1. Iran

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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

6. General Geography Physical Map of Iran Political Map of Iran

7. Iran to the World

8. 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

9. 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

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

11. 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

12. 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

13. Info Sources Information: www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world- factbook/geos/ir.html www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world- factbook/geos/ir.html www.countriesquest.com http://www.currency.me.uk/rates Rajendra, Vijeya, Gisela T. Kaplan, and Rudi Rajendra. Iran. New York: Benchmark /Marshall Cavendish, 2004. Print. Batmanglij, Najmieh. Happy Nowruz: Cooking with Children to Celebrate the Persian New Year. Washington, DC: Mage, 2008. Print.

14. Picture Sources www.nemoonehbakery.com www.iranreview.org http://worldcoingallery.com http://wiki.islamiccounterterrorism.org http://files.myopera.com www.inquisitr.com http://www.expo2010china.hu http://assets.matchbin.com http://gdb.rferl.org www.cia.gov http://www.iranchamber.com