IRAN
| Islamic republic in the Middle East; bounded on the north by the Caspian Sea and the CIS, on the south by the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, on the east by the CIS, Afghanistan and Pakistan, and on the west by Iraq and Turkey. Formerly named Persia. | |
| CAPITAL | Tehran. |
| PRINCIPAL PORT | Abadan, Bandar Khomeini, Bandar Abbas, Bushire, Khorramshahr. |
| POPULATION | 66,128,965 (July 2001 estimate). |
| LANGUAGE(S) | Farsi, Persian and Persian dialects, Turkic and Turkic dialects, Kurdish, Luri, Balochi, Arabic, Turkish. English and French used in commercial circles. |
| WEIGHTS AND MEASURES | Metric system. |
| ELECTRICITY SUPPLY | 220v. 50 cycles AC. |
| CURRENCY(-IES) | 10 Iranian rial (IRR) = 1 toman. |
| EXCHANGE RATE | 2564.45 IRR = £1 sterling (fluctuating rate). |
| TIME | 3 1/2 hours ahead of GMT (2 hours ahead of BST). |
DIALLING CODE |
00 98. |
| PUBLIC HOLIDAYS | 11 Feb; 20-25 Mar; 1-2 Apr; in addition, the following which have variable dates: Islamic New Year; Ashoora, Prophet's Birthday, Eid Al Fitr; Eid Al Adha. |
| EMBASSY(-IES) | Embassy of the Islamic Republic
of Iran, 16 Prince's Gate, London SW7 1PT. Tel: 020 7225 3000, fax: 020 7589 4440, e-mail:
info@iran-embassy.org.uk - website: www.iran-embassy.org.uk Consular Section: 50 Kensington Court, London W8 5DB. Tel: 020 7937 5225, fax: 020 7938 1615, e-mail: consulate@iran-embassy.org.uk |
| BRITISH EMBASSY | 143 Ferdowsi Avenue, PO Box 11365-4474, Tehran 11344. Tel: 00 98 21 6705011/19, fax: 00 98 21 6708021 (commercial), 00 98 21 6700720 (visa). |
| CHAMBER(S) OF COMMERCE | Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Mines, 254 Taleghani Avenue, Teheran 15914. Tel: 00 98 21 836031, 00 98 21 825111, website: www.iccim.org |