the Islamic Republic include Ansar-e Hizballah, Mojahedin of the
Islamic Revolution, Muslim Students Following the Line of the Imam,
and the Islamic Coalition Association; opposition groups include the
Liberation Movement of Iran and the Nation of Iran party; armed
political groups that have been almost completely repressed by the
government include Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization (MEK), People's
Fedayeen, Kurdish Democratic Party of Iran; the Society for the
Defense of Freedom
International organization participation: CCC, CP, ECO, ESCAP,
FAO, G-19, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD,
IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM
(observer), ISO, ITU, NAM, OIC, OPEC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO
Diplomatic representation in US: none; note - Iran has an
Interests Section in the Pakistani Embassy, headed by Faramarz
FATH-NEJAD; address: Iranian Interests Section, Pakistani Embassy,
2209 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007; telephone: [1] (202)
965-4990
US diplomatic representation: none; note - protecting power in
Iran is Switzerland
Flag: three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and red;
the national emblem (a stylized representation of the word Allah) in
red is centered in the white band; ALLAH AKBAR (God is Great) in
white Arabic script is repeated 11 times along the bottom edge of
the green band and 11 times along the top edge of the red band
Economy
-------
Economic overview: Iran's economy is a mixture of central
planning, state ownership of oil and other large enterprises,
village agriculture, and small-scale private trading and service
ventures. Over the past several years, the government has introduced
several measures to liberalize the economy and reduce government
intervention, but most of these changes have moved slowly or have
been reversed because of political opposition. Iran has faced
increasingly severe financial difficulties since mid-1992 due to an
import surge that began in 1989 and general financial mismanagement.
At yearend 1993 the Iranian Government estimated that it owed
foreign creditors about $30 billion; an estimated $8 billion of this
debt was in arrears. At yearend 1994, Iran rescheduled $12 billion
in debt. Earnings from oil exports - which provide 85% of Iran's
export revenues - are providing less relief to Iran than usual
because of reduced oil prices. Iran's financial situation will
remain tight in 1996 because the bulk of payments due under its
rescheduling agreements in 1993-94 will be coming due.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $323.5 billion (1995 est.)
GDP real growth rate: -2% (1995 est.)
GDP per capita: $4,700 (1995 est.)
GDP composition by sector:
agriculture: 21%
industry: 37%
services: 42% (1994 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 60% (1995 est.)
Labor force: 15.4 million
by occupation: agriculture 33%, manufacturing 21%
note: shortage of skilled labor (1988 est.)
Unemployment rate: over 30% (1995 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $NA
expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA
Industries: petroleum, petrochemicals, textiles, cement and other
construction materials, food processing (particularly sugar refining
and vegetable oil production), metal fabricating, armaments
Industrial production growth rate: 4.3% (1994 est.)
Electricity:
capacity: 19,080,000 kW
production: 50.8 billion kWh
consumption per capita: 745 kWh (1993)
Agriculture: wheat, rice, other grains, sugar beets, fruits, nuts,
cotton; dairy products, wool; caviar
Illicit drugs: illicit producer of opium poppy for the domestic
and international drug trade; produced 35-70 metric tons in 1993;
net opiate importer but also a key transshipment point for Southwest
Asian heroin to Europe
Exports: $16 billion (f.o.b., 1994 est.)
commodities: petroleum 85%, carpets, fruits, nuts, hides, iron, steel
partners: Japan, Italy, France, Netherlands, Belgium/Luxembourg,
Spain, and Germany
Imports: $13 billion (c.i.f., 1994 est.)
commodities: machinery, military supplies, metal works, foodstuffs,
pharmaceuticals, technical services, refined oil products
partners: Germany, Japan, Italy, UK, UAE
External debt: $30 billion (1995 est.)
Economic aid:
recipient: ODA, $40 million (1993)
Currency: 10 Iranian rials (IR) = 1 toman; note - domestic figures
are generally referred to in terms of the toman
Exchange rates: Iranian rials (IR) per US$1 - 1,750 (January
1996), 1,747.93 (1995), 1,748.75 (1994), 1,267.77 (1993), 65.55
(1992), 67.51 (1991); black market rate: 4,000 rials per US$1
(December 1995); note - as of May 1995, the "official rate" of 1,750
rials per US$1 is used for imports of essential goods and services
and for oil exports, wheras the "official export rate" of 3,000
rials per US$1 is used for non-oil exports and imports not covered
by the official rate
Fiscal year: 21 March - 20 March
Transportation
--------------
Railways:
total: 5,093 km
broad gauge: 96 km 1.676-m gauge
standard gauge: 4,997 km 1.432-m gauge (146 km electrified) (1995)
Highways:
total: 140,200 km
paved: 42,700 km
unpaved: 97,500 km (1995 est.)
