southwest of Mexico
Geographic coordinates: 10 17 N, 109 13 W
Map references: Political Map of the World
Area: total: 7 sq km water: 0 sq km land: 7 sq km
Area - comparative: about 12 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 11.1 km
Maritime claims: exclusive economic zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: tropical; humid, average temperature 20-32 degrees C, rains
May-October
Terrain: coral atoll
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point:
Rocher Clipperton 29 m
Natural resources: fish
Land use: arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (all coral)
(1998 est.)
Irrigated land: 0 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards: NA
Environment - current issues: NA
Geography - note: reef about 8 km in circumference
People Clipperton Island
Population: uninhabited (July 2002 est.)
Population growth rate: NA
Government Clipperton Island
Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form:
Clipperton Island local short form: Ile Clipperton local long form:
none former: sometimes called Ile de la Passion
Dependency status: possession of France; administered by France from
French Polynesia by a high commissioner of the Republic
Legal system: the laws of France, where applicable, apply
Flag description: the flag of France is used
Economy Clipperton Island
Economy - overview: Although 115 species of fish have been identified in
the territorial waters of Clipperton Island, the only economic activity
is tuna fishing.
Transportation Clipperton Island
Waterways: none
Ports and harbors: none; offshore anchorage only
Military Clipperton Island
Military - note: defense is the responsibility of France
Transnational Issues Clipperton Island
Disputes - international: none
This page was last updated on 1 January 2002
========================================================================
Iran
Introduction
Iran
Background: Known as Persia until 1935, Iran became an Islamic republic
in 1979 after the ruling shah was forced into exile. Conservative clerical
forces subsequently crushed westernizing liberal elements. Militant
Iranian students seized the US Embassy in Tehran on 4 November 1979 and
held it until 20 January 1981. During 1980-88, Iran fought a bloody,
indecisive war with Iraq over disputed territory. Key current issues
affecting the country include the pace of accepting outside modernizing
influences and reconciliation between clerical control of the regime
and popular government participation and widespread demands for reform.
Geography Iran
Location: Middle East, bordering the Gulf of Oman, the Persian Gulf,
and the Caspian Sea, between Iraq and Pakistan
Geographic coordinates: 32 00 N, 53 00 E
Map references: Middle East
Area: total: 1.648 million sq km land: 1.636 million sq km water:
12,000 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly larger than Alaska
Land boundaries: total: 5,440 km border countries: Afghanistan 936 km,
Armenia 35 km, Azerbaijan-proper 432 km, Azerbaijan-Naxcivan exclave
179 km, Iraq 1,458 km, Pakistan 909 km, Turkey 499 km, Turkmenistan 992 km
Coastline: 2,440 km; note - Iran also borders the Caspian Sea (740 km)
Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 24 NM territorial sea: 12
NM continental shelf: natural prolongation exclusive economic zone:
bilateral agreements or median lines in the Persian Gulf
Climate: mostly arid or semiarid, subtropical along Caspian coast
Terrain: rugged, mountainous rim; high, central basin with deserts,
mountains; small, discontinuous plains along both coasts
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Caspian Sea -28 m highest point:
kuh-e Damavand 5,671 m
Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, coal, chromium, copper,
iron ore, lead, manganese, zinc, sulfur
Land use: arable land: 10% permanent crops: 1% other: 89% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land: 75,620 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards: periodic droughts, floods; dust storms, sandstorms;
earthquakes along western border and in the northeast
Environment - current issues: air pollution, especially in urban areas,
from vehicle emissions, refinery operations, and industrial effluents;
deforestation; overgrazing; desertification; oil pollution in the
Persian Gulf; wetland losses from drought; soil degradation (salination);
inadequate supplies of potable water; water pollution from raw sewage
and industrial waste; urbanization
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate
Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine
Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed,
but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Marine
Life Conservation
Geography - note: strategic location on the Persian Gulf and Strait of
Hormuz, which are vital maritime pathways for crude oil transport
People Iran
Population: 66,622,704 (July 2002 est.)
Age structure: 31.6% (male 10,753,218; female 10,273,015) 15-64 years:
(male 1,633,016; female 1,483,606) (2002 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.77% (2002 est.)
Birth rate: 17.54 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Death rate: 5.39 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Net migration rate: -4.46 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05
male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over:
1.1 male(s)/female total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2002 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 28.07 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: 71.69 years (2002 est.) male: Total fertility
rate: 2.01 children born/woman (2002 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: less than 0.01% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA
Nationality: noun: Iranian(s) adjective: Iranian
Ethnic groups: Persian 51%, Azeri 24%, Gilaki and Mazandarani 8%,
Kurd 7%, Arab 3%, Lur 2%, Baloch 2%, Turkmen 2%, other 1%
Religions: Shi'a Muslim 89%, Sunni Muslim 10%, Zoroastrian, Jewish,
Christian, and Baha'i 1%
Languages: Persian and Persian dialects 58%, Turkic and Turkic dialects
26%, Kurdish 9%, Luri 2%, Balochi 1%, Arabic 1%, Turkish 1%, other 2%
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total
population: 72.1% male: 78.4% female: 65.8% (1994 est.)
Government Iran
Country name: Islamic Republic of Iran conventional short form:
former: Persia
Government type: theocratic republic
Capital: Tehran
Administrative divisions: 28 provinces (ostanha, singular - ostan);
Ardabil, Azarbayjan-e Gharbi, Azarbayjan-e Sharqi, Bushehr, Chahar Mahall
va Bakhtiari, Esfahan, Fars, Gilan, Golestan, Hamadan, Hormozgan, Ilam,
Kerman, Kermanshah, Khorasan, Khuzestan, Kohkiluyeh va Buyer Ahmad,
Kordestan, Lorestan, Markazi, Mazandaran, Qazvin, Qom, Semnan, Sistan
va Baluchestan, Tehran, Yazd, Zanjan
Independence: 1 April 1979 (Islamic Republic of Iran proclaimed)
National holiday: Republic Day, 1 April (1979)
Constitution: 2-3 December 1979; revised 1989 to expand powers of the
presidency and eliminate the prime ministership
Legal system: the Constitution codifies Islamic principles of government
Suffrage: 15 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: Leader of the Islamic Revolution
Ayatollah Ali Hoseini-KHAMENEI (since 4 June 1989) elections: leader of
the Islamic Revolution appointed for life by the Assembly of Experts;
president elected by popular vote for a four-year term; election last
held 8 June 2001 (next to be held NA 2005) election results: (Ali)
Mohammad KHATAMI-Ardakani reelected president; percent of vote - (Ali)
Mohammad KHATAMI-Ardakani 77% cabinet: Council of Ministers selected by
the president with legislative approval head of government: President
(Ali) Mohammad KHATAMI-Ardakani (since 3 August 1997); First Vice
President Dr. Mohammad Reza AREF-YAZDI (since 26 August 2001)
Legislative branch: unicameral Islamic Consultative Assembly or
Majles-e-Shura-ye-Eslami (290 seats, note - changed from 270 seats
with the 18 February 2000 election; members elected by popular vote to
serve four-year terms) elections: last held 18 February-NA April 2000
(next to be held NA 2004) election results: percent of vote - NA%;
seats by party - reformers 170, conservatives 45, and independents 10,
65 seats up for runoff; note - election on 5 May 2000 (reformers 52,
conservatives 10, independents 3)
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders: the following organizations appeared to
have achieved considerable success at elections to the sixth Majlis in
early 2000: Assembly of the Followers of the Imam's Line, Freethinkers'
Front, Islamic Iran Participation Front, Moderation and Development Party,
Servants of Construction Party, Society of Self-sacrificing Devotees
Political pressure groups and leaders: active student groups include
the pro-reform "Organization for Strengthening Unity" and "the Union of
Islamic Student Societies'; groups that generally support 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, Democratic Party of Iranian
Kurdistan; 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, IHO,
ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, NAM, OIC, OPCW, OPEC, PCA,
UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO
Diplomatic representation in the US: none; note - Iran has an Interests
Section in the Pakistani Embassy; address: Iranian Interests Section,
