Iran - Geography
Here, let us take a look at the Geography of Iran. Strategic location on the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz, which are vital maritime pathways for crude oil transport. Mother's mean age at first birth is (), whereas, the Maternal mortality ratio is 22 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)
Geographical data of Iran
| Location | Middle East, bordering the Gulf of Oman, the Persian Gulf, and the Caspian Sea, between Iraq and Pakistan |
|---|---|
| Geographic coordinates | 32 00 N, 53 00 E |
| Map references | Middle East |
| Tarrain | rugged, mountainous rim; high, central basin with deserts, mountains; small, discontinuous plains along both coasts |
| Natural Resources | petroleum, natural gas, coal, chromium, copper, iron ore, lead, manganese, zinc, sulfur |
| Natural Hazards | periodic droughts, floods; dust storms, sandstorms; earthquakes |
| Irrigated Land | 79,721 sq km (2020) |
| Major rivers (by length in km) | Euphrates (shared with Turkey [s], Syria, and Iraq [m]) - 3,596 km; Tigris (shared with Turkey, Syria, and Iraq [m]) - 1,950 km; Helmand (shared with Afghanistan [s]) - 1,130 km note – [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth |
| Major aquifers | |
| Land Boundaries | 5,894 km |
| Border Countries | Afghanistan 921 km; Armenia 44 km; Azerbaijan 689 km; Iraq 1,599 km; Pakistan 959 km; Turkey 534 km; Turkmenistan 1,148 km |
| Coastline | 2,440 km - note: Iran also borders the Caspian Sea (740 km) |
| Climate | mostly arid or semiarid, subtropical along Caspian coast |
| Area | |
| Total Area | |
| Land Area | 1,531,595 sq km |
| Water Area | 116,600 sq km |
| comparative Area | almost 2.5 times the size of Texas; slightly smaller than Alaska |
| Maritime Claims | |
| Territorial sea | 12 nm |
| Contiguous zone | 24 nm |
| Exclusive economic zone | bilateral agreements or median lines in the Persian Gulf |
| Continental shelf | natural prolongation |
| Elevations | |
| Highest point | Kuh-e Damavand 5,625 m |
| Lowest point | Caspian Sea -28 m |
| Mean elevation | 1,305 m |
| Land Use | |
| Agricultural land | 30.1% (2018 est.) |
| Agricultural land: arable land | arable land: 10.8% (2018 est.) |
| Agricultural land: permanent crops | permanent crops: 1.2% (2018 est.) |
| Agricultural land: permanent pasture | permanent pasture: 18.1% (2018 est.) |
| Forest | 6.8% (2018 est.) |
| Other | 63.1% (2018 est.) |
Population Distribution
Population is concentrated in the north, northwest, and west, reflecting the position of the Zagros and Elburz Mountains; the vast dry areas in the center and eastern parts of the country, around the deserts of the Dasht-e Kavir and Dasht-e Lut, have a much lower population density
People and Society
In Iran, the different Ethnic groups are such that we have: Persian, Azeri, Kurd, Lur, Baloch, Arab, Turkmen, and Turkic tribes
| Population | |
|---|---|
| Pop growth rate | 0.88% (2024 est.) |
| Birth rate | 14.3 births/1,000 population (2024 est.) |
| Death rate | 5.3 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.) |
| Health expenditure | 5.3% of GDP (2020) |
| Physicians Density | |
| Hospital bed Density | 1.6 beds/1,000 population (2017) |
| Total fertility rate | 1.91 children born/woman (2024 est.) |
| Gross reproduction rate | 0.93 (2024 est.) |
| Contraceptive prevalence rate | NA |
| Est married women (ages 15-49) | 70.3% (2023 est.) |
| Literacy | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Education expenditures | 3.6% of GDP (2020 est.) |
| Net Migration rate | -0.3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.) |
| Nationality | Iranian | Iranian(s) |
| Languages | |
| Religions | Muslim (official) 98.5%, Christian 0.7%, Baha'i 0.3%, agnostic 0.3%, other (includes Zoroastrian, Jewish, Hindu) 0.2% (2020 est.) |
| Age Structure | |
| 0-14 years | 23.3% (male 10,512,797/female 10,040,282) |
| 15-64 years | 69.8% (male 31,413,125/female 30,267,241) |
| 65 years and over | 7% (2024 est.) (male 2,869,617/female 3,283,875) |
| Dependency Ratios | |
| Total dependency ratio | 45.3 |
| Youth dependency ratio | 34.6 |
| Elderly dependency ratio | 10.7 |
| Potential support ratio | 9.3 (2021 est.) |
| Median Age | |
| Total | 33.8 years (2024 est.) |
| Male | 33.6 years |
| Female | 34.1 years |
| Urbanization | |
| Urban population | 77.3% of total population (2023) |
| Rate of urbanization | 1.32% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.) |
| Major urban areas (Pop) | 9.500 million TEHRAN (capital), 3.368 million Mashhad, 2.258 million Esfahan, 1.721 million Shiraz, 1.661 million Tabriz, 1.594 million Karaj (2023). |
| Sex Ratio | |
| At birth | 1.05 male(s)/female |
| 0-14 years | 1.05 male(s)/female |
| 15-64 years | 1.04 male(s)/female |
| 65 years and over | 0.87 male(s)/female |
| Total population | 1.03 male(s)/female (2024 est.) |
| Infant Motality | |
| Total | 14.3 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.) |
| Male | 15.4 deaths/1,000 live births |
| Female | 13.2 deaths/1,000 live births |
| Life Expectancy at birth | |
| Total population | 75.6 years (2024 est.) |
| Male | 74.3 years |
| Female | 77.1 years |
| Drinking Water Sources | |
| Improved: urban | urban: 99.8% of population |
| Improved: rural | rural: 98.1% of population |
| Improved: total | total: 99.4% of population |
| Unimproved: urban | urban: 0.2% of population |
| Unimproved: rural | rural: 1.9% of population |
| Unimproved: total | total: 0.6% of population (2020 est.) |
| Sanitation facility acess | |
| Improved: urban | urban: 100% of population |
| Improved: rural | rural: 100% of population |
| Improved: total | total: 100% of population |
| Unimproved: urban | urban: 0% of population (2015 est.) |
| Unimproved: rural | rural: 0% of population |
| Unimproved: total | total: 0% of population (2020 est.) |
| Alcohol consumption per capita | |
| Total | 0.02 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) |
| Beer | 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) |
| Wine | 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) |
| Spirits | 0.02 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) |
| Other alcohols | 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) |
| Tobacco use | |
| Total | 13.6% (2020 est.) |
| Male | 24.1% (2020 est.) |
| Female | 3.1% (2020 est.) |
Demographic profile
All Important Facts about Iran
Want to know more about Iran? Check all different factbooks for Iran below.
