anism may be the oldest
continuing creedal religion. Its key beliefs center on a transcendent
creator God, Ahura Mazda, and the concept of free will. The key ethical
tenets of Zoroastrianism expressed in its scripture, the Avesta, are
based on a dualistic worldview where one may prevent chaos if one
chooses to serve God and exercises good thoughts, good words, and good
deeds. Zoroastrianism is generally a closed religion and members are
almost always born to Zoroastrian parents. Prior to the spread of
Islam, Zoroastrianism dominated greater Iran. Today, though a minority,
Zoroastrians remain primarily in Iran, India, and Pakistan.

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: This entry gives the dollar
value for the stock of all financial assets that are available to the
central monetary authority for use in meeting a country's balance of
payments needs as of the end-date of the period specified. This
category includes not only foreign currency and gold, but also a
country's holdings of Special Drawing Rights in the International
Monetary Fund, and its reserve position in the Fund.

Roadways: This entry gives the total length of the road network and
includes the length of the paved and unpaved portions.

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary): School life expectancy
(SLE) is the total number of years of schooling (primary to tertiary)
that a child can expect to receive, assuming that the probability of
his or her being enrolled in school at any particular future age is
equal to the current enrollment ratio at that age. Caution must be
maintained when utilizing this indicator in international comparisons.
For example, a year or grade completed in one country is not
necessarily the same in terms of educational content or quality as a
year or grade completed in another country. SLE represents the expected
number of years of schooling that will be completed, including years
spent repeating one or more grades.

Sex ratio: This entry includes the number of males for each female in
five age groups - at birth, under 15 years, 15-64 years, 65 years and
over, and for the total population. Sex ratio at birth has recently
emerged as an indicator of certain kinds of sex discrimination in some
countries. For instance, high sex ratios at birth in some Asian
countries are now attributed to sex-selective abortion and infanticide
due to a strong preference for sons. This will affect future marriage
patterns and fertility pattern