Iraq

total area:

437,072 km2 land area: 432,162 km2

comparative area:

slightly more than twice the size of Idaho

• Iran and Iraq restored diplomatic relations in 1990 but are still trying to work out written agreements settling outstanding disputes from their eight-year war concerning border demarcation, prisoners-of-war, and freedom of navigation and sovereignty over the Shatt al Arab waterway;
• in April 1991 official Iraqi acceptance of UN Security Council Resolution 687, which demands that Iraq accept the inviolability of the boundary set forth in its 1963 agreement with Kuwait, ending earlier claims to Bubiyan and Warbah Islands or to all of Kuwait;
• the 20 May 1993 final report of the UN Iraq/Kuwait Boundary Demarcation Commission was welcomed by the Security Council in Resolution 833 of 27 May 1993, which also reaffirmed that the decisions of the commission on the boundary were final, bringing to a completion the official demarcation of the Iraq-Kuwait boundary;
• Iraqi officials still make public statements claiming Kuwait;
• periodic disputes with upstream riparian Syria over Euphrates water rights;
• potential dispute over water development plans by Turkey for the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers

• mostly desert;
• mild to cool winters with dry, hot, cloudless summers;
• northernmost regions along Iranian and Turkish borders experience cold winters with occasionally heavy snows

• mostly broad plains;
• reedy marshes in southeast;
• mountains along borders with Iran and Turkey

• development of Tigris-Euphrates Rivers system contingent upon agreements with upstream riparians (Syria, Turkey);
• air and water pollution;
• soil degradation (salinization) and erosion;
• desertification

noun:

Iraqi(s)

adjective:

Iraqi

conventional long form:

Republic of Iraq

conventional short form:

Iraq

local long form:

Al Jumhuriyah al Iraqiyah

local short form:

Al Iraq

• 18 provinces (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah);
• Al Anbar, Al Basrah, Al Muthanna, Al Qadisiyah, An Najaf, Arbil, As Sulaymaniyah, At Ta'mim, Babil, Baghdad, Dahuk, Dhi Qar, Diyala, Karbala', Maysan, Ninawa, Salah ad Din, Wasit

• political parties and activity severely restricted;
• possibly some opposition to regime from disaffected members of the regime, Army officers, and Shi'a religious and Kurdish ethnic dissidents;
• the Green Party (government-controlled)

National Assembly:

• last held on 1 April 1989 (next to be held NA);
• results - Sunni Arabs 53%, Shi'a Arabs 30%, Kurds 15%, Christians 2% est.;
• seats - (250 total) number of seats by party NA

note: in northern Iraq, a "Kurdish Assembly" was elected in May 1992 and calls for Kurdish self-determination within a federated Iraq

Chief of State:

• President SADDAM Husayn (since 16 July 1979);
• Vice President Taha Muhyi al-Din MA'RUF (since 21 April 1974);
• Vice President Taha Yasin RAMADAN (since 23 March 1991)

Head of Government:

Prime Minister Muhammad Hamza al-ZUBAYDI (since 13 September 1991); Deputy Prime Minister Tariq 'AZIZ (since NA 1979)

chief of mission:

Iraq has an Interest Section in the Algerian embassy in Washington, DC

chancery:

Iraqi Interests Section, 1801 P Street NW, Washington, DC 20036

telephone:

(202) 483-7500

FAX:

(202) 462-5066

chief of mission:

• (vacant);
• note - operations have been temporarily suspended;
• a US Interests Section is located in Poland's embassy in Baghdad

embassy:

Masbah Quarter (opposite the Foreign Ministry Club), Baghdad

mailing address:

P. O. Box 2447 Alwiyah, Baghdad

telephone:

[964] (1) 719-6138 or 719-6139, 718-1840, 719-3791

• three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black with three green five-pointed stars in a horizontal line centered in the white band;
• the phrase ALLAHU AKBAR (God is Great) in green Arabic script - Allahu to the right of the middle star and Akbar to the left of the middle star - was added in January 1991 during the Persian Gulf crisis;
• similar to the flag of Syria that has two stars but no script and the flag of Yemen that has a plain white band;
• also similar to the flag of Egypt that has a symbolic eagle centered in the white band

• accounts for 11% of GNP and 30% of labor force;
• principal products - wheat, barley, rice, vegetables, dates, other fruit, cotton, wool;
• livestock - cattle, sheep;
• not self-sufficient in food output

• US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-80), $3 million;
• Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $647 million;
• Communist countries (1970-89), $3.9 billion

• 1,015 km;
• Shatt al Arab is usually navigable by maritime traffic for about 130 km;
• channel has been dredged to 3 meters and is in use;
• Tigris and Euphrates Rivers have navigable sections for shallow-draft watercraft;
• Shatt al Basrah canal was navigable by shallow-draft craft before closing in 1991 because of the Persian Gulf war

• crude oil 4,350 km;
• petroleum products 725 km;
• natural gas 1,360 km

• 41 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 930,780 GRT/1,674,878 DWT;
• includes 1 passenger, 1 passenger-cargo, 15 cargo, 1 refrigerated cargo, 3 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 19 oil tanker, 1 chemical tanker;
• note - none of the Iraqi flag merchant fleet was trading internationally as of 1 January 1993

total:

114

usable:

99

with permanent-surface runways:

74

with runways over 3,659 m:

9

with runways 2,440-3,659 m:

52

with runways 1,220-2,439 m:

12

• reconstitution of damaged telecommunication facilities began after Desert Storm, most damaged facilities have been rebuilt;
• the network consists of coaxial cables and microwave radio relay links;
• 632,000 telephones;
• broadcast stations - 16 AM, 1 FM, 13 TV;
• satellite earth stations - 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT, 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT, 1 Atlantic Ocean GORIZONT in the Intersputnik system and 1 ARABSAT;
• coaxial cable and microwave radio relay to Jordan, Kuwait, Syria, and Turkey, Kuwait line is probably non-operational

• males age 15-49 4,235,321;
• fit for military service 2,379,999;
• reach military age (18) annually 211,776 (1993 est.)