Iraq
Iraq is the cradle of Mesopotamian civilization. The country never
ceases to be in the limelight. Today, Iraq is a polyglot nation. Once
the part of the Ottoman Empire, the country came under the British
control during the course of World War I. However it achieved its
independence in 1932. Though the country became a "republic",
the country was ruled by a number of military strongmen. Saddam Hussein
was last such ruler. The country entered into an eight-year war (1980-88)
with Iran that proved inconclusive and costly.
In 1990, Iraq embarked on an ambitious policy of aggression by seizing
Kuwait, but was forced to liberate the country after the intervention
by US-led, UN coalition forces during the Gulf War of January-February
1991. As Iraq was to destroy all weapons of mass destruction under
the resolution passed by UN Security Council (UNSC) and also to allow
UN verification inspections. But Iraq adamantly refused to do so.
This resulted in the US-led invasion of Iraq in March 2003 that ousted
Saddam Husayn. Today Iraq is in complete turmoil with bomb blasts
taking place almost everyday killing scores of people.
Travel overview
Everybody has heard of Iraq, the land of Euphrates and the Tigris.
These days most people have image of violence in their heads, but
almost everyone who visits the country is surprised at what they find.
The land of the Mesopotamian civilization, Iraq lives up to its fabled
magnificence. A fascination place, it is full of ancient and medieval
cities with religious sites and ancient relics. Here you'll find three
of the Muslim world's most venerated institutions and the ancient
archaeological sites at Babylon, Ur and Nineveh. Arch of Ctesiphon
dating to the 2nd century, the 13th century Palace of Qara Sariai
and the Nabi Jirjis at Mosul are not be missed.
Capital: Baghdad
Location: Middle East, bordering the Persian Gulf, between Iran and
Kuwait
Climate: desert, mild, dry, hot
Total Area: 437,072 sq km
Total Population: 27,499,638
Population Growth Rate: 2.618%
Sex Ratio: 1.024 male(s)/female
Literacy: 74.1%
Ethnic Groups: Arab, Kurdish, Turkoman, Assyrian
Irrigated land: 35,250 sq km
Languages: Arabic, Kurdish, Assyrian, Armenian
Time Zone: UTC+8
Currency: New Iraqi dinar (NID)
Neighbouring countries: Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Syria,
Turkey
Type of govt.: parliamentary democracy
Head of Govt.: Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki
Major Political Parties: Assyrian Democratic Movement, Badr Organization
, Constitutional Monarchy Movement or CMM , Da'wa al-Islamiyya Party
, General Conference of Iraqi People , Independent Iraqi Alliance
or IIA , Iraqi Communist Party , Iraqi Front for National Dialogue
, Iraqi Hizballah , Iraqi Independent Democrats or IID ,Iraqi Islamic
Party or IIP , Iraqi National Accord or INA , Iraqi National Congress
or INC , Iraqi National Council for Dialogue or INCD , Iraqi National
Unity Movement or INUM , Islamic Action Organization or IAO , Jama'at
al Fadilah or JAF , Kurdistan Democratic Party or KDP , Kurdistan
Islamic Union , National Reconciliation and Liberation Party , Patriotic
Union of Kurdistan or PUK , Sadrist Trend, Supreme Council for the
Islamic Revolution in Iraq or SCIRI
Participation in International Organizations: AMF, CAEU, ABEDA, AFESD,
FAO, G-77, ICAO, ICRM, IAEA, IBRD, IDA, IDB, IFRCS, ILO, IFAD, IFC,
IMF, IMO, ISO, ITU, LAS, Interpol, IOC, NAM, OAPEC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD,
OIC, OPEC, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, WFTU, WHO, UPU, WCO, WIPO, WMO,
Major Agricultural Products: wheat, rice, barley, cotton, cattle,
sheep, vegetables, dates, poultry
Natural Resources & Minerals: petroleum, natural gas, sulfur,
phosphates
Industry & Transport: petroleum, chemicals, construction materials,
textiles, leather, food processing, fertilizer
Airports: 110
Railways: 2,200 km
Roadways:
45,550 km
Waterways: 5,279 km
Major Trade Partners: US, Italy, Spain, Canada, Turkey, Syria and
Jordan
Exports: $32.19 billion
Imports: $20.76 billion
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