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 have ruled the country since then the latest being 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.

Geographic coordinates: 33 00 N 44 00 E

Map reference: Middle East

Area
Total: 437,072 km²
Water: 4,910 km²
Land: 432,162 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
Continental shelf: not specified
Territorial sea: 12 NM

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: 11.89%
Permanent crops: 0.78%
Other: 87.33% (1998 est.)

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

Natural hazards: dust storms sandstorms floods

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

Population: 24,683,313 (July 2003 est.)
Growth rate: 2.78% (2003 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%

Age structure
0-14 years: 40.7% (male 5,103,669; female 4,946,443)
15-64 years: 56.3% (male 7,033,268; female 6,855,644)
65 years and over: 3% (male 348,790; female 395,499) (2003 est.)

Median age
Total: 19 years
Male: 18.9 years
Female: 19.1 years (2002)

Population growth rate: 2.78% (2003 est.)

Birth rate: 33.66 births/1000 population (2003 est.)

Death rate: 5.84 deaths/1000 population (2003 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1000 population (2003 est.)

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, Nuclear Test Ban
International agreements signed but not ratified: Environmental Modification

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: 0.88 male/female
Total population: 1.02 male/female (2003 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 55.16 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 48.95 deaths/1000 live births (2003 est.)
Male: 61.09 deaths/1000 live births

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 67.81 years
Male: 66.7 years
Female: 68.99 years (2003 est.)

Total fertility rate: 4.52 children born/woman (2003 est.)

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: less than 0.1% (2001 est.)
People living with hivaids: less than 1000
Deaths: NA

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

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: in transition following April 2003 defeat of SADDAM Husayn regime by US-led coalition

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

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

National holiday: Revolution Day 17 July (1968)

Constitution: in transition following April 2003 defeat of SADDAM Husayn regime by US-led coalition

Legal system: in transition following April 2003 defeat of SADDAM Husayn regime by US-led coalition

Suffrage: formerly 18 years of age; universal; note - in transition following April 2003 defeat of SADDAM Husayn regime by US-led coalition

Executive branch
Chief of state: in transition following April 2003 defeat of SADDAM Husayn regime by US-led coalition

Legislative branch: in transition following April 2003 defeat of SADDAM Husayn regime by US-led coalition

Judicial branch: in transition following April 2003 defeat of SADDAM Husayn regime by US-led coalition

Political parties and leaders: in transition following April 2003 defeat of SADDAM Husayn regime by US-led coalition

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

Diplomatic representation
In the us: in transition following April 2003 defeat of SADDAM Husayn regime by US-led coalition
From the us: in transition following April 2003 defeat of SADDAM Husayn regime by US-led coalition

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

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 the 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. Oil exports have recently been more than three-quarters prewar level. However 28% of Iraq's export revenues under the program have been deducted to meet UN Compensation Fund and UN administrative expenses. 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 prewar 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 and the loss of a comparatively small amount of capital plant.

Real gdp growth rate: -3% (2002 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $2,400 (2002 est.)

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: 6.5 million (2002 est.)
By occupation agriculture: NA%
By occupation industry: NA%
By occupation services: NA%

Unemployment rate: NA%

Population below poverty line: NA

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

Budget
Revenues: $NA
Expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 70% (2002 est.)

Exports: $13 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.)
Commodities: crude oil
Partners: US 40.9% Canada 8.2% France 8.2% Jordan 7.5% Netherlands 6.4% Italy 5.4% Morocco 4.7% Spain 4.4% (2002)

Imports: $7.8 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.)
Commodities: food medicine manufactures
Partners: Jordan 11% France 8.8% China 8.4% Germany 7.6% Russia 7.3% Australia 7.2% Vietnam 6.6% Italy 6.4% Japan 5.6% (2002)

Debt external: $120 billion (2002 est.)

Exchange rates: Iraqi dinars per US dollar - 0.31 (2002) 0.31 (2001) 0.31 (2000) 0.31 (1999) 0.31 (1998) note: fixed official rate since 1982; market rate subject to wide fluctuations

Electricity
Production: 36.01 billion kWh (2001)
Production by source fossil fuel: 98.4%
Production by source hydro: 1.6%
Production by source other: 0% (2001)
Production by source nuclear: 0%
Consumption: 33.49 billion kWh (2001)
Exports: 0 kWh (2001)
Imports: 0 kWh (2001)

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 (37,257)

Telephones
Main lines in use: 675,000 (1997); note - an unknown number of telephone lines were damaged or destroyed during the March-April war
Mobile cellular: NA; service available in northern Iraq (2001)

Telephone system
General assessment: an unknown number of telecommunication facilities were damaged during the March-April 2003 war
Domestic: the network consists of coaxial cables and microwave radio relay links
International: 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

Internet
Country code: .iq
Service providers isps: 1 (2000)
Users: 12,500 (2001)

Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $1.3 billion (FY00)
Percent of gdp: NA%

Airports: 150 (2002); note - unknown number were damaged during the March-April 2003 war
With paved runways total: 77
With paved runways over 3047 m: 21
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 36
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 6
With paved runways under 914 m: 9 (2002)
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 5
With unpaved runways total: 73
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 11 (2002)
With unpaved runways over 3047 m: 5
With unpaved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 5
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 28
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 24

Heliports: 5 (2002)

Pipelines: gas 1739 km; oil 5,418 km; refined products 1343 km (2003)

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

Waterways
Note: 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 boats; Shatt al Basrah canal was navigable by shallow-draft craft before closing in 1991 because of the Gulf war

Merchant marine
Total: 18 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 119,433 GRT/170,221 DWT
Ships by type: cargo 9, passenger 1, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 6, roll on/roll off 1 (2002 est.)

Disputes international: despite restored diplomatic relations in 1990 disputes with Iran over maritime and land boundaries navigation channel and other issues from eight-year war persist; land and Shatt al Arab boundary demarcation put an end to claims to Kuwait and to Bubiyan and Warbah islands but no maritime boundary exists with Kuwait in the Persian Gulf; Iraq protests Turkey's hydrological projects to regulate the Tigris and Euphrates rivers upstream