Kish Free Zone Organization

Twenty Interesting Realities about Iran

1. Iran’s capital and largest city, Tehran, enjoysan 8-million population at night and a12-million one during the day.
2. Nearly half of Iran has an arid desert climate.It receives less than 4 inches (10 centimeters)of precipitation annually.
3. The Persian Gulf holds 60% of the world’soil reserves. Iran alone has reserves of 151billion barrels of oil, or 10% of the world’s totalreserves. Iran pumps nearly 4 million barrels ofoil each day.
4. Iran controls 50% of the Caspian Sea caviarmarket. The eggs of the Caspian belugasturgeon can fetch up to $160 per ounce ($6per gram).
5. Iran is one of the world’s oldest continuouscivilizations with settlements dating back to4000 B.C.
6. Approximately 65% of Iran’s population is  under the age of 35.
7. Since ancient times, people in Iran have useda water supply system called a qanat (or kanat).It collects underground water and moves it
through tunnels to places where people needit.
8. Iranians have woven beautiful rugs forover 2,500 years. When creating rugs, Iranianweavers often make a mistake intentionally.
They want to show their belief that “only Godis perfect.”
9. Persian cat is one of the world’s oldestbreeds. It originated in the high plateaus of Iranwhere their long silky fur protected them from
the cold. Italian traders brought the breed toEurope in the 17th century, where it becamean exotic status symbol.
10. Iran has experienced one of the highesturban growth rates in the world, jumping from

11. Iran is one of the world’s largest producersof caviar, pistachios, and saffron.
12. In 2007, Iran produced the world’s largesthandmade carpet. It was the size of a soccerfield.
13. Iran is the 18th largest country in the world,with a total of 1,648,195 sq km.
14. Poetry holds a special place in Iranianculture. All Iranians can recite lines of famousPersian poems, such as Shahnameh or The Epicof Kings.
15. The first day of spring in Iran (first day of  the New Year) is a festive day. According toPersian ritual, the table is set with seven items,
each beginning with the letter “s” in Farsi: suchas apples (sib), green grass (sabze), vinegar(serkey), berries (senjed), ground wheat(samanoo), a gold coin (sekke) and garlic (sir).
16. Persian culture is famous for beautifulpoetry, luxurious rugs, and lush gardens. Infact, the English word “paradise” comes from aPersian word meaning “enclosed garden.”
17. The most popular sport in Iran is soccer.Iran’s national soccer team has won the AsianCup three times and has played in three World
Cups.
18. Persians make up the most of Iran (61%),followed by Azeri (16%), Kurd (10%), Lur (6%),Baloch (2%), Arab (2%), Turkmen and Turkictribes (2%), and other (1%).
19. In 2012, Iran was the 18th most populatedcountry in the world.
20. Approximately 14.2% of Iranians are obese,making it the 41st most obese country in theworld.