- For a more comprehensive list, see the List of Iraq-related topics.
Iraq, known officially as the Republic of Iraq (Arabic: [Jumhūrīyatu l-‘Irāq] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help)), is a country in the Middle East and Southwest Asia. It spans most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert.[1] It shares borders with Kuwait and Saudi Arabia to the south, Jordan to the west, Syria to the northwest, Turkey to the north, and Iran to the east. It has a very narrow section of coastline at Umm Qasr on the Persian Gulf. There are two major flowing rivers: the Tigris and the Euphrates. These provide Iraq with agriculturally capable land and contrast with the desert landscape that covers most of Western Asia.
The capital city, Baghdad, is in the center-east. Iraq's rich history dates back to ancient Mesopotamia. The region between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers is identified as the cradle of civilization and the birthplace of writing. During its long history, Iraq has been the center of the Akkadian, Assyrian, Babylonian and Abbasid empires, and part of the Achaemenid, Macedonian, Parthian, Sassanid, Umayyad, Mongol, Ottoman, and British empires.[2]
Since an invasion in 2003, a multinational coalition of forces, mainly American and British, has occupied Iraq. The invasion has had wide-reaching consequences: increased civil violence, political breakdown, the removal and execution of former authoritarian President Saddam Hussein, and national problems in the development of political balance, economy, infrastructure, and use of the country's huge reserves of oil. According to the 2007 Failed States Index, produced by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace's Foreign Policy magazine and the Fund for Peace, Iraq has recently emerged as the world's second most unstable country,[3] after Sudan.[4] Under the control of the U.S. military, Iraq is developing a parliamentary democracy composed of 18 governorates (known as muhafadhat).
The following list of topics is provided as an overview of and introduction to Iraq:
Geography of Iraq
- Main article: Geography of Iraq
- Iraq is a: Country
- Location:
- Atlas of Iraq
- Extreme points of Iraq
- International rankings of Iraq
Environment of Iraq
- Climate of Iraq
- Ecology of Iraq
- Geology of Iraq
- National parks of Iraq
- Protected areas of Iraq
- Wildlife of Iraq
Natural geographic features of Iraq
- Main article: Landforms of Iraq
- Bodies of water of Iraq
- Islands of Iraq
- Mountains of Iraq
- Rivers of Iraq
- World Heritage Sites in Iraq
Regions of Iraq
- Main article: Regions of Iraq
Ecoregions of Iraq
- Main article: Ecoregions of Iraq
Administrative divisions of Iraq
- Main article: Administrative divisions of Iraq
Provinces of Iraq
- Baghdad - Arab, Turkman, Kurdish
- Salah ad Din - Arab, Kurdish
- Diyala - Arab, Kurdish
- Wasit - Arab
- Maysan - Arab
- Al Basrah - Arab
- Dhi Qar - Arab
- Al Muthanna - Arab
- Al Qadisyah - Arab
- Babil - Arab
- Al Karbala - Arab
- An Najaf - Arab
- Al Anbar - Arab
- Ninawa - Arab, Assyrian, Kurdish
- Dahuk - Kurdish
- Arbil - Kurdish
- At Ta'mim - Arab, Turkman, Kurdish
- As Sulaymaniyah - Kurdish
The constitutionally recognized Kurdistan Autonomous Region includes parts of a number of northern provinces, and is largely self-governing in internal affairs.
Districts of Iraq
Municipalities of Iraq
Demography of Iraq
- Main article: Demographics of Iraq
- For an alphabetical index of this subject, see the List of Iraq-related articles.
The following list of topics is provided as an overview of and introduction to Iraq:
Geography of Iraq
- Main article: Geography of Iraq
- Iraq is: a country
- Location:
- Population:
- Size:
- Atlas of Iraq
- Extreme points of Iraq
Environment of Iraq
- Climate of Iraq
- Ecology of Iraq
- Geology of Iraq
- National parks of Iraq
- Protected areas of Iraq
- Wildlife of Iraq
Natural geographic features of Iraq
- Main article: Landforms of Iraq
- Fjords of Iraq
- Glaciers of Iraq
- Islands of Iraq
- Lakes of Iraq
- Mountains of Iraq
- Rivers of Iraq
- Valleys of Iraq
- World Heritage Sites in Iraq
Regions of Iraq
- Main article: Regions of Iraq
Ecoregions of Iraq
- Main article: Ecoregions in Iraq
Administrative divisions of Iraq
- Main article: Administrative divisions of Iraq
Provinces of Iraq
Districts of Iraq
Municipalities of Iraq
- Capital of Iraq: Capital of Iraq
- Cities of Iraq
Demography of Iraq
- Main article: Demographics of Iraq
Government and politics of Iraq
- Main article: Government of Iraq and Politics of Iraq
- Form of government:
- Capital of Iraq: Capital of Iraq
- Elections in Iraq
- (specific elections)
- Political parties in Iraq
- Political scandals of Iraq
- Taxation in Iraq
Branches of the government of Iraq
Executive branch of the government of Iraq
- Head of state: President of Iraq, [[]]
- Head of government: Prime Minister of Iraq, [[]]
- Cabinet of Iraq
Legislative branch of the government of Iraq
Judicial branch of the government of Iraq
Foreign relations of Iraq
International organization membership
Iraq is a member of:
- [[]]
- [[]]
- [[]]
Law and order in Iraq
- Main article: Law of Iraq
- Capital punishment in Iraq
- Constitution of Iraq
- Crime in Iraq
- Human rights in Iraq
- Law enforcement in Iraq
Military of Iraq
- Main article: Military of Iraq
- Command
- Forces
- Military history of Iraq
- Military ranks of Iraq
Local government in Iraq
History of Iraq
- Main article: History of Iraq, Timeline of the history of Iraq, and Current events of Iraq
Culture of Iraq
- Main article: Culture of Iraq
- Architecture of Iraq
- Cuisine of Iraq
- Ethnic minorities in Iraq
- Festivals in Iraq
- Humor in Iraq
- Languages of Iraq
- Media in Iraq
- National symbols of Iraq
- People of Iraq
- Prostitution in Iraq
- Public holidays in Iraq
- Records of Iraq
- Religion in Iraq
- World Heritage Sites in Iraq
The Arts in Iraq
Sports in Iraq
- Main article: Sports in Iraq
Economy of Iraq
- Main article: Economy of Iraq
- Agriculture in Iraq
- Banking in Iraq
- Communications in Iraq
- Companies of Iraq
- Currency of Iraq:
- Economic history of Iraq
- Energy policy of Iraq
- Mining in Iraq
- Oil industry in Iraq
- Tourism in Iraq
- Transport in Iraq
Education in Iraq
- Main article: Education in Iraq
Infrastructure of Iraq
- Communications in Iraq
- Energy in Iraq
- Health care in Iraq
- Transportation in Iraq
- Water supply and sanitation in Iraq
See also
- List of basic geography topics
- List of Iraq-related articles (alphabetical index)
- List of international rankings
References
External links