Australia
Iran Travel and Destination Guide
BACKGROUND INFO
Full Name
Islamic Republic of Iran
Capital City
Tehran
Area
1,648,000 sq km
Population
70,000,000
Time Zone
GMT/UTC +3.5
Daylight Saving Start
the weekend after 22 March
Daylight Saving End
about the third weekend of September
Weights Measures System
Metric
Geography
The Islamic Republic of Iran is bordered to the north by the states of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan (all formerly of the USSR) and the Caspian Sea; to the east by Afghanistan and Pakistan; to the south by the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf; and to the west by Iraq and Turkey. Iran is about one-fifth the size of the USA and nearly as big as Queensland, Australia. The country is dominated by three mountain ranges: the fertile, volcanic Sabalan and Talesh ranges in the north-west; the very long, Jurassic-era Zagros range, down the western border; and the dominant Alborz range, home of Iran's highest mountain, the permanently snowcapped Damavand (5670m/18600ft), to the north of Tehran. The two great Iranian deserts, the Dasht-é Kavir (more than 200000 sq km/78000 sq mi) and the Dasht-é Lut (more than 166000 sq km/64,740 sq mi), occupy most of the north-east and east of the central plain.
Languages
• Kurdish (other)
• Azeri (other)
• Persian (official)
People
Persian (Farsis), Azari, Arab, Lors, Turkmen, Kurdish, Armenian, Jewish
Religion
89% Shi'ite Muslim, 10% Sunni Muslim, 1%Zoroastrian, Jewish, Christian, Baha'i
Government Type
Islamic Republic
Government Leaders
Ayatollah Ali Hoseini-Khamenel
Supreme Leader (Rahbar) (head of state)
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
President (head of government)
Country Dialing Code
98
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