Basic Facts on Iraq
Geography

Location: Middle East, bordering the Arabian Gulf and Kuwait to the south, Saudi Arabia to the south and south-west, Jordan and Syria to the west, Turkey to the north and Iran to the east.

 Area:
total area: 437,072 sq km
land area: 432,162 sq km
comparative area (to USA): about the size of California

 Land Boundaries: Total 3,631 km, Iran 1,458 km, Jordan 181 km, Kuwait 242 km, Saudi Arabia 814 km, Syria 605 km, Turkey 331 km

Coastline: 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 which melt in early spring, sometimes causing extensive flooding in central and southern Iraq.

 Terrain: mostly broad plains; marshes along Iranian border in south; mountains along borders with Iran and Turkey

Natural Resources: petroleum, natural gas, phosphates, sulfur

Land Use:
arable land: 12%
permanent crops: 1%
meadows and pastures: 9%
forest and woodland: 3%
other: 75%

Irrigated Land: 25,500 sq km (1989 est)

People

Population: 20,643,769 (1995 est.)

Population growth rate: 3.72% (1995 est.)

Birth rate: 43.6 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Death rate: 6.82 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 62.4 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 66.52 years
male: 65.54 years
female: 67.56 years (1995 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Iraqi(s)
adjective: Iraqi
Religions: Islam, Christianity and others.

Languages: Arabic, Kurdish (official in Kurdish regions), Assyrian, Armenian, English is widely spoken.

 Literacy: age 15-45 can read and write (1985)
total population: 89%
male: 90%
female: 88%

Government
Names:

conventional long form: Republic of Iraq
conventional short form: Iraq
local long form: Jumhuriyah al Iraq
local short form: Al Iraq

Type: Republic

Capital: Baghdad

Administrative Divisions: 18 provinces (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: Anniversary of the Revolution, 17 July (1968)

Executive Branch:
Chief of State: President Saddam Hussain (since 16 July 1979);
Vice President Taha Muhyi al-Din Marouf (since 21 April 1974);
Vice President Taha Yasin Ramadan (since 23 March 1991)
Head of Government: Prime Minister Saddam Hussain (since May 1994); Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz (since 1979)
Revolutionary Command Council:
Chairman Saddam Hussain, Vice Chairman Izzat Ibrahim Al-Dori
Cabinet: Council of Ministers

Legislative Branch:
National Assembly (Majlis al-Watani): elections last held on 24 March 1996. Usually followed by elections of local people's assemblies (Municipal Councils) on 30 and 31 May 1996.

 Membership: ABEDA, ACC, AFESD, AL, AMF, CAEU, CCC, ESCWA, FAO, G-19, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPEC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO.

Flag: Three equal horizontal bands of red on top, white in the middle with three green five-pointed stars in a horizontal line and black at the bottom; the phrase ALLAHU AKBAR (God is Great)  is written in Arabic script - Allahu to the right of the middle star and Akbar to the left of the middle star, both words are written in green.