IRAN. Persian (official) 53%, Azeri Turkic and Turkic dialects 18%, Kurdish 10%, Gilaki and Mazandarani 7%, Luri 6%, Balochi 2%, Arabic 2%, other 2%

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1 IRAN Iran also known as Persia, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered to the northwest by Armenia and Azerbaijan; with Kazakhstan and Russia across the Caspian Sea; to the northeast by Turkmenistan; to the east by Afghanistan and Pakistan; to the south by the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman; and to the west by Turkey and Iraq. It is the second-largest nation in the Middle East and the 18th-largest in the world. It is the only country that has both a Caspian Sea and Indian Ocean coastline. Its total land area is 1,648,195 sq km. Out of which land area is 1,531,595 sq km and water area is 116,600 sq km. The capital of Iran is Tehran. Its currency is Iranian Rial. The main religion of the country is Shia Islam and other recognized religions are Sunni Islam, Zoroastrianism, Christianity,Judaism. Natural resources of the country include petroleum, natural gas, coal, chromium, copper, iron ore, lead, manganese, zinc, sulfur. Language: Persian (official) 53%, Azeri Turkic and Turkic dialects 18%, Kurdish 10%, Gilaki and Mazandarani 7%, Luri 6%, Balochi 2%, Arabic 2%, other 2% Demographics Iran is a diverse country, consisting of many different religious and ethnic groups that are unified through a shared Persian language and culture. Its total Population is80,840,713 (2014). It is at number 19 in the world. Age structure: 0-14 years: 23.7% (male 9,834,866/female 9,350,017) years: 18.7% (male 7,757,256/female 7,341,309) years: 46.1% (male 18,955,874/female 18,289,849) years: 6.3% (male 2,519,630/female 2,603,458) 65 years and over: 5.1% (male 1,941,692/female 2,246,762) Sex Ratio: % Male, % Female 1

2 Population growth rate: 1.22%, country comparison to the world: 97 Birth rate: births/1,000 population, country comparison to the world: 105 Economy Iran is the second largest economy in the Middle East & North Africa region after Saudi Arabia. Its economy is characterized by a large hydrocarbon sector, small scale agriculture and service sectors and a noticeable state presence in manufacturing & financial services. Iran ranks second in the world in natural gas reserves and fourth in proven crude oil reserves. Aggregate GDP and government revenues still depend to a large extent on oil revenues. According to IMF World Economic Outlook (April 2014), GDP of Iran is 406 billion US$, GDP (PPP) is 974 billion international dollars, GDP per capita is 12,748 $. According to CIA- World Fact book (2013)- GDP Composition is- Agriculture: 10.6%, Industry: 44.9%, Services: 44.5% Total Exports of the country are $61.22 billion and is at number 53 in the world. Exports commodities include petroleum 80%, chemical and petrochemical products, fruits and nuts, carpets. Total Imports of the country are $64.42 billion and is at number 46 in the world. Imports commodities includeindustrial supplies, capital goods, foodstuffs and other consumer goods, technical services. Education Education in Iran is highly centralized. K-12 education is supervised by the Ministry of Education and higher education is under supervision of Ministry of Science and Technology. Primary education in Iran is compulsory under the Iranian Constitution. AS a general rule, primary, secondary & higher education is free, although private schools & universities do exist and are permitted to charge tuition fees. According to government figures, over 95% of Iranian children receive primary & secondary education. In particular, admissions to post-secondary courses are highly competitive and university seats are won through the National Entrance Examination (Konkur). Iran has 80 state universities including 28 medical institutes. There are 25 private universities. The academic year runs for 10 months from September to June. According to ISC (The Islamic World Science Citation Center) the top universities of Iran are: 1. University of Tehran 2. Tehran University of Medical Sciences 2

3 3. Sharif University of Technology 4. Amirkabir University of Technology 5. TarbiatModares University 6. Iran University of Science and Technology 7. Isfahan University of Technology 8. ShahidBeheshti University 9. Shiraz University 10. Ferdowsi University of Mashhad 11. University of Tabriz 12. ShahidBeheshti University of Medical Sciences 13. IPM - Institute for Research in Fundamental Sciences 14. K.N.Toosi University of Technology 15. Shiraz University of Medical Sciences According to CIA- World Fact book data (2008), total literate population of age 15 or above is 85%. Male literacy is 89.3% and Female literacy rate is 80.7%. Education expenditures by Iranian government is3.7% of GDP (2012). Employment According to the latest unemployment statistics published by the Statistical Center of Iran, the number of jobless people dropped to 2.2 million, or 9.5% of the working population. The report shows that unemployment rate among the youth (aged between 16 & 24) reached 22.9%- more than twice the figure for other age groups. There are more unemployed women than men. The unemployment rate for men is 8.6% whereas it is 19.8% for women. The service sector accounted for 47.4% of the employment with the industry sector making up 33.6% and agriculture sector 19%. Unemployment rate for the second quarter of 2014 was 10.7%. This comes after the Central Bank of Iran (CBI) announced that the economy has recorded positive growth for the first time in two years. Latest CBI figures show the economy expaded4.6% in the three months. According to the data, Iran s agriculture, oil, mines & industry sectors posted positive growth rates of up to 8.1% during this period. 3

