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Christian dating : Iran

Geography
Area: 1.6 million sq. km. (636,294 sq. mi.); slightly larger than Alaska.
Cities: Capital--Tehran. Other cities--Isfahan, Tabriz, Mashhad, Shiraz.
Terrain: Desert and mountains.
Climate: Semiarid; subtropical along the Caspian coast.

People
Nationality: Noun and adjective--Iranian(s).
Population (2004 est.): 69 million.
Population growth rate (2004): 1.07%.
Ethnic groups: Persians 51%, Azeri 24%, Gilaki and Mazandarani 8%, Kurd 7%, Arab 3%, Lur 2%, Baloch 2%, Turkmen 2%, other 1%.
Christian singles note-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%.
Education: Literacy (total population age 15 and over who can read and write, 2004)--79.4%.
Health (2003 est.): Infant mortality rate—44.17 deaths/1,000 live births. Life expectancy at birth (2003)--total population: 69.35.
Work force (2001): Agriculture 30%, industry 25%, services 45% est. There is a shortage of skilled labor.

Government
Type: Islamic republic.
Constitution: Ratified December 1979, revised 1989.
Branches: Executive--"Leader of the Islamic Revolution" (head of state), president, and Council of Ministers. Legislative--290-member Islamic Consultative Assembly (Majles). Judicial--Supreme Court.
Political parties: The following organizations appeared to have achieved considerable success at elections to the sixth Majles in early 2000: Assembly of the Followers of the Imam's Line, Freethinkers' Front Islamic Iran Participation Front, Moderation and Development Party, Servants of Construction Party, and Society of Self-sacrificing Devotees.
Administrative subdivisions: 28 provinces.
Suffrage: Universal at 15.

Economy
GDP (2004 est.): $477.8 billion.
GDP real growth rate (2003 est.): 6%.
GDP composition by sector (2004): Agriculture 19%, industry 26%, services 55%.
Per capita income (est.2003): $7,000.
Natural resources: Petroleum, natural gas, and some mineral deposits.
Agriculture: Principal products--wheat, rice, other grains, sugarbeets, fruits, nuts, cotton, dairy products, wool, caviar; not self-sufficient in food.
Industry: Types--petroleum, petrochemicals, textiles, cement and building materials, food processing (particularly sugar refining and vegetable oil production), metal fabricating (steel and copper), armaments.
Trade (2002): Exports--$24.8 billion: petroleum 85%, carpets, fruits, nuts. Imports--$21.8 billion: food, machinery, and semifinished goods. Major markets/suppliers--Germany, Japan, Italy, South Korea.

PEOPLE
Almost two-thirds of Iran's people are of Aryan origin--their ancestors migrated from Central Asia. The major groups in this category include Persians, Kurds, Lurs, and Baluch. The remainder are primarily Turkic but also include Arabs, Armenians, Jews, and Assyrians.

Christian singles note-The 1979 Islamic revolution and the 1980-88 war with Iraq transformed Iran's class structure politically, socially, and economically. In general, however, Iranian society remains divided into urban, market-town, village, and tribal groups. Clerics, called mullahs, dominate politics and nearly all aspects of Iranian life, both urban and rural. After the fall of the Pahlavi regime in 1979, much of the urban upper class of prominent merchants, industrialists, and professionals, favored by the former Shah, lost standing and influence to the senior clergy and their supporters. Bazaar merchants, who were allied with the clergy against the Pahlavi shahs, also have gained political and economic power since the revolution. The urban working class has enjoyed somewhat enhanced status and economic mobility, spurred in part by opportunities provided by revolutionary organizations and the government bureaucracy.

Unemployment, a major problem even before the revolution, has many causes, including population growth, the war with Iraq, and shortages of raw materials and trained managers. Farmers and peasants received a psychological boost from the attention given them by the Islamic regime but appear to be hardly better off in economic terms. The government has made progress on rural development, including electrification and road building, but has not yet made a commitment to land redistribution.

Most Iranians are Muslims; 89% belong to the Shi'a branch of Islam, the official state religion, and about 10% belong to the Sunni branch, which predominates in neighboring Muslim countries. Non-Muslim minorities include Zoroastrians, Jews, Baha'is, and Christians.

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