leum, natural gas, coal, chromium, copper,
iron ore, lead, manganese, zinc, sulfur

Land use:
arable land: 8%
permanent crops: 0%
meadows and pastures: 27%
forest and woodland: 11%
other: 54%

Irrigated land: 57,500 sq km (1989 est.)

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; inadequate supplies of potable water
natural hazards: periodic droughts, floods; dust storms, sandstorms;
earthquakes along the Western border
international agreements: party to - Endangered Species, Hazardous
Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands; signed,
but not ratified - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification,
Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation

People
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Population: 66,094,264 (July 1996 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 45% (male 15,166,131; female 14,289,283)
15-64 years: 52% (male 17,326,388; female 16,731,470)
65 years and over: 3% (male 1,327,718; female 1,253,274) (July 1996
est.)

Population growth rate: 2.21% (1996 est.)

Birth rate: 33.67 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Death rate: 6.61 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Net migration rate: -5 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 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: 1.06 male(s)/female
all ages: 1.05 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 52.7 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 67.39 years
male: 66.12 years
female: 68.72 years (1996 est.)

Total fertility rate: 4.72 children born/woman (1996 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Iranian(s)
adjective: Iranian

Ethnic divisions: 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%, Baloch 1%, Arabic 1%, Turkish 1%,
other 2%

Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1994 est.)
total population: 72.1%
male: 78.4%
female: 65.8%

Government
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Name of countr