Iran and Portugal

Alex James

Iran

Location

Middle East between Iraq and Palestine

Capital city is Tehran

Culture

Language- 53% Persian, Azen and Turkic dialect 18%, Kurdish 10%, 19% Other

Population- 78,868,711 Religion- 98% Muslim Subcultures- Shia, Sunni

Flag and National Symbols

National Symbol- Representation of Allah in the shape of a tulip

Green- growth White- honesty and

peace Red- bravery and

martyrdom

Values, Norms, Beliefs

Fundamentalist Islam Restricted role of women Individualism- because of geographic

conditions and the despotic nature of the political regimes it leads people to fend for themselves

Economy

Uses a private sector type economy This is inefficient because of informal

market activity and corruption Government regulation stifles the

economy Biggest sector of industry is oil Unemployement rate: 15.3%

History

Known as Persia until 1935 Formally became recognized as Islamic

republic in 1979 Bloody war with Iraq from 1980-88 Conflict with Ottoman empire during its

reign

Conflicts

Nuclear Weapons- Speculation that Iran is developing nuclear weapons

Mahmound Ahmidinejad Israel Closing of the Strait of Hormuz

Likes and Dislikes

Like- Persian Art and architecture

Dislike-many international conflicts, a lot of human trafficking, drug problems

Would I live here?

I would not like to live in Iran. For one, the culture is dominated by Islam, and I am not Muslim. There are also many foreign conflicts with Iran and the Iranian government openly speaks out against American so as an American I don’t think I would be very welcomed. They are also very backward in some aspects of their culture.

Portugal

Location

Iberian Peninsula, Southwest Europe next to Spain

Capital City- Lisbon (though it has never been officially recognized)

Culture

Language- Portuguese and Mirandese Population- 10,781,459 Religion- 84.5% Roman Catholic Subcultures- Socialist Party and Social

Democratic party.

Flag and National Symbol

National Symbol- coat of arms on the flag

Green- hope Red- blood of those

defending the nation

Economy

Portugal has a service-based economy In recent years, Portugal has been

privatizing many government firms Not a very strong economy because of

a poor educational system as well as a rigid labor market

Unemployement rate: 12.4%

History

Global maritime power in the 15th and 16th centuries

Lost much of its international power with the 1755 earthquake in Lisbon, occupation during the Napoleonic wars, and the independence of Brazil

Conflicts

In the past the Portuguese have had conflicts with many of the European powers and the Ottoman Empire, as well as a colonial conflict with Angola in the 1970’s.

There are many street protests because of the government’s strict measures in their 2012-2013 budget.

Values, Beliefs, and Norms

Traditional and Conservative Very family oriented, extended families

are often close Place a lot of value on social

appearance

Likes and Dislikes

Like-no conflicts, nice part of the world, very soccer oriented

Dislikes-the population is very homogenous, not the best educational system.

Would I live here?

I would actually like to live in Portugal. It is a very peaceful country, where everyone seems to get along very well, as well as it is in a very nice part of the world in terms of climate and geography.

U.S. Or anywhere else?

I would prefer to live in the U.S. Over any other country in the world. I would like to visit many places in the world but as far as perminant residence goes I would rather live in the U.S. Because though we have our problems, I still feel it is the best country in the world.

Works Cited

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ir.html

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/po.html

http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/resources/global-etiquette/portugal.html

http://www.herzliyaconference.org/_Uploads/2614Iranianself.pdf