Map of Iraq | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide19891990199119921993199419951996199719981999200020012002200320042005200620072008200920102011201220132014201520162017201820192020202120222023 | More stats

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Background: Iraq lies in the lower part of the Tigris-Euphrates valley, the heart of one of the four great ancient civilizations. The area was overrun by Arab, Mongol, and Turkish conquerors and became a British mandate following World War I. Independence came in 1932. Iraq's pro-Western stance ended in 1958 with the overthrow of the monarchy. Its subsequent turbulent history has witnessed the dictatorship of SADDAM Husayn, civil war with the Kurds, a bloody conflict with neighboring Iran, and, in 1990, an invasion of Kuwait, swiftly turned back by a Western coalition led by the US. Noncooperation with UN Security Council resolution obligations and the UN's inspection of Iraq's nuclear, chemical, biological, and long-range missile weapons programs remain major problems.


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Location: Middle East, between Iran and Saudi Arabia

Geographic coordinates

Map reference: Middle East, Standard Time Zones of the World

Area
Total: 437,072 km²
Land: 432,162 km²

Land boundaries

Coastline: 58 km
Continental shelf: not specified
Territorial sea: 12 nm

Maritime claims

Climate: mostly desert; mild to cool winters with dry, hot, cloudless summers; northernmost regions along Iranian and Turkish borders experience cold winters with occasionally heavy snows

Terrain: mostly broad plains; reedy marshes in southeast; mountains along borders with Iran and Turkey

Elevation

Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, phosphates, sulfur

Land use
Arable land: 12%
Permanent crops: 1%
Meadows and pastures: 9%
Forest and woodland: 3%
Other: 75%

Irrigated land: 25,500 km² (1989 est)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards

Geography


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Population: 19,161,956 (July 1993 est.)
Growth rate: 3.73% (1993 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Iraqi(s)
Adjective: Iraqi

Ethnic groups: Arab 75-80%, Kurdish 15-20%, Turkoman, Assyrian or other 5%

Languages:

Religions: Muslim 97% (Shi'a 60-65%, Sunni 32-37%), Christian or other 3%

Demographic profile

Age structure

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 3.73% (1993 est.)

Birth rate: 44.57 births/1000 population (1993 est.)

Death rate

Net migration rate: 0.42 migrant(s)/1000 population (1993 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: development of Tigris-Euphrates Rivers system contingent upon agreements with upstream riparians (Syria, Turkey; air and water pollution; soil degradation (salinization) and erosion; desertification

Air pollutants

Sex ratio

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 71.8 deaths/1000 live births (1993 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 64.96 years
Male: 64.2 years
Female: 65.76 years (1993 est.)

Total fertility rate: 6.86 children born/woman (1993 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1990)
Total population: 60%
Male: 70%
Female: 49%

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form: Republic of Iraq
Conventional short form: Iraq
Local long form: Al Jumhuriyah al Iraqiyah
Local short form: Al Iraq

Government type: republic

Capital

Administrative divisions:

Dependent areas

Independence: 3 October 1932 (from League of Nations mandate under British administration)

National holiday: Anniversary of the Revolution, 17 July (1968)

Constitution:

Legal system: based on Islamic law in special religious courts, civil law system elsewhere; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch: president, vice president, chairman of the Revolutionary Command Council, vice chairman of the Revolutionary Command Council, prime minister, first deputy prime minister, Council of Ministers

Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly (Majlis al-Watani)

Judicial branch: Court of Cassation

Political parties and leaders

International organization participation:

Diplomatic representation
In the us chancery: Iraqi Interests Section, 1801 P Street NW, Washington, DC 20,036
In the us telephone: (202) 483-7,500
In the us fax: (202) 462-5,066
From the us chief of mission: (vacant); note - operations have been temporarily suspended; a US Interests Section is located in Poland's embassy in Baghdad
From the us embassy: Masbah Quarter (opposite the Foreign Ministry Club), Baghdad
From the us mailing address: P. O. Box 2,447 Alwiyah, Baghdad
From the us telephone: 964 (1) 719-6,138 or 719-6,139, 718-1840, 719-3,791

Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black with three green five-pointed stars in a horizontal line centered in the white band; the phrase ALLAHU AKBAR (God is Great) in green Arabic script - Allahu to the right of the middle star and Akbar to the left of the middle star - was added in January 1991 during the Persian Gulf crisis; similar to the flag of Syria that has two stars but no script and the flag of Yemen that has a plain white band; also similar to the flag of Egypt that has a symbolic eagle centered in the white band

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview: The Ba'thist regime engages in extensive central planning and management of industrial production and foreign trade while leaving some small-scale industry and services and most agriculture to private enterprise. The economy has been dominated by the oil sector, which has traditionally provided about 95% of foreign exchange earnings. In the 1980s, financial problems caused by massive expenditures in the eight-year war with Iran and damage to oil export facilities by Iran, led the government to implement austerity measures and to borrow heavily and later reschedule foreign debt payments. After the end of hostilities in 1988, oil exports gradually increased with the construction of new pipelines and restoration of damaged facilities. Agricultural development remained hampered by labor shortages, salinization, and dislocations caused by previous land reform and collectivization programs. The industrial sector, although accorded high priority by the government, also was under financial constraints. Iraq's seizure of Kuwait in August 1990, subsequent international economic embargoes, and military action by an international coalition beginning in January 1991 drastically changed the economic picture. Industrial and transportation facilities suffered severe damage and have been only partially restored. Oil exports remain at less than 10% of the previous level. Shortages of spare parts continue. Living standards deteriorated even further in 1992 and early 1993; consumer prices at least tripled in 1992. The UN-sponsored economic embargo has reduced exports and imports and has contributed to the sharp rise in prices. The government's policies of supporting large military and internal security forces and of allocating resources to key supporters of the regime have exacerbated shortages. In brief, per capita output in early 1993 is far below the 1989-90 level, but no reliable estimate is available.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: 10% (1989 est.)

Real gdp per capita ppp

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Agriculture products: accounts for 11% of GNP and 30% of labor force; principal products - wheat, barley, rice, vegetables, dates, other fruit, cotton, wool; livestock - cattle, sheep; not self-sufficient in food output

Industries: petroleum production and refining, chemicals, textiles, construction materials, food processing

Industrial production growth rate: NA%; manufacturing accounts for 10% of GNP (1989)

Labor force: 4.4 million (1989)
By occupation services: 48%
By occupation agriculture: 30%
By occupation industry: 22%
Note: severe labor shortage; expatriate labor force was about 1,600,000 (July 1990); since then it has declined substantially

Unemployment rate: less than 5% (1989 est.)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget: revenues $NA; expenditures $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA

Public debt

Taxes and other revenues

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Current account balance

Inflation rate consumer prices

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports: $10.4 billion (f.o.b., 1990)
Commodoties: crude oil and refined products, fertilizer, sulfur
Partners: US, Brazil, Turkey, Japan, Netherlands, Spain (1990)

Imports: $6.6 billion (c.i.f., 1990)
Commodoties: manufactures, food
Partners: Germany, US, Turkey, France, UK (1990)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: Iraqi dinars (ID) per US$1 - 3.2 (fixed official rate since 1982; black-market rate (April 1993) US$1 = 53.5 Iraqi dinars


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Electricity access

Electricity production:

Electricity consumption

Electricity exports

Electricity imports

Electricity installed generating capacity

Electricity transmission distribution losses

Electricity generation sources

Petroleum

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones fixed lines

Telephones mobile cellular

Telephone system

Broadcast media

Internet country code

Internet users

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Percent of gdp: exchange rate conversion - $NA, NA% of GNP

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 114
Usable: 99
With permanentsurface runways: 74
With runways over 3659 m: 9
With runways 2440-3659 m: 52
With runways 1220-2439 m: 12

Airports with paved runways

Airports with unpaved runways

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways

Roadways

Waterways:

Merchant marine:

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international:

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs