Legend:
Definition of Term
 Arranged
by Countries Field Listing
| Background: |
Formerly part of the Ottoman Empire, Iraq became an independent
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 January-February 1991. The victors did
not occupy Iraq, however, thus allowing the regime to stay in
control. 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.
UN trade sanctions remain in effect due to incomplete Iraqi compliance
with relevant UNSC resolutions. |
| Location: |
Middle East, bordering the Persian Gulf, between Iran and Kuwait
|
| Geographic
coordinates: |
33 00 N, 44 00 E |
| Map
references: |
Middle East |
| Area: |
total: 437,072 sq km
water: 4,910 sq km
land: 432,162 sq km |
| Area
- comparative: |
slightly more than twice the size of Idaho |
| 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 |
| 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
highest point:
Haji Ibrahim 3,600 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 sq km (1998 est.) |
| Natural
hazards: |
dust storms, sandstorms, floods |
| 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 Shi'a
Muslims, who have 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 Tigris-Euphrates
Rivers system contingent upon agreements with upstream riparian
Turkey; air and water pollution; soil degradation (salination)
and erosion; desertification |
| Environment
- international agreements: |
party to: Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban
signed,
but not ratified: Environmental Modification |
| Geography
- note: |
strategic location on Shatt al Arab waterway and at the head of
the Persian Gulf
|
| Population: |
24,001,816 (July 2002 est.) |
| Age
structure: |
0-14 years: 41.1% (male 5,003,755; female 4,849,238)
15-64 years: 55.9% (male 6,794,265; female 6,624,662)
65 years and over: 3% (male 341,520; female 388,376)
(2002 est.) |
| Population
growth rate: |
2.82% (2002 est.) |
| Birth
rate: |
34.2 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
| Death
rate: |
6.02 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
| Net
migration rate: |
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
| Sex
ratio: |
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years:
1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.88 male(s)/female
total
population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2002 est.) |
| Infant
mortality rate: |
57.61 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) |
| Life
expectancy at birth: |
total population: 67.38 years
female:
68.5 years (2002 est.)
male: 66.31 years |
| Total
fertility rate: |
4.63 children born/woman (2002 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- adult prevalence rate: |
less than 0.01% (1999 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- people living with HIV/AIDS: |
NA |
| HIV/AIDS
- deaths: |
NA |
| Nationality: |
noun: Iraqi(s)
adjective: Iraqi |
| Ethnic
groups: |
Arab 75%-80%, Kurdish 15%-20%, Turkoman, Assyrian or other 5%
|
| Religions: |
Muslim 97% (Shi'a 60%-65%, Sunni 32%-37%), Christian or other
3% |
| Languages: |
Arabic, Kurdish (official in Kurdish regions), Assyrian, Armenian
|
| Literacy: |
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 58%
male: 70.7%
female:
45% (1995 est.)
|
| Country
name: |
conventional long form: Republic of Iraq
conventional
short form: Iraq
local short form: Al Iraq
local long form: Al Jumhuriyah al Iraqiyah |
| Government
type: |
republic |
| 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: |
22 September 1968, effective 16 July 1970 (provisional constitution);
new constitution drafted in 1990 but not adopted |
| Legal
system: |
based on Islamic law in special religious courts, civil law system
elsewhere; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
| Suffrage: |
18 years of age; universal |
| Executive
branch: |
chief of state: President SADDAM Husayn (since 16
July 1979); Vice Presidents Taha Muhyi al-Din MARUF (since 21
April 1974) and Taha Yasin RAMADAN (since 23 March 1991)
elections: president and vice presidents elected by a two-thirds
majority of the Revolutionary Command Council; regular election
last held 17 October 1995 (next scheduled for 2002); note - in
place of the 2002 election, a presidential referendum was held
on 15 October 2002 in which the presidency of SADDAM Husayn was
extended for a fifth consecutive seven-year term
election
results: SADDAM Husayn reelected president; percent of vote
- 99%; Taha Muhyi al-Din MARUF and Taha Yasin RAMADAN elected
vice presidents; percent of vote - NA%; note - in a presidential
referendum held 15 October 2002, SADDAM Husayn's term was extended
for another seven years
cabinet: Council of Ministers;
note - there is also a Revolutionary Command Council or RCC with
eight members as of 2001 (Chairman SADDAM Husayn, Vice Chairman
Izzat IBRAHIM al-Duri) which controls the ruling Ba'th Party;
the RCC is the highest executive and legislative body and the
most powerful political entity in the country; new RCC members
must come from the Regional Command Leadership of the Ba'th Party
head of government: Prime Minister SADDAM Husayn (since
29 May 1994); Deputy Prime Ministers Tariq Mikhail AZIZ (since
NA 1979), Hikmat Mizban Ibrahim al-AZZAWI (since 30 July 1999),
Ahmad Husayn al-KHUDAYIR (since NA July 2001), and Abd al-Tawab
Mullah al-HUWAYSH (since NA July 2001) |
| Legislative
branch: |
unicameral National Assembly or Majlis al-Watani (250 seats; 30
appointed by the president to represent the three northern provinces
of Dahuk, Arbil, and As Sulaymaniyah; 220 elected by popular vote;
members serve four-year terms)
elections: last held
27 March 2000 (next to be held NA March 2004)
election
results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
NA |
| Judicial
branch: |
Court of Cassation |
| Political
parties and leaders: |
Ba'th Party [SADDAM Husayn, central party leader] |
| Political
pressure groups and leaders: |
any formal political activity must be sanctioned by the government;
opposition to regime from Kurdish groups and southern Shi'a dissidents
|
| International
organization participation: |
ABEDA, ACC, AFESD, AL, AMF, CAEU, CCC, 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, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO |
| Diplomatic
representation in the US: |
none; note - Iraq has an Interest Section in the Algerian Embassy
headed by Akram AL DOURI; address: Iraqi Interests Section, Algerian
Embassy, 1801 P Street NW, Washington, DC 20036; telephone: [1]
(202) 483-7500; FAX: [1] (202) 462-5066 |
| Diplomatic
representation from the US: |
none; note - the US has an Interests Section in the Polish Embassy
in Baghdad; address: P. O. Box 2051 Hay Babel, Baghdad; telephone:
[964] (1) 718-9267; FAX: [964] (1) 718-9297 |
| 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 in December 1996 has helped improve conditions
for the average Iraqi citizen. For the first six, six-month phases
of the program, 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 are now more than three-quarters prewar level.
