The 2005 CIA World Factbook. United States. Central Intelligence Agency

total: 7,203 km

       broad gauge: 94 km 1.676-m gauge

       standard gauge: 7,109 km 1.435-m gauge (189 km electrified) (2004)

      Highways:

       total: 167,157 km

       paved: 94,109 km (including 890 km of expressways)

       unpaved: 73,048 km (1998)

      Waterways:

       850 km (on Karun River and Lake Urmia) (2004)

      Pipelines:

       condensate/gas 212 km; gas 16,998 km; liquid petroleum gas 570 km;

       oil 8,256 km; refined products 7,808 km (2004)

      Ports and harbors:

       Assaluyeh, Bushehr

      Merchant marine:

       total: 144 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 4,715,242 GRT/8,240,069 DWT

       by type: bulk carrier 38, cargo 49, chemical tanker 4, container 14,

       liquefied gas 1, passenger 1, passenger/cargo 5, petroleum tanker

       30, roll on/roll off 2

       foreign-owned: 1 (UAE 1)

       registered in other countries: 8 (2005)

      Airports:

       305 (2004 est.)

      Airports - with paved runways: total: 127 over 3,047 m: 39 2,438 to 3,047 m: 25 1,524 to 2,437 m: 26 914 to 1,523 m: 32 under 914 m: 5 (2004 est.)

      Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 178 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 9 914 to 1,523 m: 129 under 914 m: 39 (2004 est.)

      Heliports: 13 (2004 est.)

      Military Iran

      Military branches:

       Islamic Republic of Iran Regular Forces (Artesh): Ground Forces,

       Navy, Air Force (includes Air Defense)

       Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (Sepah-e Pasdaran-e Enqelab-e

       Eslami, IRGC): Ground Forces, Navy, Air Force, Qods Force (special

       operations), and Basij Force (Popular Mobilization Army)

       Law Enforcement Forces: (2004)

      Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for compulsory military service; 16 years of age for volunteers; soldiers as young as 9 were recruited extensively during the Iran-Iraq War; conscript service obligation - 18 months (2004)

      Manpower available for military service:

       males age 18–49: 18,319,545 (2005 est.)

      Manpower fit for military service:

       males age 18–49: 15,665,725 (2005 est.)

      Manpower reaching military service age annually:

       males: 862,056 (2005 est.)

      Military expenditures - dollar figure:

       $4.3 billion (2003 est.)

      Military expenditures - percent of GDP:

       3.3% (2003 est.)

      Transnational Issues Iran

      Disputes - international:

       Iran protests Afghanistan's limiting flow of dammed tributaries to

       the Helmand River in periods of drought; Iraq's lack of a maritime

       boundary with Iran prompts jurisdiction disputes beyond the mouth of

       the Shatt al Arab in the Persian Gulf; Iran and UAE engage in direct

       talks and solicit Arab League support to resolve disputes over

       Iran's occupation of Tunb Islands and Abu Musa Island; Iran stands

       alone among littoral states in insisting upon a division of the

       Caspian Sea into five equal sectors

      Refugees and internally displaced persons:

       refugees (country of origin): 1,223,823 (Afghanistan) 124,014

       (Iraq) (2004)

      Illicit drugs:

       despite substantial interdiction efforts, Iran remains a key

       transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin to Europe; domestic

       narcotics consumption remains a persistent problem and according to

       official Iranian statistics there are at least two million drug

       users in the country; lax anti-money-laundering regulations

      This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005

      ======================================================================

      @Iraq

      Introduction Iraq

      Background:

       Formerly part of the Ottoman Empire, Iraq was occupied by Britain

       during the course of World War I; in 1920, it was declared a League

       of Nations mandate under UK administration. In stages over the next

       dozen years, Iraq attained its independence as a kingdom in 1932. A

       "republic" was proclaimed in 1958, but in actuality a series of

       military strongmen ruled the country, the latest was SADDAM Husayn.

       Territorial disputes with Iran led to an inconclusive and costly

       eight-year war (1980–88). In August 1990, Iraq seized Kuwait, but

       was expelled by US-led, UN coalition forces during the Gulf War of

       January-February 1991. Following Kuwait's liberation, the UN

       Security Council (UNSC) required Iraq to scrap all weapons of mass

       destruction and long-range missiles and to allow UN verification

       inspections. Continued Iraqi noncompliance with UNSC resolutions

       over a period of 12 years resulted in the US-led invasion of Iraq in

       March 2003 and the ouster of the SADDAM Husayn regime. Coalition

       forces remain in Iraq, helping to restore degraded infrastructure

       and facilitating the establishment of a freely elected government,

       while simultaneously dealing with a robust insurgency. The Coalition

       Provisional Authority transferred sovereignty to the Iraqi Interim

       Government (IG) in June 2004. Iraqis voted on 30 January 2005 to

       elect a 275-member Transitional National Assembly that will draft a

       permanent constitution and pave the way for new national elections

       at the end of 2005.

      Geography Iraq

      Location:

       Middle East, bordering the Persian Gulf, between Iran and Kuwait

      Geographic coordinates:

       33 00 N, 44 00 E

      Map references:

       Middle East

      Area:

       total: 437,072 sq km

       land: 432,162 sq km

       water: 4,910 sq km

      Area - comparative:

       slightly more than twice the size of Idaho

      Land boundaries:

       total: 3,650 km

       border countries: Iran 1,458 km, Jordan 181 km, Kuwait 240 km, Saudi

       Arabia 814 km, Syria 605 km, Turkey 352 km

      Coastline: