Known as Persia until 1935, Iran became an Islamic republic in 1979 after the ruling shah was forced into exile. Conservative clerical forces subsequently crushed westernizing liberal elements. Militant Iranian students seized the US Embassy in Tehran on 4 November 1979 and held it until 20 January 1981. During 1980-88, Iran fought a bloody, indecisive war with Iraq over disputed territory. The key current issue is how rapidly the country should open up to the modernizing influences of the outside world.
Demographic Data
Capital: Theheran
Government type: Totalitarian Democracy
Government stability: 73.5%
Government efficiency: 77.6%
Population's support to government: 72.9%
Area: 1,636,000 square kilometers
Habitable land: 46.0%
Farmable land: 8.0%
Total population: 64,625 thousands
Population's growth: 2.3%
Country's development level: 7,540
Economic Data
GNP: 310,000,000,000
Industralisation: 59.0%
International funding: 465,000,000
Political Data
Secret services efficiency: 5,358
Military Data
Technological generation: 2
Number of rebels: 9,047
Rebels development: 6,786
Rebels technological access: 5,277