Iraq

Iraq 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 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. The Coalition Provisional Authority transferred sovereignty to the Interim Government on 28 June 2004.

Iraq Information

• Population: 25,374,691 (July 2004 est.)
• Nationality: noun: Iraqi(s) adjective: Iraqi
• Location:: Middle East, bordering the Persian Gulf, between Iran and Kuwait
• Religions:: Muslim 97% (Shi'a 60%-65%, Sunni 32%-37%), Christian or other 3%
• Ethnic Groups:: Arab 75%-80%, Kurdish 15%-20%, Turkoman, Assyrian or other 5%
• Land Boundaries:: total: 3,650 km border countries: Iran 1,458 km, Jordan 181 km, Kuwait 240 km, Saudi Arabia 814 km, Syria 605 km, Turkey 352 km
• Area: total: 437,072 sq km water: 4,910 sq km land: 432,162 sq km
• Coast Line: 58 km
• 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 c
• Terrain: mostly broad plains; reedy marshes along Iranian border in south with large flooded areas; mountains along borders with Iran and Turkey
• Maritime Claims: territorial sea: 12 nm continental shelf: not specified
• Land Use: arable land: 13.15% permanent crops: 0.78% other: 86.07% (2001)
• Environmental 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
• Natural Resources: petroleum, natural gas, phosphates, sulfur
• Highways: total: 45,550 km paved: 38,399 km unpaved: 7,151 km (2000 est.)
• Railways: total: 1,963 km standard gauge: 1,963 km 1.435-m gauge (2003)
• Ports & Harbours: Umm Qasr, Khawr az Zubayr, and Al Basrah have limited functionality
• Airports: 111; note - unknown number were damaged during the March-April 2003 war (2003 est.)