This is most likely what you want:
UIInterfaceOrientation interfaceOrientation = [[UIApplication sharedApplication] statusBarOrientation];
You can then use system macros like:
if (UIInterfaceOrientationIsPortrait(interfaceOrientation))
{
}
If you want the device orientation use:
UIDeviceOrientation deviceOrientation = [[UIDevice currentDevice] orientation];
This includes enumerations like UIDeviceOrientationFaceUp
and UIDeviceOrientationFaceDown