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NAVIGATION
Islamic Republic of Iran
Jomhuri-ye Eslami-ye Iran
former: Persia
COMMUNICATIONS
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Telephones - main lines in use:
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6.313 million (1997) |
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Telephones - mobile cellular:
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265,000 (August 1998) |
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Telephone system:
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general assessment: inadequate but currently being modernized and expanded with the goal of not only improving the efficiency and increasing the volume of the urban service but also bringing telephone service to several thousand villages, not presently connected
domestic: as a result of heavy investing in the telephone system since 1994, the number of long-distance channels in the microwave radio relay trunk has grown substantially; many villages have been brought into the net; the number of main lines in the urban systems has approximately doubled; and thousands of mobile cellular subscribers are being served; moreover, the technical level of the system has been raised by the installation of thousands of digital switches international: HF radio and microwave radio relay to Turkey, Azerbaijan, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Syria, Kuwait, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan; submarine fiber-optic cable to UAE with access to Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe (FLAG); Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE) fiber-optic line runs from Azerbaijan through the northern portion of Iran to Turkmenistan with expansion to Georgia and Azerbaijan; satellite earth stations - 9 Intelsat and 4 Inmarsat; Internet service available but limited to electronic mail to promote Iranian culture |
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Radio broadcast stations:
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AM 72, FM 5, shortwave 5 (1998) |
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Radios:
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17 million (1997) |
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Television broadcast stations:
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28 (plus 450 low-power repeaters) (1997) |
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Televisions:
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4.61 million (1997) |
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Internet country code:
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.ir |
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Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
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8 (2000) |
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Internet users:
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420,000 (2002) |
TRANSPORTATION
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Railways:
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total: 6,130 km
broad gauge: 94 km 1.676-m gauge standard gauge: 6,036 km 1.435-m gauge (187 km electrified) note: broad-gauge track is employed at the borders with Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan which have broad-gauge rail systems; 41 km of the standard-gauge, electrified track is in suburban service at Tehran (2001) |
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Highways:
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total: 140,200 km
paved: 49,440 km (including 470 km of expressways) unpaved: 90,760 km (1998 est.) |
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Waterways:
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904 km
note: the Shatt al Arab is usually navigable by maritime traffic for about 130 km; channel has been dredged to 3 m and is in use |
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Pipelines:
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crude oil 5,900 km; petroleum products 3,900 km; natural gas 4,550 km |
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Ports and harbors:
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Abadan (largely destroyed in fighting during 1980-88 war), Ahvaz, Bandar 'Abbas, Bandar-e Anzali, Bushehr, Bandar-e Emam Khomeyni, Bandar-e Lengeh, Bandar-e Mahshahr, Bandar-e Torkaman, Chabahar (Bandar Beheshti), Jazireh-ye Khark, Jazireh-ye Lavan, Jazireh-ye Sirri, Khorramshahr (limited operation since November 1992), Now Shahr |
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Merchant marine:
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total: 147 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 4,136,971 GRT/7,166,703 DWT
ships by type: bulk 48, cargo 36, chemical tanker 4, container 10, liquefied gas 1, multi-functional large-load carrier 6, petroleum tanker 30, refrigerated cargo 2, roll on/roll off 9, short-sea passenger 1 (2002 est.) |
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Airports:
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322 (2001) |
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Airports - with paved runways:
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total: 122
over 3,047 m: 39 2,438 to 3,047 m: 25 914 to 1,523 m: 27 under 914 m: 4 (2002) 1,524 to 2,437 m: 27 |
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Airports - with unpaved runways:
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total: 187
under 914 m: 39 (2002) over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 138 1,524 to 2,437 m: 9 |
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Heliports:
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13 (2002) |
MILITARY
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Military branches:
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Islamic Republic of Iran regular forces (includes Ground Forces, Navy, Air Force and Air Defense Command), Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) (includes Ground Forces, Air Force, Navy, Qods [special operations], and Basij [Popular Mobilization Army] forces), Law Enforcement Forces |
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Military manpower - military age:
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21 years of age (2002 est.) |
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Military manpower - availability:
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males age 15-49: 18,868,571 (2002 est.) |
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Military manpower - fit for military service:
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males age 15-49: 11,192,731 (2002 est.) |
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Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
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males: 823,041 (2002 est.) |
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Military expenditures - dollar figure:
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$9.7 billion (FY00) |
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Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
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3.1% (FY00) |
TRANSNATIONAL ISSUES
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Disputes - international:
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despite restored diplomatic relations in 1990, Iran lacks maritime boundary with Iraq and disputes land boundary, navigation channels, and other issues from eight-year war; UAE seeks United Arab League and other international support against Iran's occupation of Greater Tunb Island (called Tunb al Kubra in Arabic by UAE and Jazireh-ye Tonb-e Bozorg in Persian by Iran) and Lesser Tunb Island (called Tunb as Sughra in Arabic by UAE and Jazireh-ye Tonb-e Kuchek in Persian by Iran) and attempts to occupy completely a jointly administered island in the Persian Gulf (called Abu Musa in Arabic by UAE and Jazireh-ye Abu Musa in Persian by Iran); Iran insists on division of Caspian Sea into five equal sectors while Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Turkmenistan have generally agreed upon equidistant seabed boundaries; Iran threatens to conduct oil exploration in Azerbaijani-claimed waters, while interdicting Azerbaijani activities |
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Illicit drugs:
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despite substantial interdiction efforts, Iran remains a key transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin to Europe; domestic narcotics consumption remains a persistent problem and Iranian press reports estimate at least 1.8 million drug users in the country |