Pakistani Embassy, 2209 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007;
telephone: [1] (202) 965-4990
Diplomatic representation from the US: none; note - protecting power
in Iran is Switzerland
Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white,
and red; the national emblem (a stylized representation of the word Allah
in the shape of a tulip, a symbol of martyrdom) 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 Iran
Economy - 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. President KHATAMI
has continued to follow the market reform plans of former President
RAFSANJANI and has indicated that he will pursue diversification of
Iran's oil-reliant economy although he has made little progress toward
that goal. The strong oil market in 1996 helped ease financial pressures
on Iran and allowed for Tehran's timely debt service payments. Iran's
financial situation tightened in 1997 and deteriorated further in
1998 because of lower oil prices. The subsequent rise in oil prices
in 1999-2000 afforded Iran fiscal breathing room but does not solve
Iran's structural economic problems, including the encouragement of
foreign investment.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $426 billion (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 5% (2001 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $6,400 (2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 20% industry: 24% services:
56% (2001 est.)
Population below poverty line: 53% (1996 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 13% (2001 est.)
Labor force: 18 million note: shortage of skilled labor (1998)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 30%, industry 25%, services 45%
(2001 est.)
Unemployment rate: 14% (1999 est.)
Budget: revenues: $24 billion expenditures: $22 billion, including
capital expenditures of $NA (2001 est.)
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: 5.5% (2001 nonoil est.)
Electricity - production: 120.33 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 94.24% hydro: 5.76%
other: 0% (2000) nuclear: 0%
Electricity - consumption: 111.907 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2000)
Agriculture - products: wheat, rice, other grains, sugar beets, fruits,
nuts, cotton; dairy products, wool; caviar
Exports: $27.4 billion (f.o.b., 2001 est.)
Exports - commodities: petroleum 85%, carpets, fruits and nuts, iron
and steel, chemicals
Exports - partners: Japan 20.5%, Italy 7%, UAE 5.9%, France 4.7%,
China 4.1% (1999)
Imports: $17.2 billion (f.o.b., 2001 est.)
Imports - commodities: industrial raw materials and intermediate goods,
capital goods, foodstuffs and other consumer goods, technical services,
military supplies
Imports - partners: Germany 11%, Italy 8.3%, China 6.1%, Japan 5.3%,
UAE 5% (1999)
Debt - external: $7.3 billion (2001 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: $116.5 million (1995)
Currency: Iranian rial (IRR)
Currency code: IRR
Exchange rates: from 1997 to 2001, Iran had a multi-exchange-rate system;
one of these rates, the official floating exchange rate, by which most
essential goods were imported, averaged 1,750 rials per US dollar; in
March 2002, the multi-exchange-rate system was converged into one rate
at about 7,900 rials per US dollar
Fiscal year: 21 March - 20 March
Communications Iran
Telephones - main lines in use: 6.313 million (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 265,000 (August 1998)
Telephone system: general assessment: inadequate but currently being
modernized and expanded with the goal of not only improving the efficiency
and increasing the volume of the urban service but also bringing telephone
service to several thousand villages, not presently connected domestic:
the number of long-distance channels in the microwave radio relay trunk
has grown substantially; many villages have been brought into the net;
the number of main lines in the urban systems has approximately doubled;
and thousands of mobile cellular subscribers are being served; moreover,
the technical level of the system has been raised by the installation of
thousands of digital switches international: HF radio and microwave radio
relay to Turkey, Azerbaijan, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Syria,
Kuwait, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan; submarine fiber-optic cable to UAE
with access to Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe (FLAG); Trans-Asia-Europe
