Iraq

The Republic of Iraq is a nation in the Middle East in the southwest of
Asia. It shares borders with Saudi Arabia and Kuwait to the south, Turkey to
the north, Syria to the north-west, Jordan to the west and Iran to the east.
Located in Mesopotamia, the country is currently in a state of flux
following the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

History
                                        Official language Arabic
                                        Capital           Baghdad
The fertile area of Mesopotamia,
between the Euphrates and the Tigris    Civil
rivers, was the birth place of several  Administrator     L. Paul Bremer
of the world's oldest civilisations,    Interim President Jalal Talabani
such as the Sumerians, Babylonians and  Area              Ranked 57th
Assyrians. After being part of Persia   Ê- Total          437,072 km²
for a long time, it was conquered by    Ê- % water        1.1%
the Arabs in 656, and in 762 the
Caliphate was moved to the new city of  Population        Ranked 44th
Baghdad (near ancient Babylon). This    Ê- Total (2002)   24,001,816
city remained the centre of the Arab    Ê- Density        55/km²
world until it was incorporated into    Independence      October 3, 1932
the Ottoman Empire in 1534.
                                        Currency          Iraqi dinar
In 1915, British troops occupied Iraq   Time zone         UTC +3
and established a League of Nations
mandate, which ended with independence  National anthem   Ardulfurataini
                                                          Watan
in 1932. The socialist Ba'ath Party
gained control in 1968, and             Internet TLD      .IQ
established a strict rule, notably      Calling Code      964
after the ascent to power of Saddam
Hussein in 1979. In the 1980s, Iraq was involved in a long war with
neighbour Iran, ending in 1988.

Following Iraq's occupation of Kuwait in 1990, and the subsequent expulsion
by international troops, Iraq was internationally isolated until the spring
of 2003, when the United States and the United Kingdom controversially
invaded and removed the Ba'ath Party from leadership and continue to occupy
the country.

Politics

Up until 2003, Iraq was a dictatorship with all power completely in the
hands of the repressive Ba'ath Party, under the leadership of president
Saddam Hussein. The regime claimed it was democratic, but during the last
presidential elections, Saddam received 99% of the votes; no other
candidates were running. The unicameral Iraqi parliament, the National
Assembly or Majlis al-Watani, had 250 seats and its members were elected for
4-year terms. Like in presidential elections, no non-Ba'ath candidates were
allowed to run.

Iraq is currently under a US-led occupation following the ousting of the
Ba'ath Party in April. The political future is uncertain and detailed plans
remain to be developed. Rampant looting and crime, coupled with
infrastructural problems continue to plague the country at the moment and
the initial US interim civil administrator, Jay Garner, was replaced in May
by L. Paul Bremer. An Interim Iraq Governing Council has also been
established with an interim president, and is currently in the process of
drafting a constitution and other infastructure-building duties.

Provinces

Iraq is divided into 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

Geography

Large parts of Iraq consist of desert, but the area between the two major
rivers Euphrates and Tigris is fertile, with the rivers carrying about 70
million cubic meters of silt annually to the delta. The north of the country
is largely mountainous, with the highest point being Haji Ibrahim at 3,600
m. Iraq has a small coastline with the Persian Gulf. Close to the coast and
along the Shatt al-Arab there used to be marshlands, but many of these were
drained in the 1990s.

The local climate is mostly a desert clime with mild to cool winters and
dry, hot, cloudless summers. The northern mountainous regions experience
cold winters with occasional heavy snows, sometimes causing extensive
flooding. The capital Baghdad is situated in the centre of the country, on
the banks of the Tigris. Other major cities include Basra in the south and
Mosul in the north.

Economy

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 United Nations' oil-for-food programme in
December 1996 has helped improve conditions for the average Iraqi citizen.
For the first six, six-month phases of the programme, 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 authorised Iraq to export under the
program as much oil as required to meet humanitarian needs. Oil exports were
more than three-quarters of the prewar level. However, 28% of Iraq's export
revenues under the programme are deducted to meet UN Compensation Fund and
UN administrative expenses. The drop in GDP in 2001 was largely the result
of the global economic slowdown and lower oil prices. Following the 2003
invasion of Iraq the economy has to a great extent shut down and attempts
are underway to revive it from the damages of the war and rampant crime.

Demographics

Almost 75% of Iraq's population consists of Arabs, the other major ethnic
group are the Kurds (20%), who live in the north and northeast of the
country. Other distinct groups are Turkomans, Chaldeans, Assyrians,
Iranians, Lurs, and Armenians. Arabic is the official language, although
Kurdish has an official status in the North and English is the most commonly
spoken Western language.

Most Arab Iraqi Muslims are members of the Shiite sect, but there is a large
Sunni population as well, made up of both Arabs and Kurds. Small communities
of Christians, Jews, Bahais, Mandaeans, and Yezidis also exist. Most Kurds
are Sunni Muslim but differ from their Arab neighbors in language, dress,
and customs.

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