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Iraq

This article is about the country in West Asia. For other uses, see Iraq (disambiguation).

Republic of Iraq
  • جُمْهُورِيَّة ٱلْعِرَاق (Arabic)
    Jumhūriyyat al-ʿIrāq
  • کۆماری عێراق (Kurdish)
    Komarî Êraq[1]
Anthem: مَوْطِنِيْ
Mawṭinī
"My Homeland"
Location of Iraq
Capital
and largest city
Baghdad
33°20′N 44°23′E / 33.333°N 44.383°E / 33.333; 44.383
Official languages
  • Recognised regional languages
Ethnic groups
(1987)[3]
Demonym(s)Iraqi
GovernmentFederal parliamentary republic
• President
Abdul Latif Rashid
Mohammed Shia' Al Sudani
LegislatureCouncil of Representatives
• Upper house
Federation Council[4] (not yet convened)[5]
• Lower house
Council of Representatives
Independence 
from the United Kingdom
3 October 1932
14 July 1958
15 October 2005
Area
• Total
438,317 km2 (169,235 sq mi) (58th)
• Water (%)
4.93 (as of 2024)[6]
Population
• 2024 estimate
Neutral increase 46,523,657[7] (35th)
• Density
82.7/km2 (214.2/sq mi) (125th)
GDP (PPP)2023 estimate
• Total
Increase $508.973 billion[8] (48th)
• Per capita
Increase $11,742[8] (56th)
GDP (nominal)2023 estimate
• Total
Increase $254.993 billion[8] (47th)
• Per capita
Increase $5,882[8] (111th)
Gini (2012)29.5[9]
low inequality
HDI (2022)Increase 0.673[10]
medium (128th)
CurrencyIraqi dinar (IQD)
Time zoneUTC+3 (AST)
Driving sideright
Calling code+964
ISO 3166 codeIQ
Internet TLD

Iraq,[a] officially the Republic of Iraq,[b] is a country in West Asia and a core country in the geopolitical region known as the Middle East. With a population of over 46 million, it is the 30th-most populous country. It is a federal parliamentary republic that consists of 18 governorates. Iraq is bordered by Turkey to the north, Saudi Arabia to the south, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and Kuwait to the southeast, Jordan to the southwest, and Syria to the west. The capital and largest city is Baghdad. Iraqi people are diverse; mostly Arabs, as well as Kurds, Turkmen, Yazidis, Assyrians, Armenians, Mandaeans, Persians and Shabakis with similarly diverse geography and wildlife. Most Iraqis are Muslims – minority faiths include Christianity, Yazidism, Zoroastrianism, Mandaeism, Yarsanism and Judaism.[11][3][12] The official languages of Iraq are Arabic and Kurdish; others also recognized in specific regions are Turkish, Suret, and Armenian.[13]

Starting as early as the 6th millennium BC, the fertile alluvial plains between Iraq's Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, referred to as the region of Mesopotamia, gave rise to some of the world's earliest cities, civilizations, and empires in Sumer, Akkad, and Assyria.[14] Mesopotamia was known as a "Cradle of Civilisation" that saw the inventions of a writing system, mathematics, timekeeping, a calendar, astrology, and a law code.[15][16][17] Following the Muslim conquest of Mesopotamia, Baghdad became the capital and the largest city of the Abbasid Caliphate, and during the period of the Islamic Golden Age, the city evolved into a significant cultural and intellectual center, and garnered a worldwide reputation for its academic institutions, including the House of Wisdom.[18] It was largely destroyed at the hands of the Mongol Empire in 1258 during the siege of Baghdad, resulting in a decline that would linger through many centuries due to frequent plagues and multiple successive empires including the Ottoman Empire, which ruled over the vilayets of Mosul, Baghdad and Basra, which forms today's Iraq.

Modern Iraq dates back to 1920, when a British-backed monarchy under Faisal was established, followed by an independent Kingdom in 1932. It was overthrown in 1958 by General Qasim, who established and ruled a republic until he was overthrown in 1963. Iraq was then ruled by brothers Abdul Salam Arif and Abdul Rahman Arif. The Ba'ath party took power in a 1968 coup, first led by Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr and then by Saddam Hussein. Under Saddam, the country fought the Iran–Iraq War and the Gulf War. In 2003 United States-led coalition forces invaded and occupied Iraq, overthrowing Saddam's regime. The war continued as an insurgency and sectarian civil war, which lasted until 2011. Continuing discontent over Nouri al-Maliki's government led to protests, after which a coalition of Ba'athist and Sunni militants launched an offensive against the government, initiating full-scale war in Iraq. The climax of the campaign was an offensive in Northern Iraq by the Islamic State (ISIS) that marked the beginning of the rapid territorial expansion by the group, prompting an American-led intervention. Iran also intervened and expanded its influence through sectarian Khomeinist militias. By the end of 2017, ISIS had lost all its territory in Iraq. Post-war conflict continues at a lower scale to this day.[19][20]

