Three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and red; the national emblem (a stylized representation of the word Allah in the shape of a tulip, a symbol of martyrdom) in red is centered in the white band; ALLAH AKBAR (God is Great) in white Arabic script is repeated 11 times along the bottom edge of the green band and 11 times along the top edge of the red band.
31 provinces (ostanha, singular - ostan): Alborz, Ardabil, Azarbayjan-e Gharbi (West Azerbaijan), Azarbayjan-e Sharqi (East Azerbaijan), Bushehr, Chahar Mahal va Bakhtiari, Esfahan, Fars, Gilan, Golestan, Hamadan, Hormozgan, Ilam, Kerman, Kermanshah, Khorasan-e Jonubi (South Khorasan), Khorasan-e Razavi (Razavi Khorasan), Khorasan-e Shomali (North Khorasan), Khuzestan, Kohgiluyeh va Bowyer Ahmad, Kordestan, Lorestan, Markazi, Mazandaran, Qazvin, Qom, Semnan, Sistan va Baluchestan, Tehran, Yazd, Zanjan.
Population:
66,622,704 (July 2002 est.)
Languages:
Persian and Persian dialects 58%, Turkic and Turkic dialects 26%, Kurdish 9%, Luri 2%, Balochi 1%, Arabic 1%, Turkish 1%, other 2%
Geographic coordinates:
32° 00' N, 53° 00' E
Area total:
1.648 million sq. km
Land area:
1.636 million sq. km
Water area:
12,000 sq. km
Total land boundaries:
5,440 km
Borders with neighbor countries:
Afghanistan 936 km, Armenia 35 km, Azerbaijan-proper 432 km, Azerbaijan-Naxcivan exclave 179 km, Iraq 1,458 km, Pakistan 909 km, Turkey 499 km, Turkmenistan 992 km
Coastline:
2,440 km Iran also borders the Caspian Sea (740 km)
Elevation extremes:
Caspian Sea -28 m - Kuh-e Damavand 5,671 m
Internet country code:
.ir
Currency:
Iranian rial (IRR)
Name - conventional long form:
Islamic Republic of Iran
Name - conventional short form:
Iran
Name - local long form:
Jomhuri-ye Eslami-ye Iran
Name - local short form:
Iran
Former name:
Persia
Independence:
1 April 1979 (Islamic Republic of Iran proclaimed)
Constitution:
2-3 December 1979, revised 1989 to expand powers of the presidency and eliminate the prime ministership