Geography
Area: 437,072 sq. km.; about the size of California.
Cities: Capital--Baghdad (pop. 3.8 million 1986 est.). Other
cities--Basrah, Mosul, Karkuk, As Sulaymaniyah, Irbil.
Terrain: Alluvial plains, mountains, and desert.
Climate: Mostly hot and dry.
People
Nationality: Noun and adjective--Iraqi(s).
Population (2002 est.): 24,011,816.
Annual growth rate (2002 est.): 2.82%.
Ethnic groups: Arab 75%-80%, Kurd 15%-20%, Turkman, Chaldean,
Assyrian, or others less than 5%.
Christian singles note-Religions: Shi'a Muslim 60%, Sunni Muslim
32%-37%, Christian 3%, Yezidi less than 1%.
Languages: Arabic, Kurdish, Assyrian, Armenian.
Education: Years compulsory--primary school (age 6 through
grade 6). Literacy--58%.
Health: Infant mortality rate (2002 est.)--57.61 deaths/1,000. Life
expectancy--67.38 yrs.
Work force (2000, 4.4 million): Agriculture--44%; industry--26%;
services--31% (1989 est.).
Government
The Iraqi Interim Government (IIG) assumed sovereign authority for
governing Iraq on June 28, 2004. The IIG consists of the Presidency of
the State (comprised of a President and two Deputy Presidents), a
Council of Ministers, including a Prime Minister, an Interim National
Council, and the Judicial Authority.
Independence: 1932.
Administrative subdivisions: 18 provinces.
Political parties: The Iraqi people are forming political parties and
interest groups to represent the interests of the people. Former
opposition groups are transitioning into political parties. The Ba'ath
Party was abolished on May 16, 2003.
Suffrage: Universal adult.
National holidays: April 9, anniversary of the 2003 fall of the Ba'ath
regime.
Economy
GDP (2003 est.): $38.79 billion.
Annual growth rate (2003 est.): 20%.
GDP per capita (2003 est.): $1,600.
Inflation rate (2003 est.): 27.5%.
Natural resources: Oil, natural gas, phosphates, sulfur.
Agriculture (% of GNP unspecified): Products--wheat, barley,
rice, vegetables, cotton, dates, cattle, sheep
Industry: (% GNP unspecified): Types--petroleum, chemicals,
textiles, construction materials, food processing.
Trade: Exports--$ 7.542 billion f.o.b (2003 est). Major
markets--US 37.4%, Taiwan 7.7%, Canada 7.5%, France 7.5%, Jordan
6.9%, Netherlands 5.8%, Italy 4.9%, Morocco 4.3%, Spain 4.1% (2002). Imports--$6.521
billion f.o.b (2003 est): food, medicine, manufactures. Major
suppliers--Jordan 10.4%, France 8.4%, China 7.9%, Vietnam 7.9%,
Germany 7.2%, Russia 6.9%, Australia 6.8%, Italy 6.1%, Japan 5.3%
(2002).
GEOGRAPHY
Iraq is bordered by Kuwait, Iran, Turkey, Syria, Jordan, and Saudi
Arabia. The country slopes from mountains over 3,000 meters (10,000
ft.) above sea level along the border with Iran and Turkey to the
remnants of sea-level, reedy marshes in the southeast. Much of the
land is desert or wasteland. The mountains in the northeast are an
extension of the alpine system that runs eastward from the Balkans
into southern Turkey, northern Iraq, Iran, and Afghanistan,
terminating in the Himalayas.
Average temperatures range from higher than 48oC (120oF)
in July and August to below freezing in January. Most of the rainfall
occurs from December through April and averages between 10 and 18
centimeters (4-7 in.) annually. The mountainous region of northern
Iraq receives appreciably more precipitation than the central or
southern desert region.
PEOPLE
Christian singles note-Almost 75% of Iraq's population live in the flat,
alluvial plain stretching southeast toward Baghdad and Basrah to the
Persian Gulf. The Tigris and Euphrates Rivers carry about 70 million
cubic meters of silt annually to the delta. Known in ancient times as
Mesopotamia, the region is the legendary locale of the Garden of Eden.
The ruins of Ur, Babylon, and other ancient cities are in Iraq.
Iraq's two largest ethnic groups are Arabs and Kurds. Other
distinct groups are Turkomans, Chaldeans, Assyrians, Persians, and
Armenians. Arabic is the most commonly spoken language. Kurdish is
spoken in the north, and English is the most commonly spoken Western
language.
Most Iraqi Muslims are members of the Shi'a sect, but there is a
large Sunni population as well, made up of both Arabs and Kurds. Small
communities of Christians, Jews, Bahais, Mandaeans, and Yezidis also
exist. Most Kurds are Sunni Muslim but differ from their Arab
neighbors in language, dress, and customs.
