Iraq

Location

• Middle East, bordering the Persian Gulf, between Iran and Kuwait
• strategic location on Shatt al Arab waterway and at the head of the Persian Gulf

Population

Notable Population Centers

City	Population	Note
Baghdad	7,216,000	Capital
Al Mawşil al Jadīdah	2,065,597
Al Başrah al Qadīmah	2,015,483
Mosul	1,683,000
Erbil	1,612,700
Basrah	1,326,564
Karbala	1,218,732
Kirkuk	1,031,000
Abū Ghurayb	900,000
As Sulaymānīyah	878,146

Size

• 168,753 square miles
• 437,072 square kilometers
• slightly more than three times the size of New York State

History

Formerly part of the Ottoman Empire, Iraq was occupied by the United Kingdom during World War I and was declared a League of Nations mandate under UK administration in 1920. Iraq attained its independence as a kingdom in 1932. It was proclaimed a republic in 1958 after a coup overthrew the monarchy, but in actuality, a series of strongmen ruled the country until 2003. The last was SADDAM Hussein, from 1979 to 2003. Territorial disputes with Iran led to an inconclusive and costly war from 1980 to 1988. In 1990, Iraq seized Kuwait but was expelled by US-led UN coalition forces during the two-month-long Gulf War of 1991. After Iraq's expulsion, the UN Security Council (UNSC) required Iraq to scrap all weapons of mass destruction and long-range missiles and to allow UN verification inspections. Continued Iraqi noncompliance with UNSC resolutions led to the Second Gulf War in 2003, when US-led forces ousted the SADDAM regime. In 2005, Iraqis approved a constitution in a national referendum and elected a 275-member Council of Representatives (COR). The COR approved most of the cabinet ministers, marking the transition to Iraq's first constitutional government in nearly a half-century. Iraq's constitution also established the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), a semi-autonomous region that administers the governorates of Erbil, Dahuk, and As Sulaymaniyah. Iraq has held four national legislative elections since 2006, most recently in 2021. The COR approved Mohammad Shia' al-SUDANI as prime minister in 2022. Iraq has repeatedly postponed elections for provincial councils -- last held in 2013 -- and since 2019, the prime minister has had the authority to appoint governors rather than provincial councils. Between 2014 and 2017, Iraq fought a military campaign against the Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS) to recapture territory the group seized in 2014. In 2017, then-Prime Minister Haydar al-ABADI publicly declared victory against ISIS, although military operations against the group continue in rural areas. Also in 2017, Baghdad forcefully seized disputed territories across central and northern Iraq from the KRG, after a non-binding Kurdish independence referendum.

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

Languages

Arabic (official), Kurdish (official); Turkmen (a Turkish dialect) and Syriac (Neo-Aramaic) are recognized as official languages where native speakers of these languages are presentmajor-language sample(s): كتاب حقائق العالم، أحسن مصدر للمعلومات الأساسية (Arabic)ڕاستییەکانی جیهان، باشترین سەرچاوەیە بۆ زانیارییە بنەڕەتییەکان (Kurdish) The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

Religions

Muslim (official) 95-98% (Shia 61-64%, Sunni 29-34%), Christian 1% (includes Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant, Assyrian Church of the East), other 1-4% (2015 est.)note: the last census in Iraq was in 1997; while there has been voluntary relocation of many Christian families to northern Iraq, the overall Christian population has decreased at least 50% and perhaps as much as 90% since 2003, according to US Embassy estimates, with many fleeing to Syria, Jordan, and Lebanon

