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

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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 military strongmen ruled the country the latest 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 resulted in the US-led invasion of Iraq in March 2003 and the ouster of the SADDAM Husayn regime. Coalition forces remain in Iraq helping to restore degraded infrastructure and facilitating the establishment of a freely elected government while simultaneously dealing with a robust insurgency. The Coalition Provisional Authority transferred sovereignty to the Iraqi Interim Government (IG) in June 2004 and the election of its president Ghazi al-Ujayl al-YAWR was held in January 2005.


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Location: Middle East bordering the Persian Gulf between Iran and Kuwait

Geographic coordinates: 33 00 N 44 00 E

Map reference: Middle East

Area
Total: 437,072 km²
Land: 432,162 km²
Water: 4,910 km²
Comparative: slightly more than twice the size of Idaho

Land boundaries
Total: 3,650 km
Border countries: (6) Iran 1,458 km; , Jordan 181 km; , Kuwait 240 km; , Saudi Arabia 814 km; , Syria 605 km; , Turkey 352 km

Coastline: 58 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Continental shelf: not specified

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: Persian Gulf 0 m
Extremes highest point: unamed peak 3,611 m; note - this peak is not Gundah Zhur 3,607 m or Kuh-e Hajji-Ebrahim 3,595 m

Natural resources: petroleum natural gas phosphates sulfur

Land use
Arable land: 13.15%
Permanent crops: 0.78%
Other: 86.07% (2001)

Irrigated land: 35,250 km² (1998 est.)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: dust storms sandstorms floods

Geography
Note: strategic location on Shatt al Arab waterway and at the head of the Persian Gulf


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Population: 25,374,691 (July 2004 est.)
Growth rate: 2.74% (2004 est.)
Below poverty line: NA

Nationality
Noun: Iraqi
Adjective: Iraqi

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

Languages: Arabic Kurdish (official in Kurdish regions) Assyrian Armenian

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

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 40.3% (male 5,198,966; female 5,039,173)
15-64 years: 56.7% (male 7,280,167; female 7,094,688)
65 years and over: 3% (male 357,651; female 404,046) (2004 est.)

Dependency ratios

Median age
Total: 19.2 years
Male: 19.1 years
Female: 19.3 years (2004 est.)

Population growth rate: 2.74% (2004 est.)

Birth rate: 33.09 births/1000 population (2004 est.)

Death rate: 5.66 deaths/1000 population (2004 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1000 population (2004 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
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 party to: Law of the Sea
International agreements signed but not ratified: Environmental Modification

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.03 male/female
15-64 years: 1.03 male/female
65 years and over: 0.89 male/female
Total population: 1.02 male/female (2004 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 52.71 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 58.58 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 46.55 deaths/1000 live births (2004 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 68.26 years
Male: 67.09 years
Female: 69.48 years (2004 est.)

Total fertility rate: 4.4 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: less than 0.1% (2001 est.)
People living with hivaids: less than 500 (2003 est.)
Deaths: NA

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 40.4%
Male: 55.9%
Female: 24.4% (2003 est.)

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: none; note - the Iraqi Interim Government (IG) was appointed on 1 June 2004

Capital: Baghdad

Administrative divisions: 18 governorates (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); note - on 28 June 2004 the Coalition Provisional Authority transferred sovereignty to the Iraqi Interim Government

National holiday: Revolution Day 17 July (1968); note - this holiday was celebrated under the SADDAM Husayn regime but the Iraqi Interim Government has yet to declare a new national holiday

Constitution: interim constitution signed 8 March 2004; note - the Transitional Administrative Law (TAL) was enacted 8 March 2004 to govern the country until an elected Iraqi Transitional Government can draft and ratify a new constitution in 2005

Legal system: based on civil and Islamic law under the Iraqi Interim Government (IG) and Transitional Administrative Law (TAL)

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: formerly 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: Interim Iraqi Government (IG) President Ghazi al-Ujayl al-YAWR (since 1 June 2004); Deputy Presidents Ibrahim al-JAFARI and Rowsch SHAWAYS (since 1 June 2004); note - the President and Deputy Presidents comprise the Presidency Council
Head of government: Interim Iraqi Government (IG) Prime Minister Ayad ALLAWI (since 28 June 2004)
Cabinet: 31 ministers appointed by the Presidency Council, plus a Deputy Prime Minister, Barham SALIH
Elections: scheduled to be held January 2005

Legislative branch: Iraqi Interim National Council formed in July 2004

Judicial branch: Supreme Court appointed by the Prime Minister confirmed by the Presidency Council

Political parties and leaders: note - the Iraqi political parties included below reflect only the major groups; new political parties continue to emerge indicative of a rapidly changing political landscape; Al-Sadr Movement [Muqtada Al-SADR]; Da'wa Party [Ibrahim al-JA'FARI]; Iraqi Hizballah [Karim Mahud al-MUHAMMADAWI]; Iraqi National Accord or INA [Ayad ALLAWI]; Iraqi National Congress or INC [Ahmad CHALABI]; Jama'at al Fadilah or JAF [Ayatollah Muhammad ' Ali al-YAQUBI]; The Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq or SCIRI [Abd al-Aziz al-HAKIM]; Constitutional Monarchy Movement or CMM [Sharif Ali Bin al-HUSAYN]; Independent Iraqi Alliance or IIA [Falah al-NAQIB]; Iraqi Independent Democrats or IID [Adnan PACHACHI Mahdi al-HAFIZ]; Iraqi Islamic Party or IIP [Muhsin Abd al-HAMID Hajim al-HASSANI]; Iraqi National Unity Movement or INUM [Ahmad al-KUBAYSI chariman]; Muslim Ulama Council or MUC [Harith Sulayman al-DARI secretary general]; Kurdistan Democratic Party or KDP [Masud BARZANI]; Patriotic Union of Kurdistan or PUK [Jalal TALABANI]

International organization participation: ABEDA AFESD AMF CAEU FAO G-77 IAEA IBRD ICAO ICRM IDA IDB IFAD IFC IFRCS ILO IMF IMO Interpol IOC ISO ITU LAS NAM OAPEC OIC OPEC PCA UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNIDO UPU WCO WFTU WHO WIPO WMO WTO (observer) WToO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant)
In the us chancery: 1801 P Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20,036
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 483-7,500
In the us fax: [1] (202) 462-5,066
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador John D. NEGROPONTE
From the us embassy: Baghdad
From the us mailing address: APO AE 9,316
From the us telephone: 00-1-240-553-0584 ext. 4,354; note - Consular Section
From the us fax: NA

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 Yemen which has a plain white band and that of Egypt which has a gold Eagle of Saladin centered in the white band; design is based upon the Arab Liberation colors

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 from that war of at least $100 billion. After hostilities ended 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. Although government policies supporting large military and internal security forces and allocating resources to key supporters of the regime have hurt the economy implementation of the UN's oil-for-food program beginning in December 1996 helped improve conditions for the average Iraqi citizen. Iraq was allowed to export limited amounts of oil in exchange for food medicine and some infrastructure spare parts. In December 1999 the UN Security Council authorized Iraq to export under the program as much oil as required to meet humanitarian needs. The drop in GDP in 2001-02 was largely the result of the global economic slowdown and lower oil prices. Per capita food imports increased significantly while medical supplies and health care services steadily improved. Per capita output and living standards were still well below the pre-1991 level but any estimates have a wide range of error. The military victory of the US-led coalition in March-April 2003 resulted in the shutdown of much of the central economic administrative structure but with the loss of a comparatively small amount of capital plant. The rebuilding of oil electricity and other production is proceeding steadily at the start of 2004 with foreign support and despite the continuation of severe internal strife. A joint UN and World Bank report released in the fall of 2003 estimated that Iraq's key reconstruction needs through 2007 would cost $55 billion. In October 2003 international donors pledged assistance worth more than $33 billion toward this rebuilding effort.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: -21.8% (2003 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $1500 (2003 est.)

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 6%
Industry: 13%
Services: 81% (1993 est.)

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: 7.8 million (2004 est.)
By occupation: agriculture NA industry NA services NA

Unemployment rate: NA (2003 est.)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: NA

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: NA
Highest 10: NA

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $12.8 billion NA
Expenditures: $13.4 billion NA, including capital expenditures of NA (2004 budget)

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 29.3% (2003 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: $1.136 billion (2003)

Exports: $7.542 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)
Commodities: crude oil
Partners: US 48.8% Jordan 8.4% Canada 8% Italy 7.9% Morocco 5.3% (2003)

Imports: $6.521 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)
Commodities: food medicine manufactures
Partners: Turkey 18.1% Jordan 13.4% Vietnam 10.7% US 6.9% Germany 5% UK 4.7% (2003)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $93.95 billion (2003 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: New Iraqi dinars per US dollar - 1890 (second half 2003)


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Electricity
Production: 36.01 billion kWh (2001)
Consumption: 33.49 billion kWh (2001)
Exports: 0 kWh (2001)
Imports: 0 kWh (2001)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas
Production: 2.76 billion m³ (2001 est.)
Consumption: 2.76 billion m³ (2001 est.)
Exports: 0 m³ (2001 est.)
Imports: 0 m³ (2001 est.)
Proven reserves: 3.149 trillion m³ (1 January 2002)

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 675,000; note - an unknown number of telephone lines were damaged or destroyed during the March-April 2003 war (2003)
Mobile cellular: 20,000 (2002)

Telephone system
General assessment: the 2003 war severely disrupted telecommunications throughout Iraq including international connections; USAID is overseeing the repair of switching capability and the construction of mobile and satellite communications facilities
Domestic: repairs to switches and lines destroyed in the recent fighting continue but sabotage remains a problem; cellular service is expected to be in place within two years
International: country code - 964; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region), and 1 Arabsat (inoperative); coaxial cable and microwave radio relay to Jordan, Kuwait, Syria, and Turkey; Kuwait line is probably nonoperational

Broadcast media

Internet
Country code: .iq
Users: 25,000 (2002)

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $1.3 billion (FY00)
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: 111; note - unknown number were damaged during the March-April 2003 war (2003 est.)
With paved runways total: 79
With paved runways over 3047 m: 21
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 36
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 5
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 7
With paved runways under 914 m: 10 (2004 est.)
With unpaved runways total: 32
With unpaved runways over 3047 m: 2
With unpaved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 4
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 5
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 12
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 9 (2004 est.)

Heliports: 6 (2003 est.)

Pipelines: gas 1739 km; oil 5,418 km; refined products 1343 km (2004)

Railways
Total: 1,963 km
Standard gauge: 1,963 km 1.435-m gauge (2003)

Roadways

Waterways
Note: Euphrates River (2,815 km), Tigris River (1,895 km), and Third River (565 km) are principal waterways (2004)

Merchant marine
Total: 13 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 83,221 GRT/125,255 DWT
By type: cargo 6, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 5, roll on/roll off 1
Registered in other countries: 3 (2004 est.)

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international: coalition forces assist Iraqis in monitoring boundary security but resolution of disputes and creation of maritime boundaries with neighboring states will remain in hiatus until full sovereignty is restored in Iraq; Turkey has expressed concern over the status of Kurds in Iraq

Refugees and internally displaced persons
Refugees country of origin: 150,000 (Palestinian Territories)
Idps: 1,340,280 (ongoing US-led war and Kurds' subsequent return) (2004)

Illicit drugs