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

History Known as Persia until 1935 Formally became recognized as Islamic republic in 1979 Bloody war with Iraq from 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- There are no major subcultures, as the majority of people living in Portugal are Mediterranean Roman Catholics

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

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 No major current 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.

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.