(TAE) fiber-optic line runs from Azerbaijan through the northern portion
of Iran to Turkmenistan with expansion to Georgia and Azerbaijan;
satellite earth stations - 9 Intelsat and 4 Inmarsat; Internet service
available but limited to electronic mail to promote Iranian culture
Radio broadcast stations: AM 72, FM 5, shortwave 5 (1998)
Radios: 17 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 28 (plus 450 low-power repeaters) (1997)
Televisions: 4.61 million (1997)
Internet country code: .ir
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 8 (2000)
Internet users: 250,000 (2001)
Transportation Iran
Railways: total: 6,130 km broad gauge: 94 km 1.676-m gauge standard
gauge: 6,036 km 1.435-m gauge (187 km electrified) note: broad-gauge
track is employed at the borders with Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan which
have broad-gauge rail systems; 41 km of the standard-gauge, electrified
track is in suburban service at Tehran (2001)
Highways: total: 140,200 km paved: 49,440 km (including 470 km of
expressways) unpaved: 90,760 km (1998 est.)
Waterways: 904 km note: 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 and harbors: Abadan (largely destroyed in fighting during 1980-88
war), Ahvaz, Bandar 'Abbas, Bandar-e Anzali, Bushehr, Bandar-e Emam
Khomeyni, Bandar-e Lengeh, Bandar-e Mahshahr, Bandar-e Torkaman, Chabahar
(Bandar Beheshti), Jazireh-ye Khark, Jazireh-ye Lavan, Jazireh-ye Sirri,
Khorramshahr (limited operation since November 1992), Now Shahr
Merchant marine: total: 147 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 4,136,971
GRT/7,166,703 DWT ships by type: bulk 48, cargo 36, chemical tanker 4,
container 10, liquefied gas 1, multi-functional large-load carrier 6,
petroleum tanker 30, refrigerated cargo 2, roll on/roll off 9, short-sea
passenger 1 (2002 est.)
Airports: 322 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 118 over 3,047 m: 40 2,438 to
3,047 m: 24 914 to 1,523 m: 23 under 914 m: 7 (2001) 1,524 to 2,437 m: 24
Airports - with unpaved runways: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: Heliports: 11
(2001)
Military Iran
Military branches: Islamic Republic of Iran regular forces (includes
Ground Forces, Navy, Air Force and Air Defense Command), Iranian
Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) (includes Ground Forces, Air Force,
Navy, Qods [special operations], and Basij [Popular Mobilization Army]
forces), Law Enforcement Forces
Military manpower - military age: 21 years of age (2002 est.)
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 18,868,571 (2002 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49: 11,192,731
(2002 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 823,041
(2002 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $9.7 billion (FY00)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 3.1% (FY00)
Transnational Issues Iran
Disputes - international: despite restored diplomatic relations in
1990, Iran lacks maritime boundary with Iraq and disputes land boundary,
navigation channels, and other issues from eight-year war; UAE seeks
United Arab League and other international support against Iran's
occupation of Greater Tunb Island (called Tunb al Kubra in Arabic by
UAE and Jazireh-ye Tonb-e Bozorg in Persian by Iran) and Lesser Tunb
Island (called Tunb as Sughra in Arabic by UAE and Jazireh-ye Tonb-e
Kuchek in Persian by Iran) and attempts to occupy completely a jointly
administered island in the Persian Gulf (called Abu Musa in Arabic by UAE
and Jazireh-ye Abu Musa in Persian by Iran); Iran insists on division of
Caspian Sea into five equal sectors while Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Russia,
and Turkmenistan have generally agreed upon equidistant seabed boundaries;
Iran threatens to conduct oil exploration in Azerbaijani-claimed waters,
while interdicting Azerbaijani activities
Illicit drugs: despite substantial interdiction efforts, Iran remains a
key transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin to Europe; domestic
narcotics consumption remains a persistent problem and Iranian press
reports estimate at least 1.8 million drug users in the country
This page was last updated on 1 January 2002
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Israel
Introduction
Israel
Background: Following World War II, the British withdrew from their
mandate of Palestine, and the UN partitioned the area into Arab and Jewish
