Republic of Iraq | |
|---|---|
| Anthem: مَوْطِنِيْ Mawṭinī "My Homeland" | |
.svg) | |
| Capital and largest city | Baghdad 33°20′N 44°23′E / 33.333°N 44.383°E |
| Official languages | |
| |
| Ethnic groups (1987)[3] | |
| Religion (2020)[4] |
|
| Demonym(s) | Iraqi |
| Government | Federal parliamentary republic |
| Abdul Latif Rashid | |
| Mohammed Shia' Al Sudani | |
| Legislature | Council of Representatives |
| Federation Council[6] (not yet convened)[7] | |
| Council of Representatives | |
| Independence from the United Kingdom | |
| 3 October 1932 | |
| 14 July 1958 | |
| 15 October 2005 | |
| Area | |
• Total | 438,317 km2 (169,235 sq mi) (58th) |
• Water (%) | 4.93 (as of 2024)[8] |
| Population | |
• 2024 estimate |  46,523,657[9] (35th) |
• Density | 82.7/km2 (214.2/sq mi) (125th) |
| GDP (PPP) | 2024 estimate |
• Total |  $655.417 billion[10] (48th) |
• Per capita | $14,756[10] (110th) |
| GDP (nominal) | 2024 estimate |
• Total | $264.149[10] (46th) |
• Per capita | $5,947.315[10] (106th) |
| Gini (2012) | 29.5[11] low inequality |
| HDI (2022) | 0.673[12] medium (128th) |
| Currency | Iraqi dinar (IQD) |
| Time zone | UTC+3 (AST) |
| Drives on | right |
| Calling code | +964 |
| ISO 3166 code | IQ |
| Internet TLD | |
Iraq,[a] officially the Republic of Iraq,[b] is a country in West Asia and a core country in the geopolitical region known as the Middle East. With a population exceeding 46 million, it is the 35th-most populous country. It consists of 18 governorates. The country is bordered by Turkey to the north, Saudi Arabia to the south, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and Kuwait to the southeast, Jordan to the southwest, and Syria to the west. The capital and largest city is Baghdad. Iraqi people are diverse; mostly Arabs, as well as Kurds, Turkmen, Yazidis, Assyrians, Armenians, Mandaeans, Persians and Shabakis with similarly diverse geography and wildlife. Most Iraqis are Muslims – minority faiths include Christianity, Yazidism, Zoroastrianism, Mandaeism, Yarsanism and Judaism.[13][3][14] The official languages of Iraq are Arabic and Kurdish; others also recognized in specific regions are Assyrian, Turkish, and Armenian.[15]
Starting as early as the 6th millennium BC, the fertile alluvial plains between Iraq's Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, referred to as the region of Mesopotamia, gave rise to some of the world's earliest cities, civilizations, and empires. It was known as a "Cradle of Civilisation" that saw the inventions of a writing system, mathematics, timekeeping, a calendar, astrology, and a law code. Following the Muslim conquest, Baghdad became the capital and the largest city of the Abbasid Caliphate. During the time of the Islamic Golden Age, the city evolved into a significant cultural and intellectual center, and garnered a worldwide reputation for its academic institutions, including the House of Wisdom.[16] It was largely destroyed at the hands of the Mongol Empire in 1258 during the siege of Baghdad, resulting in a decline that would linger through many centuries due to frequent plagues and multiple successive empires.[17][18][19][20]
Since its independence, Iraq has experienced spells of significant economic and military growth alongside periods instability and conflict. The region remained a part of the Ottoman Empire until the end of World War I, after which Mandatory Iraq was established by the British Empire in 1921. It gained indepdence as the Kingdom of Iraq in 1932. Following a coup d'état in 1958, Iraq became a republic, led by Abdul Karim Qasim followed by Abdul Salam Arif and then Abdul Rahman Arif. The Ba'ath Party came to power in the 1968 and ruled as one-party state, under the leadership of Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr, followed by Saddam Hussein, who started major wars against Iran and Kuwait. In 2003, the Iraq War started after the United States-led coalition forces invaded Iraq and overthrew Saddam. The war subsequently turned into an insurgency and sectarian civil war, with American troops withdrawing in 2011. Between 2013 and 2017, Iraq was once more in a state of war, with the rise and subsequent fall of Islamic State. Today post-war conflict in Iraq continues at a lower scale, which has been an obstacle to the country's stability.[21][22]
A federal parliamentary republic country, Iraq is considered an emerging middle power. It is a founding member of the United Nations, the OPEC as well as of the Arab League, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Non-Aligned Movement, and the International Monetary Fund. With a strategic location, the country has one of the largest oil reserves in the world and is among global centers for oil and gas industry. In addition, the country has been popular for its agriculture and tourism. Since its independence, it has experienced spells of significant economic and military growth alongside periods instability and conflict. The country is putting efforts to rebuild after the war with foreign support.[23][24][25][26][27]
- ^ "دەستووری کۆماری عێراق" (in Kurdish). Parliament of Iraq. Retrieved 15 October 2008.
- ^ a b "Constitution of Iraq". Constitute. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
ciawas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "National Profiles".
- ^ "Iraqi religions". www.state.gov. Office of International Religious Freedom. 12 May 2021.
The constitution establishes Islam as the official religion and states no law may be enacted contradicting the "established provisions of Islam." It provides for freedom of religious belief and practice for all individuals, including Muslims, Christians, Yezidis, and Sabean-Mandeans, but does not explicitly mention followers of other religions or atheists.
- ^ "FAOLEX". FAOHome. Retrieved 26 July 2024.
- ^ "Without a Federation Council, State-building in Iraq remains elusive". MERI. 29 February 2024. Retrieved 26 July 2024.
- ^ "Surface water and surface water change". Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Retrieved 10 October 2023.
- ^ World Population, Review. "Iraq Population estimate 2023". Iraq Population.
- ^ a b c d "World Economic Outlook Database, November 2023 Edition. (Iraq)". IMF.org. International Monetary Fund. 10 November 2024. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
- ^ "Gini Index - Iraq". World Bank. Archived from the original on 8 December 2022. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
- ^ "Human Development Report 2023/2024" (PDF). United Nations Development Programme. 13 March 2024. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 March 2024. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
- ^ Documents on British Foreign Policy, 1919–1939. H.M. Stationery Office. 1958.
- ^ "2.15. Religious and ethnic minorities, and stateless persons". European Union Agency for Asylum. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
- ^ "Iraq's Constitution" (PDF).
- ^ Gutas, Dimitri (1998). Greek Thought, Arabic Culture: The Graeco-Arabic Translation Movement in Baghdad and Early Abbasid Society (2nd/8th–10th Centuries). London: Routledge.
- ^ Keith Maisels, Charles (1993). The Near East: The Archaeology in the "Cradle of Civilization". Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-04742-5.
- ^ "Iraq | History, Map, Flag, Population, & Facts". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
- ^ "Mesopotamian Inventions". World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
- ^ "Mesopotamia". World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
- ^ Basu, Moni (18 December 2011). "Deadly Iraq war ends with exit of last U.S. troops". CNN.com. Retrieved 18 December 2011.
- ^ Robinson, Kali (18 October 2022). "How Much Influence Does Iran Have in Iraq?". Archived from the original on 30 March 2023.
- ^ "EBRD welcomes Iraq as its latest member". 2023.
- ^ "Iraq - Reconstruction and Investment" (PDF). 2018.
- ^ "Iraq – The northeast". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
- ^ "A Balancing Act | Strategic Monitor 2018–2019". www.clingendael.org. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
- ^ "Iraq's Tourism Potential" (PDF). 2013.
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