Iran

Government Type: Theocratic Republic a government ruled by religious leaders Current Leader: President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Elections: candidates must be Muslim Iranian and 25 years old Iranians are able to vote starting at 15 years old

Government (continued) How are presidents elected?: presidential elections are held every 4 years there are 3 political parties: the Islamic Iran Participation Front, the Followers of the Imam's Line, and the Green Party 2 step process; (a)the people vote from a list of candidates and then (b)the people vote again for one of the top 2 candidates Iranians voting

Economy Type: Market Economy when most businesses are run by the citizens Major Imports: industrial supplies, capital goods, packaged food and other consumer goods, and technical services Major Exports: petroleum 80%, chemical and petrochemical products, fruits and nuts, carpets Pistachios Traditional Persian Rug

Economy (continued) Successes: an increase in Iran's oil export income by about $28 billion Struggles: more unemployment among the educated Iranians Iranian Oil Rig in the Caspian Sea

General Geography Physical Map of Iran Political Map of Iran

Iran to the World

Climate Types: mostly arid and semiarid, subtropical along the coast of the Caspian Sea Wildlife/Vegetation: Trees-almond, pear, pomegranate, and walnut trees Animals-foxes, wolves, bears, rabbits, mountain goats, lynx, gazelles, gerbils, and deer Iran's Climate Map

Country Flag national emblem: the word, "Allah (god)," in the shape of a tulip green: symbol of Islam; represents growth white: symbolizes honesty and peace red: stands for bravery and martyrdom design: "Allah Akbar (god is great)" in white arabic script

Currency Iranian Currency: Iranian Rials (IRR) Conversion Rate: 1 rial=8.13 US dollars r=12,275.97dr=rialsd=dollars Iranian Coins Iranian Rial

Food Typical Iranian Cuisine: Chelo Kabab - ground meat with saffron rice Musto Khiar - plain yogurt with cucumbers and herbs Potato Kuku - potatoes and eggs Lubia Polo - rice with ground meat, green beans, tomatoes, and various spices Baghali Polo - rice with fava beans, dill, and lamb Chelo Kabab

Culture Nowruz: the Iranian New Year (on the first day of Spring, March 20th or 21st) Haft Sin (seven S's): a table set up with various foods and objects that begin with the letter S, each with different meaning o Sabzeh - sprouts o Sib - apples o Sonbol - hyacinth o Serkeh - wine vinegar o Seer - garlic o Senjed - wild olives o Somac - sumac Traditional Haft Sin Table

Info Sources Information: factbook/geos/ir.html factbook/geos/ir.html Rajendra, Vijeya, Gisela T. Kaplan, and Rudi Rajendra. Iran. New York: Benchmark /Marshall Cavendish, Print. Batmanglij, Najmieh. Happy Nowruz: Cooking with Children to Celebrate the Persian New Year. Washington, DC: Mage, Print.

Picture Sources