Iraq is a federal parliamentary republic country. The president is the head of state, the prime minister is the head of government, and the constitution provides for two deliberative bodies, the Council of Representatives and the Council of Union. The judiciary is free and independent of the executive and the legislature.[21] Iraq is considered an emerging middle power[22] with a strategic location.[23] It is a founding member of the United Nations, the OPEC as well as of the Arab League, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Non-Aligned Movement, and the International Monetary Fund. The country has the 5th largest oil reserves in the world and is a leading center of oil and gas industry. In addition, Iraq is an agricultural country where farming remains a vital sector of the country’s economy.[24] Since its independence, Iraq has experienced spells of significant economic and military growth and briefer instability including wars. Tourism in Iraq stands to be a major growth sector, including archaeological tourism and religious tourism[25] while the country is also considered to be a potential location for ecotourism.[26][27][28] The country is putting efforts to rebuild after the war with foreign support.[29][30][31]

  1. ^ "دەستووری کۆماری عێراق" (in Kurdish). Parliament of Iraq. Retrieved 15 October 2008.
  2. ^ a b "Constitution of Iraq". Constitute. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  3. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference cia was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ "FAOLEX". FAOHome. Retrieved 26 July 2024.
  5. ^ "Without a Federation Council, State-building in Iraq remains elusive". MERI. 29 February 2024. Retrieved 26 July 2024.
  6. ^ "Surface water and surface water change". Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Retrieved 10 October 2023.
  7. ^ World Population, Review. "Iraq Population estimate 2023". Iraq Population.
  8. ^ a b c d "World Economic Outlook Database, October 2023 Edition. (Iraq)". IMF.org. International Monetary Fund. 10 October 2023. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
  9. ^ "Gini Index - Iraq". World Bank. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
  10. ^ "Human Development Report 2023/2024" (PDF). United Nations Development Programme. 13 March 2024. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 March 2024. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
  11. ^ Office, Great Britain Foreign (1958). Documents on British Foreign Policy, 1919–1939. H.M. Stationery Office.
  12. ^ "2.15. Religious and ethnic minorities, and stateless persons". European Union Agency for Asylum. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
  13. ^ "Iraq's Constitution" (PDF).
  14. ^ Keith Maisels, Charles (1993). The Near East: The Archaeology in the "Cradle of Civilization". Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-04742-5.
  15. ^ "Iraq | History, Map, Flag, Population, & Facts". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  16. ^ "Mesopotamian Inventions". World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  17. ^ "Mesopotamia". World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  18. ^ Gutas, Dimitri (1998). Greek Thought, Arabic Culture: The Graeco-Arabic Translation Movement in Baghdad and Early Abbasid Society (2nd/8th–10th Centuries). London: Routledge.
  19. ^ Basu, Moni (18 December 2011). "Deadly Iraq war ends with exit of last U.S. troops". CNN.com. Retrieved 18 December 2011.
  20. ^ Robinson, Kali (18 October 2022). "How Much Influence Does Iran Have in Iraq?". Archived from the original on 30 March 2023.
  21. ^ "Iraq – Government and society". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
  22. ^ "A Balancing Act | Strategic Monitor 2018–2019". www.clingendael.org. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
  23. ^ "Iraq – The northeast". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
  24. ^ "Cultivating resilience in Iraq's farms". UNDP. Retrieved 9 August 2024.
  25. ^ "Iraq's Tourism Potential" (PDF). 2013.
  26. ^ "Iraq: the world's next big eco-tourism destination?". Telegraph. Retrieved 18 November 2015.
  27. ^ "Iraqis turn to budding ecotourism to save marshes". France 24. 24 May 2019. Retrieved 9 August 2024.
  28. ^ coordinator (15 July 2020). "New Project Launched to Promote Socio-Economic Growth through Eco-Tourism and Heritage Preservation in Dhi Qar, Iraq". Save the Tigris Foundation. Retrieved 9 August 2024.
  29. ^ "EBRD welcomes Iraq as its latest member". 2023.
  30. ^ "Iraq - Reconstruction and Investment" (PDF). 2018.
  31. ^ "Iraq – The northeast". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 5 January 2022.


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