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 until 2003. The last 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 led to the US-led invasion of Iraq in March 2003 and the ouster of the SADDAM Husayn regime. Coalition forces remain in Iraq under a UNSC mandate helping to provide security and to support the freely elected government. The Coalition Provisional Authority which temporarily administered Iraq after the invasion transferred full governmental authority on 28 June 2004 to the Iraqi Interim Government which governed under the Transitional Administrative Law for Iraq (TAL). Under the TAL elections for a 275-member Transitional National Assembly (TNA) were held in Iraq on 30 January 2005. Following these elections the Iraqi Transitional Government (ITG) assumed office. The TNA was charged with drafting Iraq's permanent constitution which was approved in a 15 October 2005 constitutional referendum. An election under the constitution for a 275-member Council of Representatives (CoR) was held on 15 December 2005. The CoR approval in the selection of most of the cabinet ministers on 20 May 2006 marked the transition from the ITG to Iraq's first constitutional government in nearly a half-century.

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: unnamed peak; 3,611 m; note - this peak is neither Gundah Zhur 3,607 m nor Kuh-e Hajji-Ebrahim 3,595 m

Natural resources: petroleum natural gas phosphates sulfur

Land use
Arable land: 13.12%
Permanent crops: 0.61%
Other: 86.27% (2005)

Irrigated land: 35,250 km² (2003)

Total renewable water resources: 96.4 km³ (1997)

Natural hazards: dust storms sandstorms floods

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

Population: 28,221,180 (July 2008 est.)
Growth rate: 2.562% (2008 est.)

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) Turkoman (a Turkish dialect) Assyrian (Neo-Aramaic) Armenian

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

Age structure
0-14 years: 39.2% (male 5,613,420/female 5,438,770)
15-64 years: 57.9% (male 8,270,573/female 8,057,423)
65 years and over: 3% (male 396,751/female 444,244) (2008 est.)

Median age
Total: 20.2 years
Male: 20.1 years
Female: 20.2 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate: 2.562% (2008 est.)

Birth rate: 30.77 births/1000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate: 5.14 deaths/1000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate: NA (2008 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: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Law of the Sea
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: 0.89 male/female
Total population: 1.02 male/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 45.43 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 51.06 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 39.53 deaths/1000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 69.62 years
Male: 68.32 years
Female: 70.99 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate: 3.97 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: less than 0.1% (2001 est.)
People living with hivaids: fewer than 500 (2003 est.)
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

Education expenditures: NA

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 74.1%
Male: 84.1%
Female: 64.2% (2000 est.)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 10 years
Male: 11 years
Female: 8 years (2005)

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: parliamentary democracy

Capital
Name: Baghdad
Geographic coordinates: 33 20 N, 44 23 E
Time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Daylight saving time: +1hr, begins 1 April; ends 1 October

Administrative divisions: 18 governorates (muhafazat singular - muhafazah) and 1 region*; Al Anbar Al Basrah Al Muthanna Al Qadisiyah An Najaf Arbil As Sulaymaniyah At Ta'mim Babil Baghdad Dahuk Dhi Qar Diyala Karbala' Kurdistan Regional Government* Maysan Ninawa Salah ad Din Wasit

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-controlled Government

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

Constitution: ratified on 15 October 2005 (subject to review by the Constitutional Review Committee and a possible public referendum )

Legal system: based on European civil and Islamic law under the framework outlined in the Iraqi Constitution; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Jalal TALABANI (since 6 April 2005); Vice Presidents Adil ABD AL-MAHDI and Tariq al-HASHIMI (since 22 April 2006); note - the president and vice presidents comprise the Presidency Council)
Head of government: Prime Minister Nuri al-MALIKI (since 20 May 2006); Deputy Prime Ministers Barham SALIH (since 20 May 2006)and Rafi al-ISSAWI (since 19 July 2008)
Cabinet: 34 ministers appointed by the Presidency Council, plus Prime Minister Nuri al-MALIKI and Deputy Prime Ministers Barham SALIH and Rafi al-ISSAWI
Elections: held 15 December 2005 to elect a 275-member Council of Representatives

Legislative branch
Elections: last held 15 December 2005 to elect a 275-member Council of Representatives (next to be held January 2009); the Council of Representatives elected the Presidency Council and approved the prime minister and two deputy prime ministers
Election results: Council of Representatives - percent of vote by party - Unified Iraqi Alliance 41%, Kurdistan Alliance 22%, Tawafuq Coalition 15%, Iraqi National List 8%, Iraqi Front for National Dialogue 4%, other 10%; number of seats by party (as of November 2007) - Unified Iraqi Alliance (including the Sadrist bloc with 30 and Fadilah with 15) 130, Kurdistan Alliance 53, Tawafuq Front 44, Iraqi National List 25, Fadilah 15, Iraqi Front for National Dialogue 11, other 12

Judicial branch: the Iraq Constitution calls for the federal judicial power to be comprised of the Higher Juridical Council Federal Supreme Court Federal Court of Cassation Public Prosecution Department Judiciary Oversight Commission and other federal courts that are regulated in accordance with the law

Political parties and leaders
Note: the Kurdistan Alliance, Iraqi National List, Tawafuq Front, Iraqi Front for National Dialogue, and Unified Iraqi Alliance were only electoral slates consisting of the representatives from the various Iraqi political parties

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

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Samir Shakir al-SUMAYDI
In the us chancery: 3,421 Massachusetts Ave, NW, Washington, DC 20,007
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 742-1600
In the us fax: [1] (202) 333-1129
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Ryan C. CROCKER
From the us embassy: Baghdad
From the us mailing address: APO AE 9,316
From the us telephone: 1-240-553-0589 ext. 5,340 or 5,635; note - Consular Section
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; 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; Council of Representatives approved this flag as a compromise temporary replacement for Ba'athist Saddam-era flag

