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Iran - GENERAL INFORMATION
 
Population - Local time - Languages - Religion - Political system - Climate - Tourism - Food



Population



Main Cities Population
Teheran   6,900,000  
Mashhad   2,100,000  
Esfahan   2,100,000  
Tabriz   1,500,000  
Shiraz   1,000,000  



Total population (millions): 66.9
Source: World Bank 2004

Urban population: 67%
Source: World Bank 2004

Average annual population growth: ..
Source: World Bank 2004

Surface area (km²) : 1,633,190


Population origin

Origin of the population% Of the population
Persian46 %
Azeri16,5 %
Kurdish9 %
Gilaki5 %
Lur4 %
Mazandarani 3.5 %
Baloutche 2.5 %
Arab2 %
Other 11.5 %




Local time


It is %T:%M %A in Teheran


GMT+3:30 in winter, GMT+4:30 in summer


Languages


Official language: Persian
Spoken languages: Farsi, Kurdish, Luri, Balouchi, Turkish, Arabic, Armenian.
Business language: usually English.

Free translation tools in Iran :
FarsiDic
Free English-Farsi-English dictionary

IL&S
Free English-Farsi-English dictionary

Ectaco
Free English-Farsi-English dictionary



Religion


Religious practises : Shiite Muslims 94.5%
Sunni Muslims 3.8%
Others 1.7%.


Political system


Iran is a theocratic Republic: it is independent since April 1st, 1979, when the Islamic Republic of Iran was proclaimed. Suffrage is universal. The authorities proved their ability to restore and maintain the foreign trade balance of payments thanks to a restrictive financial policy.
Capital City : Teheran
Head of State: President Mahmoud AHMADINEJAD elected on June, 24 of 2005.


Climate

 


Tourism

Number of visitors in Iran 2002 2003 2004 World rank
Number of visitors (1000) 1585   1546   1659   n.a.
Source : World Tourisme Organization, data available in November 2005

 

Tourist sites


-Teheran: Park Mellat, the Bagh-e-Melli Door which used to be a part of the royal residence.
-Ispahan: the Chehd Sotoon palace, the Si-o-Sh Pol Bridge with its 33 archs, Talar's palace
-Ashraf: religious places such as Masjed-e-Dashti.
-Mashhad: Khaje Rabi's mausoleum.

For more information about tourism in Iran , check out the following web site(s) :
Iran Tourism & Touring and Organization (ITTO)


Food


Traditional dishes


Dolmeh-e Beh: Quinces stuffed with lamb. The stuffed quince is served with bread, yoghurt and fresh herbs.
Shirin Polo: saffron rice, chicken, orange peel and pistachios.
Kabab-e kubideh: chopped meat kebab. Traditionally, lamb was the main ingredient to make these kebabs; nowadays, chopped veal or, even beef, are often used. The secret lays in the delicacy of the mince so that the meat can stick to the kebab.
Koukou-sabzi: Cheese-topped dish of herbs.
Baklava - a nut pastry: It is a rich cake that can also be found in Greece, Turkey and in all the countries of the Middle East. The origin does not matter very much, since the basic technique is the same. The sugar can be replaced by honey; nuts, almonds or a mixture of both ingredients can be used; pistachios can be added; water of the orange tree flower or rose flower can be added to the syrup.

Food-related taboos


Pork is prohibited.

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Last modified in October 2005
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