pecially in urban
areas, from vehicle emissions, refinery operations, and industrial
effluents; deforestation; overgrazing; desertification; oil pollution
in the Persian Gulf; inadequate supplies of potable water

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Hazardous
Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified : Desertification, Environmental
Modification, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation

@Iran:People

Population: 67,540,002 (July 1997 est.)
note: includes 917,078 non-nationals (July 1997 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 44% (male 15,292,783; female 14,423,911)
15-64 years : 52% (male 17,880,617; female 17,254,711)
65 years and over: 4% (male 1,378,395; female 1,309,585) (July 1997
est.)

Population growth rate: 2.12% (1997 est.)

Birth rate: 32.51 births/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Death rate: 6.39 deaths/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Net migration rate: -4.89 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years : 1.04 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.05 male(s)/female
total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (1997 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 50.8 deaths/1,000 live births (1997 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 67.82 years
male: 66.47 years
female: 69.23 years (1997 est.)

Total fertility rate: 4.52 children born/woman (1997 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Iranian(s)
adjective: Iranian

Ethnic groups: Persian 51%, Azerbaijani 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.)

@Iran:Government

Country name:
conventional long form: Islamic Republic of Iran
conventional short form: Iran
local long form: Jomhuri-ye Eslami-ye Iran
local short form : Iran

Data code: IR

Government type: theocratic republic

National capital: Tehran

Administrative divisions: 25 provinces (ostanha, singular - ostan);
Ardabil, Azarbayjan-e Gharbi, Azarbayjan-e Sharqi, Bushehr, Chahar
Mahall va Bakhtiari, Esfahan,