Iraq

Table of Contents

Introduction & Quick Facts
Land
- Relief
  - Alluvial plains
  - Al-Jazīrah
  - Deserts
  - The northeast
- Drainage
  - The Tigris-Euphrates river system
  - Irrigation and canals
- Soils
- Climate
- Plant and animal life
People
- Ethnic groups
  - Arabs
  - Kurds
  - Other minorities
- Languages
- Religion
  - Sunnis
  - The Shiʿah
  - Religious minorities
- Settlement patterns
  - Rural settlement
  - Urban settlement
    - Baghdad
    - Regional centres
- Demographic trends
Economy
- Overview
  - Economic development
  - State control
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing
- Resources and power
  - Petroleum and natural gas
  - Oil pipelines
  - Other minerals and energy
- Manufacturing
- Finance
- Trade
- Services
- Labour and taxation
- Transportation and telecommunications
Government and society
- Constitutional framework
- Local government
- Justice
- Political process
- Security
- Health and welfare
- Housing
- Education
Cultural life
- Cultural milieu
- Daily life and social customs
- The arts
- Cultural institutions
- Sports and recreation
- Media and publishing
History
- Iraq from c. 600 to 1055
  - The Arab conquest and the early Islamic period
  - The Abbasid Caliphate
  - The Buyid period (932–1062)
- Iraq from 1055 to 1534
  - The Seljuqs (1055–1152)
  - The later Abbasids (1152–1258)
  - The Mongol Il-Khans (1258–1335)
  - Il-Khanid successors (1335–1410)
  - The Turkmen (1410–1508)
  - The Safavids (1508–34)
- Ottoman Iraq (1534–1918)
  - The 16th-century conquest of Iraq and the regime imposed by Süleyman I
  - The local despotisms in the 17th century
  - The 18th-century Mamluk regime
  - The fall of the Mamluks and the consolidation of British interests
  - Mid-19th-century Ottoman reforms
  - The governorship of Midhat Paşa
  - The end of Ottoman rule
- Iraq until the 1958 revolution
  - British occupation and the mandatory regime
  - Independence, 1932–39
  - World War II and British intervention, 1939–45
  - Postwar reconstruction and social upheavals, 1945–58
- The Republic of Iraq
  - The 1958 revolution and its aftermath
    - Recurrence of military coups, 1963–68
    - Iraqi foreign policy, 1958–68
  - The revolution of 1968
    - The second Baʿath government
    - The revolution of 1968
    - Foreign policy 1968–80
    - Economic development to 1980
  - Iraq under Saddam Hussein
    - The Iran-Iraq War
    - Postwar policies
    - The Persian Gulf War
      Causes
      The invasion
    - The UN embargo and oil-for-food program
  - The Iraq War (2003–11) and its aftermath
    - Post-9/11 tension and the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq
    - Rocky transition to civilian government
    - U.S. withdrawal and the rise of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL)
      Second term of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and sectarian polarization
      Fight against ISIL
  - Postwar Iraq
    - 2018 parliamentary elections and the premiership of Adel Abdul Mahdi
    - Tishreen Movement: protests in 2019–20 against corruption and foreign interference
    - Premiership of Mustafa al-Kadhimi

References & Edit History Facts & Stats

Images

physical features of Iraq

dhows in the Shatt al-Arab, Iraq

Euphrates River at Khān al-Baghdādī, Iraq

Tigris River in Baghdad

marshland in southern Iraq

Iraq: Ethnic composition

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Iraq: Facts & Stats

Written and fact-checked by The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Facts

Also Known As	ʿIraq • Al-Jumhūrīyyah al-ʿIrāqīyyah • Republic of Iraq • Al-ʿIrāq
Head Of Government	Prime Minister: Mohammed Shia al-Sudani
Capital	Baghdad
Population	(2024 est.) 44,528,000²
Head Of State	President: Abdul Latif Rashid
Form Of Government	multiparty republic with one legislative house (Council of Representatives of Iraq [329¹])
Official Languages	Arabic; Kurdish
Official Religion	Islam
Official Name	Al-Jumhūriyyah al-ʿIrāqiyyah (Republic of Iraq)
Total Area (Sq Km)	435,052
Total Area (Sq Mi)	167,975
Monetary Unit	Iraqi dinar (ID)
Population Rank	(2023) 35
Population Projection 2030	53,036,000
Density: Persons Per Sq Mi	(2023) 258.3
Density: Persons Per Sq Km	(2023) 99.7
Urban-Rural Population	Urban: (2020) 69.9% • Rural: (2020) 30.1%
Life Expectancy At Birth	Male: (2022) 71.3 years • Female: (2022) 75.2 years
Literacy: Percentage Of Population Age 15 And Over Literate	Male: (2017) 91% • Female: (2017) 80%
Gni (U.S.$ ’000,000)	(2022) 234,695
Gni Per Capita (U.S.$)	(2022) 5,270
¹Includes nine seats reserved for minorities.²Includes about 1.2 million internally displaced persons and nearly 5 million recent returnees from neighbouring countries.

Photos

physical features of Iraq

dhows in the Shatt al-Arab, Iraq

Euphrates River at Khān al-Baghdādī, Iraq

Tigris River in Baghdad

marshland in southern Iraq

Kurdish settlement in southwestern Asia

citadel at Erbil, Iraq

National anthem of Iraq

See All Images, Audio and Interactives →

Topics

Buyid dynasty Zangid dynasty Mazyadid Dynasty Ḥamdānid Dynasty ʿUqaylid Dynasty Jalāyirid Lakhmid dynasty League of Nations Iraq War OPEC United States India United Kingdom China Canada Russia Germany Australia Japan France

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Asia

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Sāmarrāʾ, Iraq: Al-Malwiyyah minaret

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