Economy overview: Iraq's economy is dominated by the oil sector which has traditionally provided about 95% of foreign exchange earnings. Although looting insurgent attacks and sabotage have undermined economy rebuilding efforts economic activity is beginning to pick up in areas recently secured by the US military surge. Oil exports are around levels seen before Operation Iraqi Freedom and total government revenues have benefited from high oil prices. Despite political uncertainty Iraq is making some progress in building the institutions needed to implement economic policy and has negotiated a debt reduction agreement with the Paris Club and a new Stand-By Arrangement with the IMF. Iraq has received pledges for $13.5 billion in foreign aid for 2004-07 from outside of the US more than $33 billion in total pledges. The International Compact with Iraq was established in May 2007 to integrate Iraq into the regional and global economy and the Iraqi government is seeking to pass laws to strengthen its economy. This legislation includes a hydrocarbon law to establish a modern legal framework to allow Iraq to develop its resources and a revenue sharing law to equitably divide oil revenues within the nation although both are still bogged down in discussions. The Central Bank has been successful in controlling inflation through appreciation of the dinar against the US dollar. Reducing corruption and implementing structural reforms such as bank restructuring and developing the private sector will be key to Iraq's economic success.

Real gdp purchasing power parity: $102.4 billion (2007 est.)

Real gdp growth rate: 5.9% (2007 est.)

Real gdp per capita: $3,700 (2007 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 5%
Industry: 68%
Services: 27% (2006 est.)

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: 7.9% (2007 est.)

Labor force: 7.4 million (2004 est.)
By occupation agriculture: NA%
By occupation industry: NA%
By occupation services: NA%

Unemployment rate: 18% to 30% (2006 est.)

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

Budget
Revenues: $42.3 billion
Expenditures: $48.4 billion (FY08 est.)

Inflation rate consumer prices: 4.7% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate: 20% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate: 19.74% (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit: NA (31 December 2007)

Market value of publicly traded shares: $NA

Current account balance: $6.025 billion (2007 est.)

Exports: $38.14 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Commodities: crude oil 84% crude materials excluding fuels 8% food and live animals 5%
Partners: US 36.8% Italy 12.6% South Korea 9.5% Taiwan 6.3% Spain 5.2% Canada 4.7% France 4.4% Netherlands 4.2% (2007)

Imports: $25.67 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Commodities: food medicine manufactures
Partners: Syria 30.5% Turkey 19.8% US 11.1% Jordan 5% China 4.8% (2007)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $25.66 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt external: $100.9 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Exchange rates: New Iraqi dinars (NID) per US dollar - 1255 (2007) 1466 (2006) 1475 (2005) 1890 (second half 2003)

Electricity
Production: 33.53 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Consumption: 35.84 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Exports: 0 kWh (2007)
Imports: 2.315 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Natural gas
Production: 3.5 billion m³ (2007 est.)
Consumption note: 1.48 billion m³ were flared (2006 est.)
Exports: 0 m³ (2007 est.)
Imports: 0 m³ (2007 est.)
Proven reserves: 3.17 trillion m³ (1 January 2008 est.)

Telephones
Main lines in use: 1.547 million (2005)
Mobile cellular: 14.021 million (2007)

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 has expanded rapidly with an estimated 14 million current users in 2007
Domestic: repairs to switches and lines destroyed during 2003 continue; additional switching capacity is improving access; cellular service is available and centered on 3 GSM networks which are being expanded beyond their regional roots, improving country-wide connectivity; wireless local loop licenses have been issued with the hope of overcoming the lack of fixed-line infrastructure
International: country code - 964; satellite earth stations - 4 (2 Intelsat - 1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean, 1 Intersputnik - Atlantic Ocean region, and 1 Arabsat (inoperative)); local microwave radio relay connects border regions to Jordan, Kuwait, Syria, and Turkey; planned international fiber-optic connections to Iran (terrestrial) with a link to the Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe (FLAG) submarine fiber-optic cable (2007)

Internet
Country code: .iq
Hosts: 3 (2008)
Users: 54,000 (2007)

Military expenditures: 8.6% of GDP (2006)

Military service age and obligation: 18-49 years of age for voluntary military service (2008)

Airports: 110 (2007)
With paved runways total: 76
With paved runways over 3047 m: 19
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 37
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 5
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 6
With paved runways under 914 m: 9 (2007)
With unpaved runways total: 34
With unpaved runways over 3047 m: 3
With unpaved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 4
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 4
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 13
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 10 (2007)

Heliports: 17 (2007)

Pipelines: gas 2,250 km; liquid petroleum gas 918 km; oil 5,509 km; refined products 1637 km (2007)

Railways
Total: 2,272 km
Standard gauge: 2,272 km 1.435-m gauge (2006)

Roadways
Total: 44,900 km
Paved: 37,851 km
Unpaved: 7,049 km (2002)

Waterways
Note: Euphrates River (2,815 km), Tigris River (1,899 km), and Third River (565 km) are principal waterways (2006)

Merchant marine
Total: 14
By type: cargo 10, petroleum tanker 4 (2008)

Ports and terminals: Al Basrah Khawr az Zubayr Umm Qasr

Disputes international: coalition forces assist Iraqis in monitoring internal and cross-border security; approximately two million Iraqis have fled the conflict in Iraq with the majority taking refuge in Syria and Jordan and lesser numbers to Egypt Lebanon Iran and Turkey; 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 country of origin: 10,000-15,000 (Palestinian Territories); 11,773 (Iran); 16,832 (Turkey)
Idps: 2.4 million (ongoing US-led war and ethno-sectarian violence) (2007)