.)

Military

Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, National Police

Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age

Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 58,556,503 (1997 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
males: 34,439,340 (1997 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 2,295,832 (1997 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure: $3.3 billion (FY97/98)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.3% (FY97/98)

Transnational Issues

Disputes - international: sovereignty over Timor Timur (East Timor
Province) disputed with Portugal and not recognized by the UN; two
islands in dispute with Malaysia

Illicit drugs: illicit producer of cannabis largely for domestic use;
possible growing role as transshipment point for Golden Triangle
heroin
______________________________________________________________________

IRAN

@Iran:Geography

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
continental shelf: natural prolongation
exclusive economic zone: bilateral agreements, or median lines in the
Persian Gulf
territorial sea : 12 nm

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 : Qolleh-ye 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%
permanent pastures : 27%
forests and woodland: 7%
other: 55% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 94,000 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: periodic droughts, floods; dust storms, sandstorms;
earthquakes along the Western border

Environment - current issues: air pollution, es