However, 28% of Iraq's export revenues under the program 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. Per capita food imports have increased
significantly, while medical supplies and health care services
are steadily improving. Per capita output and living standards
are still well below the prewar level, but any estimates have
a wide range of error. |
| GDP: |
purchasing power parity - $59 billion (2001 est.) |
| GDP
- real growth rate: |
-5.7% (2001 est.) |
| GDP
- per capita: |
purchasing power parity - $2,500 (2001 est.) |
| GDP
- composition by sector: |
agriculture: 6%
industry: 13%
services:
81% (1993 est.) |
| Population
below poverty line: |
NA% |
| Household
income or consumption by percentage share: |
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
| Inflation
rate (consumer prices): |
60% (2001 est.) |
| Labor
force: |
4.4 million (1989) (1989) |
| Labor
force - by occupation: |
agriculture NA%, industry NA%, services NA% |
| Unemployment
rate: |
NA% |
| Budget: |
revenues: $NA
expenditures: $NA, including
capital expenditures of $NA |
| Industries: |
petroleum, chemicals, textiles, construction materials, food processing
|
| Industrial
production growth rate: |
NA% |
| Electricity
- production: |
27.3 billion kWh (2000) |
| Electricity
- production by source: |
fossil fuel: 98%
hydro: 2%
other:
0% (2000)
nuclear: 0% |
| Electricity
- consumption: |
25.389 billion kWh (2000) |
| Electricity
- exports: |
0 kWh (2000) |
| Electricity
- imports: |
0 kWh (2000) |
| Agriculture
- products: |
wheat, barley, rice, vegetables, dates, cotton; cattle, sheep
|
| Exports: |
$15.8 billion f.o.b. (2001 est.) |
| Exports
- commodities: |
crude oil |
| Exports
- partners: |
US 46.2%, Italy 12.2%, France 9.6%, Spain 8.6% (2000) |
| Imports: |
$11 billion f.o.b. (2001 est.) |
| Imports
- commodities: |
food, medicine, manufactures |
| Imports
- partners: |
France 22.5%, Australia 22%, China 5.8%, Russia 5.8% (2000) |
| Debt
- external: |
$62.2 billion (2001 est.) |
| Economic
aid - recipient: |
$327.5 million (1995) (1995) |
| Currency: |
Iraqi dinar (IQD) |
| Currency
code: |
IQD |
| Exchange
rates: |
Iraqi dinars per US dollar - 0.3109 (fixed official rate since
1982); black market rate - Iraqi dinars per US dollar - 2,000
(December 2001), 1,910 (December 1999), 1,815 (December 1998),
1,530 (December 1997), 910 (December 1996); note - subject to
wide fluctuations |
| Fiscal
year: |
calendar year
|
| Railways: |
total: 2,339 km
standard gauge: 2,339
km 1.435-m gauge (2001) |
| Highways: |
total: 45,550 km
paved: 38,400 km
unpaved: 7,150 km (1996 est.) |
| Waterways: |
1,015 km
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 |
| Pipelines: |
crude oil 4,350 km; petroleum products 725 km; natural gas 1,360
km |
| Ports
and harbors: |
Umm Qasr, Khawr az Zubayr, and Al Basrah have limited functionality
|
| Merchant
marine: |
total: 25 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 186,709
GRT/278,575 DWT
ships by type: cargo 14, passenger
1, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 8, roll on/roll off 1 (2002
est.) |
| Airports: |
108 (2001) |
| Airports
- with paved runways: |
total: 77
over 3,047 m: 21
2,438
to 3,047 m: 36
914 to 1,523 m: 6
under
914 m: 9 (2002)
1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 |
| Airports
- with unpaved runways: |
total: 73
under 914 m: 11 (2002)
over 3,047 m: 5
2,438 to 3,047 m: 5
914
to 1,523 m: 28
1,524 to 2,437 m: 24 |
| Heliports: |
5 (2002)
|
| Military
branches: |
Army, Republican Guard, Navy, Air Force, Air Defense Force, Border
Guard Force, Fedayeen Saddam |
| Military
manpower - military age: |
18 years of age (2002 est.) |
| Military
manpower - availability: |
males age 15-49: 6,135,847 (2002 est.) |
| Military
manpower - fit for military service: |
males age 15-49: 3,430,819 (2002 est.) |
| Military
manpower - reaching military age annually: |
males: 274,035 (2002 est.) |
| Military
expenditures - dollar figure: |
$1.3 billion (FY00) |
| Military
expenditures - percent of GDP: |
NA%
|
| Disputes
- international: |
despite restored diplomatic relations in 1990, lacks maritime
boundary with Iran and disputes land boundary, navigation channels,
and other issues from eight-year war; in November 1994, Iraq formally
accepted the UN-demarcated border with Kuwait which had been spelled
out in Security Council Resolutions 687 (1991), 773 (1993), and
883 (1993); this formally ends earlier claims to Kuwait and to
Bubiyan and Warbah islands although the government continues periodic
rhetorical challenges; dispute over water development plans by
Turkey for the Tigris and Euphrates rivers | |
Top of Page