Waterways: 904 km; the Shatt al Arab is usually navigable by
maritime traffic for about 130 km; channel has been dredged to 3 m
and is in use
Pipelines: crude oil 5,900 km; petroleum products 3,900 km;
natural gas 4,550 km
Ports: Abadan (largely destroyed in fighting during 1980-88 war),
Ahvaz, Bandar Beheshti, Bandar-e 'Abbas, Bandar-e Anzali, Bandar-e
Bushehr, Bandar-e Khomeyni, Bandar-e Mah Shahr, Bandar-e Torkeman,
Jazireh-ye Khark, Jazireh-ye Lavan, Jazireh-ye Sirri, Khorramshahr
(limited operation since November 1992), Now Shahr
Merchant marine:
total: 130 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,791,892
GRT/4,891,615 DWT
ships by type: bulk 47, cargo 41, chemical tanker 5, combination
bulk 2, liquefied gas tanker 1, multifunction large-load carrier 1,
oil tanker 19, refrigerated cargo 3, roll-on/roll-off cargo 9,
short-sea passenger 1, specialized tanker 1 (1995 est.)
Airports:
total: 212
with paved runways over 3 047 m: 30
with paved runways 2 438 to 3 047 m: 11
with paved runways 1 524 to 2 437 m: 31
with paved runways 914 to 1 523 m: 17
with paved runways under 914 m: 22
with unpaved runways over 3 047 m: 1
with unpaved runways 2 438 to 3 047 m: 2
with unpaved runways 1 524 to 2 437 m: 10
with unpaved runways 914 to 1 523 m: 88 (1995 est.)
Heliports: 12 (1995 est.)
Communications
--------------
Telephones: 3.02 million (1992 est.)
Telephone system:
domestic: microwave radio relay extends throughout country; system
centered in Tehran
international: satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (2 Atlantic
Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean) and 1 Inmarsat (Indian Ocean Region); HF
radio and microwave radio relay to Turkey, Pakistan, Syria, Kuwait,
Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan; submarine fiber-optic cable to UAE
Radio broadcast stations: AM 77, FM 3, shortwave 0
Radios: 14.3 million (1992 est.)
Television broadcast stations: 28
Televisions: 3.9 million (1992 est.)
Defense
-------
Branches: Islamic Republic of Iran regular forces (includes Ground
Forces, Navy, Air and Air Defense Forces), Revolutionary Guards
(includes Ground, Air, Navy, Qods, and Basij-mobilization-forces),
Law Enforcement Forces
Manpower availability:
males age 15-49: 15,157,796
males fit for military service: 9,010,648
males reach military age (21) annually: 632,602 (1996 est.)
Defense expenditures: according to official Iranian data, Iran in
1994 budgeted 4,377 billion rials and in 1993 spent 2,182 billion
rials, including $850 million in hard currency; note - conversion of
defense expenditures into US dollars using current exchange rates
could produce misleading results
======================================================================
@Iraq
----
Map
---
Location: 33 00 N, 44 00 E -- Middle East, bordering the Persian
Gulf, between Iran and Kuwait
Flag
----
Description: three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and
black with three green five-pointed stars in a horizontal line
centered in the white band; the phrase ALLAHU AKBAR (God is Great)
in green Arabic script - Allahu to the right of the middle star and
Akbar to the left of the middle star - was added in January 1991
during the Persian Gulf crisis; similar to the flag of Syria that
has two stars but no script and the flag of Yemen that has a plain
white band; also similar to the flag of Egypt that has a symbolic
eagle centered in the white band
Geography
---------
Location: Middle East, bordering the Persian Gulf, between Iran
and Kuwait
Geographic coordinates: 33 00 N, 44 00 E
Map references: Middle East
Area:
total area: 437,072 sq km
land area: 432,162 sq km
comparative area: slightly more than twice the size of Idaho
Land boundaries:
total: 3,631 km
border countries: Iran 1,458 km, Jordan 181 km, Kuwait 242 km, Saudi
Arabia 814 km, Syria 605 km, Turkey 331 km
Coastline: 58 km
Maritime claims:
continental shelf: not specified
territorial sea: 12 nm
International disputes: Iran and Iraq restored diplomatic
relations in 1990 but are still trying to work out written
agreements settling outstanding disputes from their eight-year war
concerning border demarcation, prisoners-of-war, and freedom of
navigation and sovereignty over the Shatt al Arab waterway; in
November 1994, Iraq formally accepted the UN-demarcated border with
Kuwait which had been spelled out in Security Council Resolutions
687 (1991), 773 (1993), and 883 (1993); this formally ends earlier
claims to Kuwait and to Bubiyan and Warbah islands; dispute over
water development plans by Turkey for the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers
Climate: mostly desert; mild to cool winters with dry, hot,
cloudless summers; northern mountainous regions along Iranian and
Turkish borders experience cold winters with occasionally heavy
snows which melt in early spring, sometimes causing extensive
flooding in central and southern Iraq
Terrain: mostly broad plains; reedy marshes along Iranian border
in south; mountains along borders with Iran and Turkey
lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m
highest point: Gundah Zhur 3,608 m
Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, phosphates, sulfur
Land use:
arable land: 12%
permanent crops: 1%
meadows and pastures: 9%
forest and woodland: 3%
other: 75%
Irrigated land: 25,500 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment:
current issues: government water control projects have drained most
of the inhabited marsh areas east of An Nasiriyah by drying up or
diverting the feeder streams and rivers; a once sizable population
of Shi'a Muslims, who have inhabited these areas for thousands of
years, has been displaced; furthermore, the destruction of the
natural habitat poses serious threats to the area's wildlife
populations; inadequate supplies of potable water; development of
Tigris-Euphrates Rivers system contingent upon agreements with
upstream riparian Turkey; air and water pollution; soil degradation
(salinization) and erosion; desertification
natural hazards: dust storms, sandstorms, floods
international agreements: party to - Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test
Ban; signed, but not ratified - Environmental Modification
People
------
Population: 21,422,292 (July 1996 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 48% (male 5,179,240; female 5,014,141)
15-64 years: 49% (male 5,342,529; female 5,228,802)
65 years and over: 3% (male 307,097; female 350,483) (July 1996 est.)
Population growth rate: 3.69% (1996 est.)
Birth rate: 43.07 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)
Death rate: 6.57 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)
Net migration rate: 0.37 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.88 male(s)/female
all ages: 1.02 male(s)/female (1996 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 60 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 66.95 years
male: 65.92 years
female: 68.03 years (1996 est.)
Total fertility rate: 6.41 children born/woman (1996 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Iraqi(s)
adjective: Iraqi
Ethnic divisions: Arab 75%-80%, Kurdish 15%-20%, Turkoman,
Assyrian or other 5%
Religions: Muslim 97% (Shi'a 60%-65%, Sunni 32%-37%), Christian or
other 3%
Languages: Arabic, Kurdish (official in Kurdish regions),
Assyrian, Armenian
Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1995 est.)
total population: 58%
male: 70.7%
female: 45%
Government
----------
Name of country:
conventional long form: Republic of Iraq
conventional short form: Iraq
local long form: Al Jumhuriyah al Iraqiyah
local short form: Al Iraq
Data code: IZ
Type of government: republic
Capital: Baghdad
Administrative divisions: 18 provinces (muhafazat, singular -
muhafazah); Al Anbar, Al Basrah, Al Muthanna, Al Qadisiyah, An
Najaf, Arbil, As Sulaymaniyah, At Ta'mim, Babil, Baghdad, Dahuk, Dhi
Qar, Diyala, Karbala', Maysan, Ninawa, Salah ad Din, Wasit
Independence: 3 October 1932 (from League of Nations mandate under
British administration)
National holiday: Anniversary of the Revolution, 17 July (1968)
Constitution: 22 September 1968, effective 16 July 1970
(provisional Constitution); new constitution drafted in 1990 but not
adopted
Legal system: based on Islamic law in special religious courts,
civil law system elsewhere; has not accepted compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President SADDAM Husayn (since 16 July 1979); Vice
President Taha Muhyi al-Din MARUF (since 21 April 1974); Vice
President Taha Yasin RAMADAN (since 23 March 1991) were elected by a
two-thirds majority of the Revolutionary Command Council
head of government: Prime Minister SADDAM Husayn (since NA May
1994); Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Mikhail AZIZ (since NA 1979)
Revolutionary Command Council: Chairman SADDAM Husayn, Vice Chairman
Izzat IBRAHIM al-Duri
cabinet: Council of Ministers
Legislative branch: unicameral
National Assembly (Majlis al-Watani): elections last held 24 March
1996 (next to be held NA); results - percent of vote NA; seats -
(250 total, 30 appointed by SADDAM Husayn to represent three
northern provonces of Dahuk, Arbil, and As Sulaymaniyah)
note: in northern Iraq, a "Kurdish Assembly" was elected in May 1992
and calls for Kurdish self-determination within a federated Iraq;
the assembly is not recognized by the Baghdad government
Judicial branch: Court of Cassation
Political parties and leaders: Ba'th Party, SADDAM Husayn, central
party leader
Other political or pressure groups: political parties and activity
severely restricted; opposition to regime from disaffected members
of the Ba'th Party, Army officers, tribes, and Shi'a religious and
ethnic Kurdish dissidents; the Green Party (government-controlled)
International organization participation: ABEDA, ACC, AFESD, AL,
AMF, CAEU, CCC, ESCWA, FAO, G-19, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA,
IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol,
IOC, ITU, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPEC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO,
UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO
Diplomatic representation in US: none; note - Iraq has an Interest
Section in the Algerian Embassy; address: Iraqi Interests Section,
Algerian Embassy, 1801 P Street NW, Washington, DC 20036; telephone:
[1] (202) 483-7500; FAX: [1] (202) 462-5066
US diplomatic representation: none; note - the US has an Interests
Section in the Polish Embassy in Baghdad, which is in the Masbah
Quarter (opposite the Foreign Ministry Club); address: P. O. Box
2447 Alwiyah, Baghdad; telephone: [964] (1) 719-6138, 719-6139,
718-1840, 719-3791; Telex 212287
Flag: three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black
with three green five-pointed stars in a horizontal line centered in
the white band; the phrase ALLAHU AKBAR (God is Great) in green
Arabic script - Allahu to the right of the middle star and Akbar to
the left of the middle star - was added in January 1991 during the
Persian Gulf crisis; similar to the flag of Syria that has two stars
but no script and the flag of Yemen that has a plain white band;
also similar to the flag of Egypt that has a symbolic eagle centered
in the white band
Economy
-------
Economic overview: The Ba'thist regime engages in extensive
central planning and management of industrial production and foreign
trade while leaving some small-scale industry and services and most
agriculture to private enterprise. The economy has been dominated by
the oil sector, which has traditionally provided about 95% of
foreign exchange earnings. In the 1980s, financial problems caused
by massive expenditures in the eight-year war with Iran and damage
to oil export facilities by Iran, led the government to implement
austerity measures and to borrow heavily and later reschedule
foreign debt payments; Iraq suffered economic losses of at least
$100 billion from the war. After the end of hostilities in 1988, oil
exports gradually increased with the construction of new pipelines
and restoration of damaged facilities. Agricultural development
remained hampered by labor shortages, salinization, and dislocations
caused by previous land reform and collectivization programs. The
industrial sector, although accorded high priority by the
government, also was under financial constraints. Iraq's seizure of
Kuwait in August 1990, subsequent international economic embargoes,
and military action by an international coalition beginning in
January 1991 drastically changed the economic picture. Industrial
and transportation facilities, which suffered severe damage, have
been partially restored. Oil exports remain at less than 5% of the
previous level. Shortages of spare parts continue. Living standards
deteriorated even further in 1994 and 1995; consumer prices have
more than doubled in both 1994 and 1995. The UN-sponsored economic
embargo has reduced exports and imports and has contributed to the
sharp rise in prices. The Iraqi Government has been unwilling to
abide by UN resolutions so that the economic embargo can be removed.
The government's policies of supporting large military and internal
security forces and of allocating resources to key supporters of the
regime have exacerbated shortages. In brief, per capita output for
1994-95 is well below the 1989-90 level, but any estimate has a wide
range of error.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $41.1 billion (1995 est.)
GDP real growth rate: NA%
GDP per capita: $2,000 (1995 est.)
GDP composition by sector:
agriculture: NA%
industry: NA%
services: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): NA%
Labor force: 4.4 million (1989)
by occupation: services 48%, agriculture 30%, industry 22%
note: severe labor shortage; expatriate labor force was about
1,600,000 (July 1990); since then, it has declined substantially
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget:
revenues: $NA
expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA
Industries: petroleum, chemicals, textiles, construction
materials, food processing
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity:
capacity: 7,170,000 kW
production: 25.7 billion kWh
consumption per capita: 1,247 kWh (1993)
Agriculture: wheat, barley, rice, vegetables, dates, other fruit,
cotton; cattle, sheep
Exports: $NA
commodities: crude oil and refined products, fertilizer, sulfur
partners: US, Brazil, Turkey, Japan, Netherlands, Spain (1990)
Imports: $NA
commodities: manufactures, food
partners: Germany, US, Turkey, France, UK (1990)
External debt: $50 billion (1989 est.), excluding debt of about
$35 billion owed to Gulf Arab states
Economic aid:
recipient: ODA, $NA
Currency: 1 Iraqi dinar (ID) = 1,000 fils
Exchange rates: Iraqi dinars (ID) per US$1 - 3.2169 (fixed
official rate since 1982); black-market rate (December 1995) US$1 =
2,900 Iraqi dinars; semi-official rate US$1 = 1,000 Iraqi dinars
Fiscal year: calendar year
Transportation
--------------
Railways:
total: 2,032 km
standard gauge: 2,032 km 1.435-m gauge
Highways:
total: 45,554 km
paved: 38,402 km (including 976 km of expressways)
unpaved: 7,152 km (1989 est.)
