A popular uprising overthrew the Shah, Iran's monarch, Iran is a revolutionary country. in 1979. Within a few months, Islamic revolutionaries gained control of the country under the Ayatollah Khomeini and Iran became a theocratic republic. Its legal system is inspired by the Koran and conservative Koranic teachings govern many aspects of social and political life.

Iran is a country still rebuilding after a withering eight-year conventional war with Iraq (1980-1 988). The war began shortly after the revolution, so the revolution established itself during war time. In the ten years since the war, Iran has been rebuilding its economy and working out how the revolutionary Islamic government should function in peace time. Iraq and Iran have re-established diplomatic relations but a number of issues -- as fundamental as the exchange of POWs -- are still unresolved.

Finally, Iran is a young country. Over half of the population is under the age of 1 8. The population has doubled in the twenty years since the revolution, from 30 million to over 60 million -- in spite of the war.