Iran

Government

Type: Theocratic Republic•a government ruled by religious leadersCurrent Leader: President Mahmoud AhmadinejadElections:•candidates must be MuslimIranian and 25 years old•Iranians are able to votestarting 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 citizensMajor Imports: industrial supplies, capital goods, packaged food and other consumer goods, and technical servicesMajor 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 Rigin the

Caspian Sea

General Geography

Physical Mapof

Iran

Political Mapof

Iran

Iran to the World

Climate

Types: mostly arid and semiarid,

subtropical along the

coast of the Caspian SeaWildlife/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=12,275.97d r=rials d=dollars

IranianCoins

IranianRial

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

CultureNowruz: the Iranian New Year (on the first dayof 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 - sproutso Sib - appleso Sonbol - hyacintho Serkeh - wine vinegaro Seer - garlico Senjed - wild oliveso Somac - sumac

Traditional Haft Sin

Table

Info Sources

Information:•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.

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