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Iran Find a premier Hotel & Resort at
Hilton Hotels.
or book Sheraton Hotels and Resorts
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Background:
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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. Key current issues affecting the
country include the pace of accepting outside modernizing
influences and reconciliation between clerical control of the
regime and popular government participation and widespread
demands for reform. |
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Location:
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Middle East,
bordering the Gulf of Oman, the Persian Gulf, and the Caspian
Sea, between Iraq and Pakistan |
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Currency:
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Iranian rial (IRR)
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Currency code:
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IRR |
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Exchange rates:
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from 1997 to
2001, Iran had a multi-exchange-rate system; one of these rates,
the official floating exchange rate, by which most essential
goods were imported, averaged 1,750 rials per US dollar; in
March 2002, the multi-exchange-rate system was converged into
one rate at about 7,900 rials per US dollar |
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Nationality:
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noun:
Iranian(s)
adjective: Iranian |
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Ethnic groups:
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Persian 51%,
Azeri 24%, Gilaki and Mazandarani 8%, Kurd 7%, Arab 3%, Lur 2%,
Baloch 2%, Turkmen 2%, other 1% |
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Religions:
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Shi'a Muslim 89%,
Sunni Muslim 10%, Zoroastrian, Jewish, Christian, and Baha'i 1%
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Languages:
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Persian and
Persian dialects 58%, Turkic and Turkic dialects 26%, Kurdish
9%, Luri 2%, Balochi 1%, Arabic 1%, Turkish 1%, other 2% |
Destination Guides > Africa
& Iran
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