Map of Iraq | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

Background


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Location

Geographic coordinates

Map reference

Area

Land boundaries

Coastline

Maritime claims

Climate

Terrain

Elevation

Natural resources

Land use

Irrigated land

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards

Geography


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Population
Below poverty line: NA%

Nationality

Ethnic groups

Languages

Religions

Demographic profile

Age structure

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate

Birth rate

Death rate

Net migration rate

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment

Air pollutants

Sex ratio

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate

Life expectancy at birth

Total fertility rate

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

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name

Government type: republic

Capital: Baghdad

Administrative divisions: 18 provinces (muhafazat singular - muhafazah); Al Anbar Al Basrah Al Muthanna Al Qadisiyah An Najaf Arbil As Sulaymaniyah At Ta'mim Babil Baghdad Dahuk Dhi Qar Diyala Karbala' Maysan Ninawa Salah ad Din Wasit

Dependent areas

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

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

Constitution: 22 September 1968 effective 16 July 1970 (provisional constitution); new constitution drafted in 1990 but not adopted

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

Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly or Majlis al-Watani (250 seats; 30 appointed by the president to represent the three northern provinces of Dahuk Arbil and As Sulaymaniyah; 220 elected by popular vote; members serve four-year terms)

Judicial branch: Court of Cassation

Political parties and leaders: Ba'th Party [SADDAM Husayn central party leader]

International organization participation: ABEDA ACC AFESD AL AMF CAEU CCC ESCWA FAO G-19 G-77 IAEA IBRD ICAO ICRM IDA IDB IFAD IFC IFRCS ILO IMF IMO Inmarsat Intelsat Interpol IOC ITU NAM OAPEC OIC OPEC PCA UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNIDO UPU WFTU WHO WIPO WMO WToO

Diplomatic representation
In the us: none; note - Iraq has an Interest Section in the Algerian Embassy headed by Mr. Akram AL DOURI; address: Iraqi Interests Section Algerian Embassy 2,118 Kalorama Road NW Washington DC 20,008; telephone: [1] (202) 265-2,800; FAX: [1] (202) 667-2,174
From the us: none; note - the US has an Interests Section in the Polish Embassy in Baghdad; address: P. O. Box 2,051 Hay Babel Baghdad; telephone: [964] (1) 718-9,267; FAX: [964] (1) 718-9,297

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 which has two stars but no script and the flag of Yemen which has a plain white band; also similar to the flag of Egypt which has a symbolic eagle centered in the white band

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview: Iraq's economy is 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 borrow heavily and later reschedule foreign debt payments; Iraq suffered economic losses of at least $100 billion from the war. After the end of hostilities in 1988 oil exports gradually increased with the construction of new pipelines and restoration of damaged facilities. Iraq's seizure of Kuwait in August 1990 subsequent international economic sanctions and damage from military action by an international coalition beginning in January 1991 drastically reduced economic activity. 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. The implementation of the UN's oil-for-food program in December 1996 has helped improve economic conditions. For the first six six-month phases of the program Iraq was allowed to export limited amounts of oil in exchange for food medicine and other humanitarian goods. In December 1999 the UN Security Council authorized Iraq to export under the oil-for-food program as much oil as required to meet humanitarian needs. Oil exports are now about three-quarters their prewar level. Per capita food imports have increased significantly while medical supplies and health care services are steadily improving. Per capita output and living standards are still well below the prewar level but any estimates have a wide range of error.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: 13% (1999 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $2,700 (1999 est.)

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Agriculture products: wheat barley rice vegetables dates cotton; cattle sheep

Industries: petroleum chemicals textiles construction materials food processing

Industrial production growth rate: NA%

Labor force: 4.4 million (1989)
By occupation agriculture: NA%
By occupation industry: NA%
By occupation services: NA%

Unemployment rate: NA%

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: NA%

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 135% (1999 est.)

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: $12.7 billion (1999 est.)
Commodities: crude oil
Partners: Russia France China (1999)

Imports: $8.9 billion (1999 est.)
Commodities: food medicine manufactures
Partners: Russia France Egypt Vietnam (1999)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $130 billion (1999 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: Iraqi dinars (ID) per US$1 - 0.3109 (fixed official rate since 1982); black market rate - Iraqi dinars (ID) per US$1 - 1900 (December 1999) 1815 (December 1998) 1530 (December 1997) 3,000 (December 1995); subject to wide fluctuations


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Electricity
Production: 28.4 billion kWh (1998)
Consumption: 26.412 billion kWh (1998)
Exports: 0 kWh (1998)
Imports: 0 kWh (1998)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 675,000 (1995)
Mobile cellular: NA

Telephone system: reconstitution of damaged telecommunication facilities began after the Gulf war; most damaged facilities have been rebuilt

Broadcast media

Internet
Service providers isps: 1 (1999)

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $N/A
Percent of gdp: NA%

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: 113 (1999 est.)

Heliports: 5 (1999 est.)

Pipelines: crude oil 4,350 km; petroleum products 725 km; natural gas 1360 km

Railways

Roadways

Waterways: 1015 km; Shatt al Arab is usually navigable by maritime traffic for about 130 km; channel has been dredged to 3 m and is in use; Tigris and Euphrates Rivers have navigable sections for shallow-draft watercraft; Shatt al Basrah canal was navigable by shallow-draft craft before closing in 1991 because of the Gulf war

Merchant marine

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international: Iran and Iraq restored diplomatic relations in 1990 but are still trying to work out written agreements settling outstanding disputes from their eight-year war concerning border demarcation prisoners-of-war and freedom of navigation and sovereignty over the Shatt al Arab waterway; in November 1994 Iraq formally accepted the UN-demarcated border with Kuwait which had been spelled out in Security Council Resolutions 687 (1991) 773 (1993) and 883 (1993); this formally ends earlier claims to Kuwait and to Bubiyan and Warbah islands although the government continues periodic rhetorical challenges; dispute over water development plans by Turkey for the Tigris and Euphrates rivers

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs