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The Republic of Iraq (Arabic: Jumhūrīyatu l-‘Irāq) is a sovereign country located in Western Asia.[1] Iraq 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.[2] 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.[3]
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,[4] after Sudan.[5] Under the control of the U.S. military, Iraq is developing a parliamentary democracy composed of 18 governorates (known as muhafadhat).
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Iraq:
General reference
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4e/Iraq_2004_CIA_map.jpg/220px-Iraq_2004_CIA_map.jpg)
- Pronunciation:
- Common English country name: Iraq
- Official English country name: The Republic of Iraq
- Common endonym(s):
- Official endonym(s):
- Adjectival(s): Iraqi
- Demonym(s):
- Etymology: Name of Iraq
- International rankings of Iraq
- ISO country codes: IQ, IRQ, 368
- ISO region codes: See ISO 3166-2:IQ
- Internet country code top-level domain: .iq
Geography of Iraq
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f2/Iraq_Topography.png/220px-Iraq_Topography.png)
- Iraq is a: Country
- Location:
- Northern Hemisphere and Eastern Hemisphere
- Eurasia
- Fertile Crescent
- Time zone: UTC+03
- Extreme points of Iraq
- High: Cheekha Dar 3,611 m (11,847 ft)
- Low: Persian Gulf 0 m
- Land boundaries: 3,650 km
-
- Coastline: Persian Gulf 58 km
- Population of Iraq: 26,783,383 people (July 2006 estimate) - 39th most populous country
- Area of Iraq: 438,317 km2 (169,235 sq mi) - 58th largest country
- Atlas of Iraq
Environment of Iraq
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/ff/Satellite_image_of_Iraq_in_August_2003.jpg/220px-Satellite_image_of_Iraq_in_August_2003.jpg)
- Climate of Iraq
- Environmental issues in Iraq
- Ecoregions in Iraq
- Renewable energy in Iraq
- Geology of Iraq
- Protected areas of Iraq
- Biosphere reserves in Iraq: None
- National parks of Iraq
- Wildlife of Iraq
Natural geographic features of Iraq
- Glaciers of Iraq: None
- Islands of Iraq
- Lakes of Iraq
- Mountains of Iraq
- Rivers of Iraq
- Valleys of Iraq
- World Heritage Sites in Iraq
Regions of Iraq
Ecoregions of Iraq
Administrative divisions of Iraq
Governorates of Iraq
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c1/Iraqi_Governorates_%28numbered%29.png)
- Baghdad - Arab, Assyrian, 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
Government and politics of Iraq
- Main article: Government of Iraq and Politics of Iraq
- Elections in Iraq
- (specific elections)
- Political parties in Iraq
- Political scandals of Iraq
- Provincial Iraqi Control
- Reconstruction of Iraq
- Taxation in Iraq
Branches of the government of Iraq
Executive branch of the government of Iraq
- Head of state: President of Iraq, Jalal Talabani
- Head of government: Prime Minister of Iraq, Nouri al-Maliki
- Council of Ministers of Iraq
Legislative branch of the government of Iraq
Judicial branch of the government of Iraq
Foreign relations of Iraq
International organization membership
The Republic of Iraq is a member of:[1]
Law and order in Iraq
- Capital punishment in Iraq
- Constitution of Iraq
- Crime in Iraq
- Human rights in Iraq
- Law enforcement in Iraq
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
- History by year: 2001 • 2002 • 2003 • 2004 • 2005 • 2006 • 2007 • 2008
- Military history of Iraq
- Post-invasion Iraq, 2003–present
Culture of Iraq
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/35/Ethnoreligious_Iraq.svg/350px-Ethnoreligious_Iraq.svg.png)
- Architecture of Iraq
- Cuisine of 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
Art in Iraq
Sport in Iraq
- Most popular sport: Football (soccer)
Economy and infrastructure of Iraq
- Economic rank, by nominal GDP (2007): 63rd (sixty-third)
- Agriculture in Iraq
- Banking in Iraq
- Communications in Iraq
- Companies of Iraq
- Currency of Iraq: Dinar
- Economic history of Iraq
- Energy in Iraq
- Health care in Iraq
- Mining in Iraq
- Iraq Stock Exchange
- Tourism in Iraq
- Transport in Iraq
- Water supply and sanitation in Iraq
Education in Iraq
Health in Iraq
See also
- Index of Iraq-related articles
- List of international rankings
- Member states of the United Nations
- Outline of Asia
- Outline of geography
References
- ^ a b "Iraq". The World Factbook. United States Central Intelligence Agency. July 21, 2009. Retrieved July 23, 2009.
- ^ "Declaration of Principles for a Long-Term Relationship of Cooperation and Friendship Between the Republic of Iraq and the United States of America".
- ^ "Top 10 Battles for the Control of Iraq". Livescience.com. Retrieved 2011-06-19.
- ^ "Foreign Policy Magazine: The Failed States Index 2007".
- ^ "Reuters: Iraq world's No. 2 failed state". The Globe and Mail. Toronto.
External links
Government
- Iraqi Presidency Website http://www.iraqipresidency.net
- Iraqi Government Website http://www.cabinet.iq
- Iraqi Parliament Website http://www.parliament.iq
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs http://www.mofa.gov.iq
- Ministry of Defense http://www.iraqmod.org
- Ministry of Oil http://www.oil.gov.iq
- Ministry of Trade http://www.mot.gov.iq
- Ministry of Industry http://www.industry.gov.iq
- Ministry of Higher Education http://www.mohesr.gov.iq
- Kurdistan Regional Government
- New Iraqi government structure (PDF) (As of July 17, 2006)
Overviews
- Encarta Encyclopedia
- al-Bab - Iraq
- Iraq Inter-Agency Information & Analysis Unit Reports, Maps and Assessments of Iraq from the UN Inter-Agency Information & Analysis Unit
- Encyclopaedia Britannica Iraq Country Page
- BBC News Country Profile - Iraq
- CIA World Factbook - Iraq
- US State Department - Iraq includes Background Notes, Country Study and major reports
- Read Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports regarding Iraq
- Iraq Country Profile from Reuters AlertNet
- Country Briefing: Iraq from The Economist
News
- Focus on Iraq Daily News on Iraq
- Iraq News and Iraqi views from Electronic Iraq
- News in Depth from the Financial Times
- Diplomacy Monitor-Iraq
- IPS Inter Press Service Independent news about Iraq
- Iraqis react with joy, anger to Hussein death sentence CNN story on Hussein's death sentence
- Hometown Baghdad Documentary series shot by an all-Iraqi crew. Tells the stories of three young people trying to survive in Baghdad.
Other
- Operation Iraqi Children
- Iraq Image, a cultural resource on Iraq cities and locations
- Iraqi Truth Project
- Juan Cole, a leading scholar and public intellectual
- The Ground Truth Project -- A series of exclusive interviews and other resources capturing the voices of Iraqis, aid workers, military personnel and others who have spent significant time on-the-ground in Iraq.
- Template:Wikitravel
- Alternate wiki article about Iraq
- The World Monuments Fund's Iraq Cultural Heritage Conservation Initiative
- Education for Peace in Iraq Center (EPIC) -- A Washington DC-based nonprofit organization promoting a free and secure Iraq
- Amnesty International Report on Iraq
- Internal Displacement in Iraq - Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre
- Coalition Provisional Authority Now-defunct occupation authority; site is archived
- Iraq Law from the University of Pittsburgh’s Jurist project
- 1900–2000 a history of Iraq
- US Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq
- Iraqi Familiarization Guide - (546 kilobyte PDF file)
- Short Guide to Iraq (WWII U.S. Military Guide)
- Charity Helping the People of Iraq