Government

federal parliamentary republic

• Constitution: history: several previous; latest adopted by referendum 15 October 2005amendment process: proposed by the president of the republic and the Council of Minsters collectively, or by one fifth of the Council of Representatives members; passage requires at least two-thirds majority vote by the Council of Representatives, approval by referendum, and ratification by the president; passage of amendments to articles on citizen rights and liberties requires two-thirds majority vote of Council of Representatives members after two successive electoral terms, approval in a referendum, and ratification by the president
• Political Parties and Leaders: n/a
• Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
• Legal System: mixed system of civil and Islamic law
• Executive Branch: chief of state: President Latif RASHID (since 13 October 2022)head of government: Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-SUDANI (since 27 October 2022)cabinet: Council of Ministers proposed by the prime minister, approved by Council of Representatives (COR)election/appointment process: president indirectly elected by COR to serve a 4-year term (eligible for a second term)most recent election date: 13 October 2022election results: 2022: Latif RASHID elected president in second round; COR vote in first round - Latif RASHID (PUK) 157, Barham SALIH (PUK) 99; COR vote in second round - Latif RASHID 167, Barham SALIH 99; Mohammed Shia' al-SUDANI approved as prime minister2018: Barham SALIH elected president in second round; COR vote in first round - Barham SALIH (PUK) 165, Fuad HUSAYN (KDP) 90; COR vote in second round - Barham SALIH 219, Fuad HUSAYN 22; Adil ABD AL-MAHDI approved as prime minister
• Judicial Branch: highest court(s): Federal Supreme Court or FSC (consists of 9 judges); Court of Cassation (consists of a court president, 5 vice presidents, and at least 24 judges)judge selection and term of office: Federal Supreme Court (FSC) judges nominated by the High Judicial Council (HJC) president, the FSC chief justice, the public prosecutor's office chief, and the head of the Judicial Oversight Commission; FSC members required to retire at age 72; Court of Cassation judges appointed by the HJC and confirmed by the Council of Representatives to serve until retirement, nominally at age 63, but can be extended to age 66subordinate courts: Courts of Appeal (governorate level); civil courts, including first instance, personal status, labor, and customs; criminal courts including felony, misdemeanor, investigative, major crimes, juvenile, and traffic courtsnote: Federal Supreme Court jurisdiction limited to constitutional issues, application of federal laws, ratification of election results for the COR, judicial competency disputes, and disputes between regions or governorates and the central government
• Legislative Branch: legislature name: Council of Representatives of Iraqlegislative structure: unicameralnumber of seats: 329 (all directly elected)electoral system: other systemsscope of elections: full renewalterm in office: 4 yearsmost recent election date: 10/10/2021parties elected and seats per party: Sadrist Bloc (73); National Progress Alliance / Taqadum (37); State of Law Coalition (33); Kurdistan Democratic Party (31); Fatah Alliance (17); Kurdistan Alliance (17); Independents (43); Other (78)percentage of women in chamber: 28.9%expected date of next election: November 2025note: seat counts reflect updated numbers following the 12 June 2022 Sadrist Trend withdrawal from government formation; its 73 seats were reallocated to other parties

Demographic Profile

n/a

Economy

• highly oil-dependent Middle Eastern economy; fiscal sustainability subject to fluctuation in oil prices; rising public confidence in economic conditions; import-dependent for most sectors; persistent challenges of corruption, informal markets, banking access, and political fragility
• Budget: revenues: $90.204 billion (2019 est.)expenditures: $64.512 billion (2019 est.)note: central government revenues and expenses (excluding grants/extrabudgetary units/social security funds) converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated
• Credit Rating: n/a
• Natural Resources: petroleum, natural gas, phosphates, sulfur
• Industries: petroleum, chemicals, textiles, leather, construction materials, food processing, fertilizer, metal fabrication/processing
• Agricultural Products: wheat, dates, maize, tomatoes, rye, grapes, milk, chicken, potatoes, fruits (2023)note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage
• Land Use: agricultural land: 21.8% (2022 est.)arable land: 11.4% (2022 est.)permanent crops: 1.1% (2022 est.)permanent pasture: 9.2% (2022 est.)forest: 1.9% (2022 est.)other: 76.3% (2022 est.)
• Labor Force by Occupation: n/a
• Imports
• Imported Commodities: refined petroleum, cars, broadcasting equipment, jewelry, gold (2023)note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars
• Import Partners: UAE 32%, China 20%, Turkey 18%, India 5%, USA 2% (2023)note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports
• Exports
• Exported Commodities: crude petroleum, refined petroleum, petroleum coke, gold, natural gas (2023)note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars
• Export Partners: China 33%, India 28%, USA 8%, Greece 5%, UAE 5% (2023)note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports