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

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Background:


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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: 438,317 km²
Land: 437,367 km²
Water: 950 km²
Rank: 59
Comparative: slightly more than three times the size of New York state

Land boundaries
Total: 3,809 km
Border countries: (6) Iran 1599 km; Jordan 179 km; Kuwait 254 km; Saudi Arabia 811 km; Syria 599 km; Turkey 367 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: Cheekha Dar 3,611 m

Natural resources: petroleum natural gas phosphates sulfur

Land use
Agricultural land: 18.1%
Forest: 1.9%
Other: 80%

Irrigated land: 35,250 km² (2003)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources: 89.86 km³ (2011)

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: 37,056,169 (July 2015 est.)
Rank: 37
Growth rate: 2.93% (2015 est.)
Growth rate rank: 9
Below poverty line: 25% (2008 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Iraqi
Adjective: Iraqi

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

Languages: Arabic (official) Kurdish (official) Turkmen (a Turkish dialect) and Assyrian (Neo-Aramaic) are official in areas where they constitute a majority of the population) Armenian

Religions: Muslim (official) 99% (Shia 60%-65% Sunni 32%-37%) Christian 0.8% Hindu .1 Buddhist .1 Jewish .1 folk religion .1 unafilliated .1 other .1
Note: while there has been voluntary relocation of many Christian families to northern Iraq recent reporting indicates that the overall Christian population may have dropped by as much as 50 percent since the fall of the Saddam HUSSEIN regime in 2003 with many fleeing to Syria Jordan and Lebanon

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 40.25%
15-24 years: 18.98%
25-54 years: 33.49%
55-64 years: 3.95%
65 years and over: 3.33% (2015 est.)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 78.7%
Youth dependency ratio: 73.2%
Elderly dependency ratio: 5.5%
Potential support ratio: 18.3%

Median age
Total: 19.7 years
Male: 19.4 years
Female: 20 years

Population growth rate: 2.93% (2015 est.)
Rank: 9

Birth rate: 31.45 births/1000 population (2015 est.)
Rank: 35

Death rate: 3.77 deaths/1000 population (2015 est.)
Rank: 212

Net migration rate: 1.62 migrant(s)/1000 population (2015 est.)
Rank: 56

Population distribution

Urbanization
Urban population: 69.5% of total population
Rate of urbanization: 3.01% annual rate of change

Major urban areas
Population: BAGHDAD (capital) 6.643 million; Mosul 1.694 million; Erbil 1.166 million; Basra 1.019 million; As Sulaymaniyah 1.004 million; Najaf 889,000 (2015)

Environment
Current issues: government water control projects 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: Biodiversity Law of the Sea Ozone Layer Protection
International agreements signed but not ratified: Environmental Modification

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male/female
0-14 years: 1.04 male/female
15-24 years: 1.04 male/female
25-54 years: 1.02 male/female
55-64 years: 0.9 male/female
65 years and over: 0.8 male/female
Total population: 1.02 male/female

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 37.49 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 40.6 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 34.23 deaths/1000 live births
Rank: 57

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 74.85 years
Male: 72.62 years
Female: 77.19 years
Rank: 111

Total fertility rate: 4.12 children born/woman (2015 est.)
Rank: 34

Contraceptive prevalence rate: 52.5% (2011)

Drinking water source:

Current health expenditure

Physicians density: 0.61 physicians/1000 population (2010)

Hospital bed density: 1.3 beds/1000 population (2012)

Sanitation facility access:

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: NA
People living with hivaids: NA
Deaths: NA

Major infectious diseases
Degree of risk: intermediate
Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea hepatitis A and typhoid fever
Note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 21.2% (2014)
Rank: 42

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 8.5% (2011)
Rank: 74

Education expenditures: NA

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 79.7%
Male: 85.7%
Female: 73.7%

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: Jumhuriyat al-Iraq/Komar-i Eraq
Local short form: Al Iraq/Eraq
Etymology: the name probably derives from 'Uruk' the ancient Sumerian and Babylonian city on the Euphrates River

Government type: parliamentary democracy

Capital
Name: Baghdad
Geographic coordinates: 33 20 N 44 24 E
Time difference: UTC+3

Administrative divisions: 18 governorates (muhafazat singular - muhafazah (Arabic); parezgakan singular - parezga (Kurdish)) and 1 region*; Al Anbar; Al Basrah; Al Muthanna; Al Qadisiyah (Ad Diwaniyah); An Najaf; Arbil (Erbil) (Arabic) Hewler (Kurdish); As Sulaymaniyah (Arabic) Slemani (Kurdish); Babil; Baghdad; Dahuk (Arabic) Dihok (Kurdish); Dhi Qar; Diyala; Karbala'; Kirkuk; Kurdistan Regional Government*; 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: Republic Day July 14 (1958); note - the Government of Iraq has yet to declare an official national holiday but still observes Republic Day

Constitution: several previous; latest adopted by referendum 15 October 2005 (2016)

Legal system: mixed legal system of civil and Islamic law

International law organization participation: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt

Citizenship
Citizenship by birth: no
Citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Iraq
Dual citizenship recognized: yes
Residency requirement for naturalization: 10 years

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Fuad MASUM ; Vice Presidents Ayad ALLAWI (since 9 September 2014) Nuri MALIKI (since 9 September 2014) Usama al-NUJAYFI (since 9 September 2014)
Head of government: Prime Minister Haydar al-ABADI
Cabinet: Council of Ministers proposed by the prime minister approved by Council of Representatives
Electionsappointments: president indirectly elected by Council of Representatives to serve a 4-year term ; election last held on 30 April 2014 (next to be held in 2018); prime minister nominated by the president approved by Council of Representatives
Election results: Fuad MASUM elected president; Council of Representatives vote - Fuad MASUM 211 Barham SALIH (PUK) 17; Haydar al-ABADI (Da'wa Party) approved as prime minister

Legislative branch
Description: unicameral Council of Representatives or Majlis an-Nuwwab al-Iraqiyy ; note - Iraq's constitution calls for the establishment of an upper house the Federation Council but it has not been instituted
Elections: last held on 30 April 2014
Election results: Council of Representatives - percent of vote by party/coalition - NA; seats by coalition/party – State of Law Coalition 95 Sadrist Movement 34 ISCI/Muwatin 30 KDP 25 United for Reform Coalition/Muttahidun 23 PUK 21 Nationalism Coalition/Wataniyah 19 other Sunni coalitions/parties 15 Al-Arabiyah Coalition 10 Goran 9 other Shia parties/coalitions 9 Fadilah 6 National Reform Trend 6 Iraq Coalition 5 KIU 4 other 17

Judicial branch
Highest court: Federal Supreme Court or FSC ; note - court jurisdiction limited to constitutional issues and disputes between regions or governorates and the central government); Court of Cassation (consists of a court president 5 vice-presidents and at least 24 judges)
Judge selection and term of office: Federal Supreme Court and Court of Cassation judges appointed by the Higher Juridical Council a 25-member committee of judicial officials that manage the judiciary and prosecutors; FSC members appointed for life; Court of Cassation judges appointed for 1-year probationary period and upon satisfactory performance may be confirmed for permanent tenure until retirement nominally at age 63
Subordinate courts: Courts of Appeal ; courts of first instance; personal status labor criminal juvenile and religious courts

Political parties and leaders
Note: numerous smaller local tribal and minority parties:

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

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Luqman Abd al-Rahim FAYLI
In the us chancery: 3,421 Massachusetts Ave NW Washington DC 20,007
In the us telephone: [1] 742-1600
In the us FAX: [1] 333-1129
In the us consulate general: Detroit Los Angeles
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Stuart E. JONES
From the us embassy: Al-Kindi Street International Zone Baghdad
From the us mailing address: APO AE 9,316
From the us telephone: 0760-030-3,000
From the us FAX: NA

Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of red (top) white and black; the Takbir (Arabic expression meaning 'God is great') in green Arabic script is centered in the white band; the band colors derive from the Arab Liberation flag and represent oppression (black) overcome through bloody struggle (red) to be replaced by a bright future (white); the Council of Representatives approved this flag in 2008 as a compromise temporary replacement for the Ba'athist Saddam-era flag
Note: 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

National symbols: golden eagle; national colors: red white black

National anthem
Name: 'Mawtini'
Lyrics and music: Ibrahim TOUQAN/Mohammad FLAYFEL
Note: adopted 2004; following the ouster of SADDAM Husayn Iraq adopted 'Mawtini' a popular folk song throughout the Arab world; also serves as an unofficial anthem of the Palestinian people

National heritage


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Economy overview: During 2014 worsening security and financial stability throughout Iraq - driven by an ongoing insurgency decreasing oil prices and political upheaval - decreased the prospects for improving the country's economic environment and securing much-needed foreign investment. Long-term fiscal health a strengthened investment climate and sustained improvements in the overall standard of living still depend on the central government passing major policy reforms. Iraq's largely state-run economy is dominated by the oil sector which provides more than 90% of government revenue and 80% of foreign exchange earnings. Oil exports in 2014 remained relatively flat at 2.4 million barrels per day on average despite new production coming online at the West Qurna 2 and Badrah oilfields because repeated attacks on the Iraq-Turkey pipeline reduced export capacity. During the second half of 2014 government revenues decreased as global oil prices fell by more than 30%. Iraq's contracts with major oil companies have the potential to further expand oil exports and revenues but Iraq will need to make significant upgrades to its oil processing pipeline and export infrastructure to enable these deals to reach their economic potential. The Iraqi Kurdistan Region's (IKR) autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) passed its own oil law in 2007 and has directly signed about 50 contracts to develop IKR energy reserves. The federal government has disputed the legal authority of the KRG to conclude most of these contracts some of which are also in areas with unresolved administrative boundaries in dispute between the federal and regional government. In December the federal government and the KRG agreed to sell oil exports from Kurdish-controlled oil fields under the federal oil ministry in exchange for the central government paying $1 billion to the Kurdish Peshmerga forces and resuming budget transfers to the KRG that amount to 17% of Iraq's national budget. Iraq is making slow progress enacting laws and developing the institutions needed to implement economic policy and political reforms are still needed to assuage investors' concerns regarding the uncertain business climate.. The government of Iraq is eager to attract additional foreign direct investment but it faces a number of obstacles including a tenuous political system and concerns about security and societal stability. Rampant corruption outdated infrastructure insufficient essential services skilled labor shortages and antiquated commercial laws stifle investment and continue to constrain growth of private nonoil sectors. Under the Iraqi Constitution some competencies relevant to the overall investment climate are either shared by the federal government and the regions or are devolved entirely to local governments. Investment in the IKR operates within the framework of the Kurdistan Region Investment Law (Law 4 of 2006) and the Kurdistan Board of Investment which is designed to provide incentives to help economic development in areas under the authority of the KRG. Inflation has remained under control since 2006. However Iraqi leaders remain hard pressed to translate macroeconomic gains into an improved standard of living for the Iraqi populace. Unemployment remains a problem throughout the country despite a bloated public sector. Encouraging private enterprise through deregulation would make it easier for Iraqi citizens and foreign investors to start new businesses. Rooting out corruption and implementing reforms - such as restructuring banks and developing the private sector - would be important steps in this direction.

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Note: data are in 2014 US dollars
Rank: 37

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 214

Real gdp per capita:
Note: data are in 2014 US dollars
Rank: 103

Gross national saving:
Rank: 60

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 55.5%
Government consumption: 21.5%
Investment in fixed capital: 16.5%
Investment in inventories: 2%
Exports of goods and services: 40.8%
Imports of goods and services: -36.3%

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 4.2%
Industry: 59.5%
Services: 36.3%

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

Industries: petroleum chemicals textiles leather construction materials food processing fertilizer metal fabrication/processing

Industrial production growth rate: -2.1% (2014 est.)
Rank: 184

Labor force: 8.9 million (2010 est.)
Rank: 56
By occupation agriculture: 21.6%
By occupation industry: 18.7%
By occupation services: 59.8%

Unemployment rate:
Rank: 154

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: 25% (2008 est.)

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 3.6%
Highest 10: 25.7%

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $86.03 billion
Expenditures: $97.57 billion
Surplus or deficit: -5.2% of GDP (2014 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 175

Taxes and other revenues: 38.5% of GDP (2014 est.)
Rank: 44

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices:
Rank: 108

Central bank discount rate:
Rank: 65

Commercial bank prime lending rate:
Rank: 131

Stock of narrow money:
Rank: 46

Stock of broad money:
Rank: 59

Stock of domestic credit:
Rank: 186

Market value of publicly traded shares:
Rank: 90

Current account balance:
Rank: 175

Exports:
Rank: 42
Commodities: crude oil 84% crude materials excluding fuels food and live animals
Partners: China 23.8% India 18.4% US 15.7% South Korea 7.7% Greece 5.9% Italy 4.9% (2014)

Imports:
Rank: 55
Commodities: food medicine manufactures
Partners: Turkey 23.3% Syria 17.3% China 16.6% US 4.5% (2014)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
Rank: 36

Debt external:
Rank: 61

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates:


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Electricity
Production: 62.3 billion kWh (2013 est.)
Production rank: 45
Consumption: 53.41 billion kWh (2013 est.)
Consumption rank: 46
Exports: 0 kWh (2013 est.)
Exports rank: 153
Imports: 8.201 billion kWh (2013 est.)
Imports rank: 26
Installed generating capacity: 11.2 million kW (2013 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 54
Generation sources fossil fuels: 92% of total installed capacity (2013 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 70
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2013 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 115
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 7.6% of total installed capacity (2013 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 121
Generation sources other renewable sources: 0% of total installed capacity (2013 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 185

Coal

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 3.368 million bbl/day (2014 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 6
Crude oil exports: 2.39 million bbl/day (2013 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 6
Crude oil imports: 0 bbl/day (2013 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 207
Crude oil proven reserves: 144.2 billion bbl (1 January 2015 est.)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 5

Crude oil

Refined petroleum
Products production: 590,400 bbl/day (2012 est.)
Products production rank: 29
Products consumption: 750,000 bbl/day (2013 est.)
Products consumption rank: 26
Products exports: 2,153 bbl/day (2012 est.)
Products exports rank: 105
Products imports: 242,700 bbl/day (2012 est.)
Products imports rank: 28

Natural gas
Production: 1.18 billion m³ (2013 est.)
Production rank: 62
Consumption: 1.179 billion m³ (2013 est.)
Consumption rank: 88
Exports: 0 m³ (2013 est.)
Exports rank: 120
Imports: 0 m³ (2013 est.)
Imports rank: 213
Proven reserves: 3.158 trillion m³ (1 January 2014 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 12

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 130.7 million Mt (2012 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 38

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 1.95 million
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 5
Fixed lines rank: 59
Mobile cellular total: 33 million
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 92
Mobile cellular rank: 36

Telephone system
General assessment: the 2003 liberation of Iraq severely disrupted telecommunications throughout Iraq including international connections; widespread government efforts to rebuild domestic and international communications through fiber optic links are in progress; the mobile cellular market expanded rapidly to some 27 million subscribers by the end of 2012
Domestic: repairs to switches and lines destroyed during 2003 continue; additional switching capacity is improving access; 3 GSM operators since 2007 have expanded beyond their regional roots and offer near country-wide access to second-generation services; third-generation mobile services are not available nationwide; wireless local loop is available in some metropolitan areas and additional licenses have been issued with the hope of overcoming the lack of fixed-line infrastructure
International: country code - 964; satellite earth stations - 4 ); local microwave radio relay connects border regions to Jordan Kuwait Syria and Turkey; international terrestrial fiber-optic connections have been established with Saudi Arabia Turkey Kuwait Jordan and Iran; links to the Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe (FLAG) and the Gulf Bridge International (GBI) submarine fiber-optic cables have been established (2011)

Broadcast media: the number of private radio and TV stations has increased rapidly since 2003; government-owned TV and radio stations are operated by the publicly funded Iraqi Media Network; private broadcast media are mostly linked to political ethnic or religious groups; satellite TV is available to an estimated 70% of viewers and many of the broadcasters are based abroad; transmissions of multiple international radio broadcasters are accessible (2015)

Internet
Country code: .iq
Users total: 2.8 million
Users percent of population: 7.8%
Users rank: 87

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures:
Rank: 2

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation: 18-40 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2013)

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 102 (2013)
Rank: 55
With paved runways total: 72
With paved runways over 3047 m: 20
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 34
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 4
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 7
With paved runways under 914 m: 7
With unpaved runways total: 30
With unpaved runways over 3047 m: 3
With unpaved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 5
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 3
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 13
With unpaved runways: 6 (2013)

Heliports: 16 (2013)

Pipelines: gas 2,455 km; liquid petroleum gas 913 km; oil 5,432 km; refined products 1637 km (2013)

Railways
Total: 2,272 km
Standard gauge: 2,272 km 1.435-m gauge
Rank: 67

Roadways
Total: 59,623 km
Paved: 59,623 km (2012)
Rank: 70

Waterways: 5,279 km (the Euphrates River (2,815 km) Tigris River (1899 km) and Third River (565 km) are the principal waterways) (2012)
Rank: 22

Merchant marine
Total: 2
By type: petroleum tanker 2
Registered in other countries: 2 (2010)
Rank: 142

Ports and terminals
River port: Al Basrah ; Khawr az Zubayr Umm Qasr (Khawr az Zubayr waterway)


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Disputes international: Iraq's lack of a maritime boundary with Iran prompts jurisdiction disputes beyond the mouth of the Shatt al Arab in the Persian Gulf; Turkey has expressed concern over the autonomous status of Kurds in Iraq

Refugees and internally displaced persons
Refugees: 16,637 (Turkey); 11,053 (Iran); 9,246 (West Bank and Gaza Strip) (2014); 244,642 (Syria) (2015)
IDPs: 4,149,518 (2015)
Stateless persons: 120,000 ; note - in the 1970s and 1980s under SADDAM Husayn's regime thousands of Iraq's Faili Kurds followers of Shia Islam were stripped of their Iraqi citizenship had their property seized by the government and many were deported; some Faili Kurds had their citizenship reinstated under the 2006 Iraqi Nationality Law but others lack the documentation to prove their Iraqi origins; some Palestinian refugees persecuted by the SADDAM regime remain stateless

Illicit drugs