states, an arrangement rejected by the Arabs. Subsequently, the Israelis
defeated the Arabs in a series of wars without ending the deep tensions
between the two sides. The territories occupied by Israel since the 1967
war are not included in the Israel country profile, unless otherwise
noted. On 25 April 1982, Israel withdrew from the Sinai pursuant to the
1979 Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty. Outstanding territorial and other disputes
with Jordan were resolved in the 26 October 1994 Israel-Jordan Treaty of
Peace. In keeping with the framework established at the Madrid Conference
in October 1991, bilateral negotiations were conducted between Israel
and Palestinian representatives (from the Israeli-occupied West Bank and
Gaza Strip) and Syria, to achieve a permanent settlement; however, these
efforts were derailed/postponed by the outbreak of Israeli-Palestinian
violence in September 2000. On 25 May 2000, Israel withdrew unilaterally
from southern Lebanon, which it had occupied since 1982.
Geography Israel
Location: Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt
and Lebanon
Geographic coordinates: 31 30 N, 34 45 E
Map references: Middle East
Area: total: 20,770 sq km water: 440 sq km land: 20,330 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than New Jersey
Land boundaries: total: 1,017 km border countries: Egypt 266 km, Gaza
Strip 51 km, Jordan 238 km, Lebanon 79 km, Syria 76 km, West Bank 307 km
Coastline: 273 km
Maritime claims: continental shelf: to depth of exploitation territorial
sea: 12 NM
Climate: temperate; hot and dry in southern and eastern desert areas
Terrain: Negev desert in the south; low coastal plain; central mountains;
Jordan Rift Valley
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Dead Sea -408 m highest point: Har
Meron 1,208 m
Natural resources: timber, potash, copper ore, natural gas, phosphate
rock, magnesium bromide, clays, sand
Land use: arable land: 17% permanent crops: 4% other: 79% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land: 1,990 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards: sandstorms may occur during spring and summer; droughts;
periodic earthquakes
Environment - current issues: limited arable land and natural fresh water
resources pose serious constraints; desertification; air pollution from
industrial and vehicle emissions; groundwater pollution from industrial
and domestic waste, chemical fertilizers, and pesticides
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate
Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear
Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed,
but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Marine Life Conservation
Geography - note: there are 231 Israeli settlements and civilian land
use sites in the West Bank, 42 in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights,
25 in the Gaza Strip, and 29 in East Jerusalem (August 2001 est.);
Sea of Galilee is an important freshwater source
People Israel
Population: 6,029,529 (July 2002 est.) note: includes about 182,000
Israeli settlers in the West Bank, about 20,000 in the Israeli-occupied
Golan Heights, fewer than 7,000 in the Gaza Strip, and about 176,000 in
East Jerusalem (August 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 27.1% (male 837,491; female 798,695) 15-64
years: 63% (male 1,905,677; female 1,889,525) 65 years and over: 9.9%
(male 257,066; female 341,075) (2002 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.48% (2002 est.)
Birth rate: 18.91 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Death rate: 6.21 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Net migration rate: 2.11 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05
male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over:
0.75 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2002 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 7.55 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: 81.01 years (2002 est.) male: Total fertility
rate: 2.54 children born/woman (2002 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.08% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 2,400 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 100 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Israeli(s) adjective: Israeli
Ethnic groups: Jewish 80.1% (Europe/America-born 32.1%, Israel-born
20.8%, Africa-born 14.6%, Asia-born 12.6%), non-Jewish 19.9% (mostly Arab)
(1996 est.)