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Iraq
Background :
Formerly part of the Ottoman Empire, Iraq was occupied by Britain during the course of World War I; in 1920, it was declared a League of Nations mandate under UK administration. In stages over the next dozen years, Iraq attained its independence as a kingdom in 1932. A "republic" was proclaimed in 1958, but in actuality a series of strongmen ruled the country until 2003. The last was SADDAM Husayn. Territorial disputes with Iran led to an inconclusive and costly eight-year war (1980-88). In August 1990, Iraq seized Kuwait but was expelled by US-led, UN coalition forces during the Gulf War of January-February 1991. Following Kuwait's liberation, the UN Security Council (UNSC) required Iraq to scrap all weapons of mass destruction and long-range missiles and to allow UN verification inspections. Continued Iraqi noncompliance with UNSC resolutions over a period of 12 years led to the US-led invasion of Iraq in March 2003 and the ouster of the SADDAM Husayn regime. US forces remained in Iraq under a UNSC mandate through 2009 and under a bilateral security agreement thereafter, helping to provide security and to train and mentor Iraqi security forces. In October 2005, Iraqis approved a constitution in a national referendum and, pursuant to this document, elected a 275-member Council of Representatives (CoR) in December 2005. After the election, Ibrahim al-JAAFARI was selected as prime minister; he was replaced by Nuri al-MALIKI in May 2006. The CoR approved most cabinet ministers in May 2006, marking the transition to Iraq's first constitutional government in nearly a half century. On 31 January 2009, Iraq held elections for provincial councils in all provinces except for the three provinces comprising the Kurdistan Regional Government and at-Ta'mim (Kirkuk) province.
Location :
Middle East, bordering the Persian Gulf, between Iran and Kuwait
Geographic Coordinates Center :
33 00 N, 44 00 E (Latitude, Longtitude)
Geographic Coordinates Rectangle :
| West | 38.80 |
| North | 37.38 |
| East | 48.58 |
| South | 29.07 |
Map references :
Middle East
Area :
| total | 438 317 | square km |
| land | 437 367 | square km |
| water | 950 | square km |
Land boundaries :
| total | 3 650 | km |
| Iran (ir) | 1 458 | km |
| Jordan (jo) | 181 | km |
| Kuwait (kw) | 240 | km |
| Saudi Arabia (sa) | 814 | km |
| Syria (sy) | 605 | km |
| Turkey (tr) | 352 | km |
Coastline :
58.00 km
Climate :
mostly desert; mild to cool winters with dry, hot, cloudless summers; northern mountainous regions along Iranian and Turkish borders experience cold winters with occasionally heavy snows that melt in early spring, sometimes causing extensive flooding in central and southern Iraq
Terrain :
mostly broad plains; reedy marshes along Iranian border in south with large flooded areas; mountains along borders with Iran and Turkey
Elevation extremes :
| lowest point | 0 | metres |
| highest point | 3 611 | metres |
Natural resources :
| natural gas | petroleum |
| phosphates | sulfur |
Land use :
| arable land | 13.12 | % |
| permanent crops | 0.61 | % |
| other | 86.27 | % |
Irrigated land :
35 250 square km
Total renewable water resources :
96 cubic km
Natural hazards :
| dust storms | floods |
| torms |
current issues :
government water control projects have drained most of the inhabited marsh areas east of An Nasiriyah by drying up or diverting the feeder streams and rivers; a once sizable population of Marsh Arabs, who inhabited these areas for thousands of years, has been displaced; furthermore, the destruction of the natural habitat poses serious threats to the area's wildlife populations; inadequate supplies of potable water; development of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers system contingent upon agreements with upstream riparian Turkey; air and water pollution; soil degradation (salination) and erosion; desertification
international agreements :
| Biodiversity | Environmental Modification |
| Law of the Sea | Ozone Layer Protection |
Population :
28 945 569
Indicators :
| Growth rate | 2.51 | % |
| Birth rate | 30.09 | births/1,000 population |
| Total fertility rate | 3.86 | children born/woman |
| Death rate | 5.03 | deaths/1,000 population |
Age structure :
| 0-14 years | 38.80 | % |
| 15-64 years | 58.20 | % |
| 65 years and over | 3.00 | % |
Median age :
| total | 20.40 | years |
| male | 20.30 | years |
| female | 20.50 | years |
Sex ratio :
| at birth | 1.05 | male(s)/female |
| under 15 years | 1.03 | male(s)/female |
| 15-64 years | 1.03 | male(s)/female |
| 65 years and over | 0.90 | male(s)/female |
| total population | 1.02 | male(s)/female |
Health :
| Infant mortality rate | 44.65 | deaths/1,000 live births |
| Life expectancy at birth - total population | 69.95 | years |
