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- Capital: Baghdad
- Government: Developing Parliamentary Democracy
- President: Jalal Talabani
- Prime Minister: Nouri al-Maliki
- Population: 26,783,383 (2006 est.)
- Currency: Iraqi dinar (IQD)
- Inflation Rate: 64.8%
- Official Language: Arabic, Kurdish, Aramaic
- Major Rivers: Tigris River and Euphrates
- Deserts: Syrian and Arabian
- Has a very narrow section of coastline at Umm Qasr on the Persian Gulf
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Located in Western Asia, Iraq, spans most of the northwestern end of the Zagros Mountains, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert. It shares borders with Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Syria, Turkey and Iran.
Iraq was invaded in 2003 by a coalition led by the United States. Troops has remained in the country since then. On February 24, 2009, it was reported that President Barack Obama soon will announce the withdrawal of most troops. About 30,000 to 50,000 troops would remainuntil 2011, according to information given to the press by an anonymous government official.Fox News: Obama to Announce Iraq Withdrawals to be Completed in 19 Months (February 24, 2009)
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January 2009 Elections
On January 31, 2009, Iraqis across the country went to the polls to vote for provincial councils. High security measures were enacted prior to the elections, but no major acts of violence were reported. Approximately 7.5 million of 14 million registered voters cast a ballot.Reuters: Iraq election ends without major attack - ministry (January 31, 2009) KansasCity.com: Low turnout in Iraq's election reflects a disillusioned nation (February 1, 2009)The leader of the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council, Abdul-Aziz al-Hakim, blamed the low voter turnout on a nationwide car ban, which made it difficult for some citizens to get to the polls. However, some citizens stated that they didn't get to vote, as they weren't on the list of registered voters. An official maintained that this was because they went to the wrong polling stations.KansasCity.com: Low turnout in Iraq's election reflects a disillusioned nation (February 1, 2009) Guardian: Iraq still collecting ballots from around country (February 2, 2009)
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Ancient History
The site of ancient Mesopotamia, Iraq was the site of flourishing ancient civilizations, including the Sumerian, Babylonian, and Parthian cultures. Muslims conquered the area in the 7th century. In the 8th century, the Abassid Caliphate established its capital in Baghdad. It was the largest multicultural city of the Middle Ages, and was the center of learning during the Islamic Golden Age. -
British Mandate
Iraq was a part of the Ottoman Empire until WWI when the British drove the Turks from most of the area. After the war Britain was granted a mandate over the area by the League of Nations. The current borders of the state were formed by combining three former Ottoman vilayets, or regions: Baghdad, Basra and the northern region of Mosul. -
Republic of Iraq
After gaining independence from Britain in 1932, Iraq was ruled by a reinstated Hashemite Monarchy until 1958, when it was overthrown by a coup d'etat known as the July 14 Revolution. Several regimes traded power until 1968, when the Baath Party came to power in a bloodless coup. The party gradually came under the control of Saddam Hussein, who acceded to the presidency and control of the Revolutionary Command Council in July 1979, while killing many of his opponents. -
Iraq War
Saddam Hussein remained in power until the second Iraq War, which began in 2003. The war touched off an ongoing insurgency, now frequently referred to as a civil war between Iraq's Sunni Muslims and Shia Muslims. On January 1, 2009, the US handed over control of the Green Zone to the Iraq government as part of an Iraq security pact between the two countries. The pact also stipulates a troop withdrawal timetable and gives the Iraqi government more autonomy over the safety, security and governance of the country.NY Times: Pact, Approved in Iraq, Sets Time for U.S. Pullout (November 17, 2008) On January 5, 2009, the US opened a new embassy in Iraq with the stated goal of helping to normalize relations.Reuters: US opens new Iraq embassy, moves to normalise ties (January 5, 2009) -
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Iraq Questions
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What's the view of Gordon-brown's decision to hold the united-kingdom's Iraq war enquiry in secret instead of a public enquiry? 1 AnswerMaybe it is because he does not want wrongdoings by the british army such as assualt and torture on prisoners to be highlighted by the media and damage the labo... read more -
Was it worth the USA and allies going to Iraq or should the country have been left under Saddam Hussein's rule? 1 AnswerTo me, the Iraq must have been left under Saddam. Then the people may not be suffering this much . The US money could have been used in US itself to improve the... read more
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Iraq conflict or Iraq war? What is the difference? 1 AnswerAssuming this is an American related question. I'm not an expert, but I recall that only the US Congress can declare War. This hasn't happened since WWII, ther... read more
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Iraq Maps and Geography
Creative Commons image by "CIA World Factbook"- National Geographic: Iraq Maps, News, Pictures (2005)
- CNN: Map of Iraq
- World Atlas: Iraq
- Wikipedia: Geography of Iraq
Featured Mahalo Topics
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On Twitter powered by Twitter
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Sotaliraq - Voice of Iraq in English @ http://tinyurl.com/ycgesyy
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Blair says Iraq Inquiry part of Britain's 'obsession with conspiracy theories'. Really? http://twi.to/Orl
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@tamronhall OUR pres is Black,hence ALL is magnified.Wish he was in ofc b/4 we invaded Iraq & Afghanistan.Ppl would have fought against it!
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RT @amberherself: 29 days until my husband is home from Iraq, never to return again : ) YAY!!!
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RT @loralogik: What war does to people. Soldier waterboards 4-year-old who doesn't know the alphabet - http://tinyurl.com/ylanx99 (via @mfpdx) #iraq
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