim 16%, Arab Christians 1.7%, other Christian 0.4%, Druze 1.6%, unspecified 3.9% (2004)
| Religions | Muslim 98% (Shia 89%, Sunni 9%), other (includes Zoroastrian, Jewish, Christian, and Baha'i) 2%
|
Hebrew (official), Arabic used officially for Arab minority, English most commonly used foreign language
| Languages | Persian and Persian dialects 58%, Turkic and Turkic dialects 26%, Kurdish 9%, Luri 2%, Balochi 1%, Arabic 1%, Turkish 1%, other 2%
|
| Sammy Ofer & family ($4.0bn US) | Wealthiest citizen | NA |
6.1%
| Unemployment rate | 12.5%
|
machinery and equipment, software, cut diamonds, agricultural products, chemicals, textiles and apparel
| Exports | petroleum 80%, chemical and petrochemical products, fruits and nuts, carpets
|
$91,250,000,000 $
| External debt | $21,770,000,000 US
|
new Israeli shekels (ILS) per US dollar - 3.56 (2008 est.), 4.14 (2007), 4.4565 (2006), 4.4877 (2005), 4.482 (2004)
| Currency 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
|
7.3%
| Military budget as percentage of GDP | 2.5%
|
| 1 | Beijing olympics medal count | 2 |
Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt and Lebanon
| Location | Middle East, bordering the Gulf of Oman, the Persian Gulf, and the Caspian Sea, between Iraq and Pakistan
|
20,330 km sq
| Area | 1,636,000 km sq
|
273 km
| Coastline | 2,440 km
|
temperate; hot and dry in southern and eastern desert areas
| Climate | mostly arid or semiarid, subtropical along Caspian coast
|
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