| Life expectancy at birth - male | 68.61 | years |
| Life expectancy at birth - female | 71.36 | years |
| HIV-AIDS adult prevalence rate | 0.10 | % |
| HIV-AIDS people living with HIV-AIDS | 500 |
Religions :
| Muslim | 97.00 | % |
| Christian | 3.00 | % |
Languages :
| Arabic | |
| Kurdish | |
| Turkmen | |
| Assyrian | |
| Armenian |
Literacy :
| total population | 74.10 | % |
| male | 84.10 | % |
| female | 64.20 | % |
Country name :
| conventional long form | Republic of Iraq |
| conventional short form | Iraq |
| local long form | Jumhuriyat al-Iraq |
| local short form | Al Iraq |
Country Codes :
| ISO 3166 | IQ |
| ISO Numeric | 368 |
| ISO3 | IRQ |
| FIPS | IZ |
| ccTLD | iq |
| English | Iraq |
Administrative divisions :
18 governorates (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah) and 1 region*; Al Anbar, Al Basrah, Al Muthanna, Al Qadisiyah, An Najaf, Arbil, As Sulaymaniyah, At Ta'mim, Babil, Baghdad, Dahuk, Dhi Qar, Diyala, Karbala', Kurdistan Regional Government*, Maysan, Ninawa, Salah ad Din, Wasit
Capital :
| name | Baghdad |
| geographic coordinates | 33 20 N, 44 23 E |
| time difference | 3.00 |
International organization participation :
| ABEDA | AFESD (suspended) |
| AMF | CAEU |
| FAO | G-77 |
| IAEA | IBRD |
| ICAO | ICRM |
| IDA | IDB |
| IFAD | IFC |
| IFRCS | ILO |
| IMF | IMO |
| IMSO | IOC |
| IPU | ISO |
| ITSO | ITU |
| Interpol | LAS |
| MIGA | NAM |
| OAPEC | OIC |
| OPCW | OPEC |
| PCA | UN |
| UNCTAD | UNESCO |
| UNIDO | UNWTO |
| UPU | WCO |
| WFTU | WHO |
| WIPO | WMO |
| WTO (observer) |
Independence :
1932-10-03
Executive branch :
| President Jalal TALABANI | Prime Minister Nuri al-MALIKI |
Legislative branch :
| Unified Iraqi Alliance | 41.00 | % |
| Kurdistan Alliance | 22.00 | % |
| Tawafuq Coalition | 15.00 | % |
| Iraqi National List | 8.00 | % |
| Iraqi Front for National Dialogue | 4.00 | % |
| other | 10.00 | % |
GDP - Gross Domestic product :
| PPP - Purchasing Power Parity | 112 000 000 000 | $ |
| Official Exchange Rate | 70 100 000 000 | |
| RGR - Real Growth rate | 4.30 | % |
| PPP - per capita | 3 600 | $ |
GDP Composition by sector :
| agriculture | 9.60 | % |
| industry | 62.80 | % |
| services | 27.60 | % |
Labor force - by occupation :
| agriculture | 21.60 | % |
| industry | 18.70 | % |
| services | 59.80 | % |
Other Indicators :
| Labor force | 8 175 000 | people |
| Unemployment rate | 15.20 | % |
| Population below poverty line | 25.00 | % |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 6.80 | % |
| Current account balance | - 19 900 000 000 | $ |
| Reserves of foreign exchange and gold | 46 760 000 000 | $ |
| Debt external | 50 290 000 000 | $ |
| Market value of publicly traded shares | 2 000 000 000 | $ |
| Military expenditures | 8.60 | % of GDP |
Budget :
| revenues | 52 800 000 000 | $ |
| expenditures | 72 400 000 000 | $ |
Agriculture - products :
| barley | cattle |
| cotton | dates |
| poultry | rice |
| sheep | vegetables |
| wheat |
Industries :
| chemicals | construction materials |
| fertilizer | food processing |
| leather | metal fabrication |
| petroleum | textiles |
Energy :
| Electricity Production | 46 390 000 000 | kWh |
| Electricity Consumption | 52 000 000 000 | kWh |
| Electricity Imports | 5 600 000 000 | kWh |
| Oil Production | 2 420 000 | bbl/day |
| Oil Consumption | 500 000 | bbl/day |
| Oil Exports | 1 910 000 | bbl/day |
| Oil Imports | 116 900 | bbl/day |
| Oil Proved reserves | 115 000 000 000 | bbl |
| Natural gas Production | 1 880 000 000 | cubic metres |
| Natural gas Consumption | 9 454 000 000 | cubic metres |
| Electricity Exports | 3 170 000 000 000 | cubic metres |
Value :
38 000 000 000 $
Partners :
| United States (us) | 38.60 | % |
| India (in) | 12.20 | % |
| Italy (it) | 9.80 | % |
| South Korea | 7.10 | % |
Commodities :
| crude materials | crude oil |
| food and live animals |
Value :
55 400 000 000 $
Partners :
| Syria (sy) | 26.20 | % |
| Turkey (tr) | 19.60 | % |
| United States (us) | 10.60 | % |
| Jordan (jo) | 6.40 | % |
| China (cn) | 6.00 | % |
Commodities :
| food | manufactures |
| medicines |
Currency-code :
NID
Currency-name :
New Iraqi dinar
Communications :
| Telephons Main lines in use | 1 082 000 | |
| Telephons Mobile, Cellular | 20 000 000 | |
| Television broadcast stations | 28 | |
| Internet Country code (ccTLD) | iq | |
| Internet Hosts | 11 | |
| Internet Users | 300 000 |
Transportation :
| Airports with paved runways | 75 | |
| Heliports | 21 | |
| Pipelines - gas | 2 501 | km |
| Pipelines - oil | 5 032 | km |
| Pipelines - refined products | 1 637 | km |
| Pipelines - liquid petroleum gas | 918 | km |
| Roadways - total | 44 900 | km |
| Roadways - paved | 37 851 | km |
| Roadways - unpaved | 7 049 | km |
| Railways | 2 272 | km |
| Waterways | 5 279 | km |
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