| 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 (1980-1988). 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
land: 432,162 sq km
water: 4,910 sq km |
| Area
- comparative: |
slightly more
than twice the size of Idaho |
| Land
boundaries: |
total:
3,631 km
border countries: Iran 1,458 km, Jordan 181 km,
Kuwait 242 km, Saudi Arabia 814 km, Syria 605 km, Turkey 331
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:
12%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 9%
forests and woodland: 0%
other: 79% (1993 est.) |
| Irrigated
land: |
25,500 sq km
(1993 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 |
| Population: |
23,331,985 (July
2001 est.) |
| Age
structure: |
0-14 years:
41.64% (male 4,934,340; female 4,781,206)
15-64 years: 55.28% (male 6,528,854; female
6,368,823)
65 years and over: 3.08% (male 335,953; female
382,809) (2001 est.) |
| Population
growth rate: |
2.84% (2001 est.) |
| Birth
rate: |
34.64
births/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
| Death
rate: |
6.21 deaths/1,000
population (2001 est.) |
| Net
migration rate: |
0 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2001 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 (2001
est.) |
| Infant
mortality rate: |
60.05
deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) |
| Life
expectancy at birth: |
total
population: 66.95 years
male: 65.92 years
female: 68.03 years (2001 est.) |
| Total
fertility rate: |
4.75 children
born/woman (2001 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- adult prevalence rate: |
less than 0.01%
(1999 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- people living with HIV/AIDS: |
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 long form: Al Jumhuriyah al Iraqiyah
local short form: Al Iraq |
| Government
type: |
republic |
| 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: |
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)
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)
cabinet: Council of Ministers; note - there is
also a Revolutionary Command Council or RCC (Chairman SADDAM
Husayn, Vice Chairman Izzat IBRAHIM al-Duri) which controls
the ruling Ba'th Party, and is the most powerful political
entity in the country
elections: president and vice presidents
elected by a two-thirds majority of the Revolutionary
Command Council; election last held 17 October 1995 (next to
be held NA 2002)
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% |
| 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,
Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, 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 of at least $100
billion from the war. After the end of hostilities 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 their prewar level.
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 - $57 billion (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- real growth rate: |
15% (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- per capita: |
purchasing power
parity - $2,500 (2000 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): |
100% (2000 est.) |
| Labor
force: |
4.4 million
(1989) |
| Labor
force - by occupation: |
agriculture NA%,
industry NA%, services 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: |
29.42 billion kWh
(1999) |
| Electricity
- production by source: |
fossil fuel:
97.96%
hydro: 2.04%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999) |
| Electricity
- consumption: |
27.361 billion
kWh (1999) |
| Electricity
- exports: |
0 kWh (1999) |
| Electricity
- imports: |
0 kWh (1999) |
| Agriculture
- products: |
wheat, barley,
rice, vegetables, dates, cotton; cattle, sheep |
| Exports: |
$21.8 billion
(2000 est.) |
| Exports
- commodities: |
crude oil |
| Exports
- partners: |
Russia, France,
Switzerland, China (2000) |
| Imports: |
$13.8 billion
(2000 est.) |
| Imports
- commodities: |
food, medicine,
manufactures |
| Imports
- partners: |
Egypt, Russia,
France, Vietnam (2000) |
| Debt
- external: |
$139 billion
(2000 est.) |
| Economic
aid - recipient: |
$327.5 million
(1995) |
| Currency: |
Iraqi dinar (IQD) |
| Exchange
rates: |
Iraqi dinars per
US dollar - 0.3109 (fixed official rate since 1982); black
market rate - Iraqi dinars per US dollar - 1,910 (December
1999), 1,815 (December 1998), 1,530 (December 1997), 910
(December 1996), 3,000 (December 1995); note - subject to
wide fluctuations |
| Fiscal
year: |
calendar year |
| Telephones
- main lines in use: |
675,000 (1997) |
| Telephones
- mobile cellular: |
NA; service
available in northern Iraq (2001) |
| Telephone
system: |
general
assessment: reconstitution of damaged
telecommunication facilities began after the Gulf war; most
damaged facilities have been rebuilt
domestic: the network consists of coaxial
cables and microwave radio relay links
international: satellite earth stations - 2
Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), 1
Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region), and 1 Arabsat
(inoperative); coaxial cable and microwave radio relay to
Jordan, Kuwait, Syria, and Turkey; Kuwait line is probably
nonoperational |
| Radio
broadcast stations: |
AM 19 (5 are
inactive), FM 51, shortwave 4 (1998) |
| Radios: |
4.85 million
(1997) |
| Television
broadcast stations: |
13 (1997) |
| Televisions: |
1.75 million
(1997) |
| Internet
country code: |
.iq |
| Internet
Service Providers (ISPs): |
1 (2000) |
| Railways: |
total:
2,032 km
standard gauge: 2,032 km 1.435-m gauge
note: rail link between Iraq and Syria restored
in 2000 after 19 years |
| 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:
30 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 453,273 GRT/779,662
DWT
ships by type: cargo 14, passenger 1,
passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 12, refrigerated cargo
1, roll on/roll off 1 (2000 est.) |
| Airports: |
110 (2000 est.) |
| Airports
- with paved runways: |
total:
76
over 3,047 m: 20
2,438 to 3,047 m: 36
1,524 to 2,437 m: 6
914 to 1,523 m: 7
under 914 m: 7 (2000 est.) |
| Airports
- with unpaved runways: |
total:
34
over 3,047 m: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 5
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4
914 to 1,523 m: 10
under 914 m: 12 (2000 est.) |
| Military
branches: |
Army, Republican
Guard, Navy, Air Force, Air Defense Force, Border Guard
Force, Fedayeen Saddam |
| Military
manpower - military age: |
18 years of age |
| Military
manpower - availability: |
males age
15-49: 5,902,215 (2001 est.) |
| Military
manpower - fit for military service: |
males age
15-49: 3,301,880 (2001 est.) |
| Military
manpower - reaching military age annually: |
males:
274,035 (2001 est.) |
| Military
expenditures - dollar figure: |
$NA |
| Military
expenditures - percent of GDP: |
NA% |
| Disputes
- international: |
Iran and Iraq
restored diplomatic relations in 1990 but are still trying
to work out written agreements settling outstanding disputes
from their eight-year war concerning border demarcation,
prisoners-of-war, and freedom of navigation and sovereignty
over the Shatt al Arab waterway; 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 |
|