4 Agriculture offers good employment opportunities and agriculture products include Wheat, rice, other grains, sugar beets, sugarcane, fruits, nuts, cotton; dairy products, wool; caviar. Main Industries: petroleum, petrochemicals, fertilizers, caustic soda, textiles, cement and other construction materials, food processing (particularly sugar refining and vegetable oil production), ferrous and non-ferrous metal fabrication, armaments Top Companies of Iran NIOC (National Iranian Oil Co.), IMIDRO Group National Petrochemical Co. Saipa Corp. Sahar Dairy, Iran Khodro, Bank Melli, Bank Saderat, OEAI (Organisation de l'energieatomiqued'iran) Foreign Companies in Iran ABB (PJS) (Germany) ASSAB CO (Switzerland) Ashoka (India) Alperton INT'L LTD (UK) ARAB BANKING CORP (Bahrain) AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE (France) ASSOCIATED PRESS (France) Tourism 4

5 Thirty five years after it dropped off the tourist map, Iran is set to return to the top of must visit places. Its attractions have never been in doubt- from ski resorts to beaches, stunning Islamic architecture, ancient archaeological sites and superb food. According to the Telegraph UK, the tourism in Iran has risen subsequently. Tour operators have seen a significant rise in bookings for holidays as improves relations with the west following the election of Hassan Rouhani as president. Rouhani s administration has announced plans to ease visa requirements to increase visitors and increase annual income from tourism.. Iran ranks seventh among countries in the world with the most archeological architectural ruins and attractions from antiquity as recognized by UNESCO. Top Places to Visit in Iran: Persepolis (Takht-e-Jamshid)-The well-preserved ruins of the ceremonial capital of the Persian Empire that remained buried in sand till 1930s when they were discovered and excavated by French archaeologists. shrine of Imam Reza in Mashhad- Iran was not always a Shi i-majority country. That distinction came after the establishment of the Safavid Dynasty. There are a few varieties of Shi i Islam, but the most prominent is the Twelver branch, named after the twelve descendants of the Prophet Muhammad through his daughter Fatima and her husband Imam Ali. It is the eighth of these Imams, Imam Reza, who was martyred and buried in the city of Mashhad, whose very name means place of martyrdom. A visit to this shrine-city is essential for understand the centrality of pilgrimage to Iranian religiosity. Milad Tower, Tehran- A monument to Iranian modernism, designed to commemorate the former Shah of Iran, today renamed as Monument of Freedom. This has been the site of many of the largest political rallies in Iran. Shaking Minaret & abandoned village of Khanrnaq:-The minaret in the abandoned village of Khanrnaq (near Yazd) gained its name because ofthe mud bricks and wooden elements used in the construction process make it possible to actually shake it even nowadays! Chak-Chak: the holy place of Zoroastrians-Chak-Chak is the place where the Zoroastrian religion was born. It was the main religion of Persia until the Arab invasion. Nowadays it has only a few thousand followers in Iran and the largest community of Zoroastrians currently live in India (known as Parsis). Naqsh-e Jahan:-This was once one of the largest squares in the world, and today it contains the Mosque of the Shah/Imam, the Mosque of ShaykhLotfollah, and the Palace 5

6 of Ali Qapu. It is also the perfect place to begin your exploration of traditional Persian crafts, and wander in the bazaar. Bazaar of Tabriz- The largest covered bazaar in the world, divided into parts where you can buy famous Persian carpets, jewelry, spices and much more. The tomb of Hafez in Shiraz-There is no shortage of great poets in the Persian pantheon, and yet Hafez stands alone as master of the ghazal (the short love lyric). Ferdowsi is the master of the nationalistic epic, Sa di the master of prose, but if one s taste is that of the mystical/sensual love lyric, Hafez is your poet.. Naqsh-e-Jahan square in Esfashan- Favourite of ours and many Iranian families who come there to spend their weekends gossiping, sipping tea and playing with their children in front of the impressive Shah Mosque, Ali Qapu Palace and smaller but splendid Sheikh Lotf Allah Mosque. Ferdowsi s tomb:-ferdowsi is the national (and nationalistic) poet of Iran, whose Shahnameh ( The Book of Kings ) is widely considered the mythic poem at the heart of Iranian consciousness. Much more than a book about kings, it is really an essential read for understanding the Iranian obsessions with heroes and chivalry, and the cosmic struggle between good and evil. Under the Shah and his father (Reza Shah), Ferdowsi was patronized to embody the resurrection of a new Iranian nationalistic consciousness that tapped back into pre-islamic glory. Airlines in Iran Iran has 319 airports which is at number 22 in country comparison to the world. Out of which 140 airports are with paved runways and 179 are with unpaved runways. Airlines in Iran are: Aban Air ATA Airlines Caspian Airlines Fars Air Qeshm Hesa airlines Iran air Iran Airtour Iran Aseman airlines Kish air Mahan air Meraj air Naft airlines 6

7 Payam air Qeshm airlines Saffatt airlines Safiran airlines Taban air Yas air Zagros airlines Airlines Direct from India to Iran flydubai flights IranAir flights Mahan Air flights Other airlines flying to Iran Emirates flights Air Arabia flights Turkish Airlines flights Qatar Airways flights Gulf Air flights Kuwait Airways flights Saudia flights Oman Air flights Iraqi Airways flights Etihad Airways flights Lufthansa flights 7