Waterways: 1,015 km; Shatt al Arab is usually navigable by
maritime traffic for about 130 km; channel has been dredged to 3
meters and is in use; Tigris and Euphrates Rivers have navigable
sections for shallow-draft watercraft; Shatt al Basrah canal was
navigable by shallow-draft craft before closing in 1991 because of
the Persian Gulf war
Pipelines: crude oil 4,350 km; petroleum products 725 km; natural
gas 1,360 km
Ports: Umm Qasr, Khawr az Zubayr, and Al Basrah have limited
functionality
Merchant marine:
total: 36 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 795,346 GRT/1,432,292
DWT
ships by type: cargo 14, oil tanker 16, passenger 1, passenger-cargo
1, refrigerated cargo 1, roll-on/roll-off cargo 3 (1995 est.)
Airports:
total: 102
with paved runways over 3 047 m: 21
with paved runways 2 438 to 3 047 m: 34
with paved runways 1 524 to 2 437 m: 8
with paved runways 914 to 1 523 m: 6
with paved runways under 914 m: 16
with unpaved runways over 3 047 m: 2
with unpaved runways 2 438 to 3 047 m: 3
with unpaved runways 1 524 to 2 437 m: 3
with unpaved runways 914 to 1 523 m: 9 (1995 est.)
Heliports: 5 (1995 est.)
Communications
--------------
Telephones: 632,000 (1987 est.)
Telephone system: reconstitution of damaged telecommunication
facilities began after the Gulf war; most damaged facilities have
been rebuilt
domestic: the network consists of coaxial cables and microwave radio
relay links
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic
Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean Region)
and 1 Arabsat; coaxial cable and microwave radio relay to Jordan,
Kuwait, Syria, and Turkey; Kuwait line is probably nonoperational
Radio broadcast stations: AM 16, FM 1, shortwave 0
Radios: 4.02 million (1991 est.)
Television broadcast stations: 13
Televisions: 1 million (1992 est.)
Defense
-------
Branches: Army, Republican Guard and Special Republican Guard,
Navy, Air Force, Air Defense Force, Border Guard Force, Internal
Security Forces
Manpower availability:
males age 15-49: 4,832,001
males fit for military service: 2,711,312
males reach military age (18) annually: 237,843 (1996 est.)
Defense expenditures: $NA, NA% of GDP
======================================================================
@Ireland
-------
Map
---
Location: 53 00 N, 8 00 W -- Western Europe, occupying five-sixths
of the island of Ireland in the North Atlantic Ocean, west of Great
Britain
Flag
----
Description: three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side),
white, and orange; similar to the flag of Cote d'Ivoire, which is
shorter and has the colors reversed - orange (hoist side), white,
and green; also similar to the flag of Italy, which is shorter and
has colors of green (hoist side), white, and red
Geography
---------
Location: Western Europe, occupying five-sixths of the island of
Ireland in the North Atlantic Ocean, west of Great Britain
Geographic coordinates: 53 00 N, 8 00 W
Map references: Europe
Area:
total area: 70,280 sq km
land area: 68,890 sq km
comparative area: slightly larger than West Virginia
Land boundaries:
total: 360 km
border country: UK 360 km
Coastline: 1,448 km
Maritime claims:
continental shelf: not specified
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm
International disputes: Northern Ireland question with the UK;
Rockall continental shelf dispute involving Denmark, Iceland, and
the UK (Ireland and the UK have signed a boundary agreement in the
Rockall area)
Climate: temperate maritime; modified by North Atlantic Current;
mild winters, cool summers; consistently humid; overcast about half
the time
Terrain: mostly level to rolling interior plain surrounded by
rugged hills and low mountains; sea cliffs on west coast
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Carrauntoohill 1,041 m