Iraq
republic
Iraq as the 1994 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 121 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.
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Geography
Middle East, between Iran and Saudi Arabia
22 fieldstotal area
437,072 sq km
land area
432,162 sq km
comparative area
slightly more than twice the size of Idaho
continental shelf
not specified
territorial sea
12 nm
International disputes
- 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 refuse to unconditionally recognize Kuwaiti sovereignty or the inviolability of the UN demarcated border;
- periodic disputes with upstream riparian Syria over Euphrates water rights;
- potential dispute over water development plans by Turkey for the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers
Climate
- 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
Terrain
- mostly broad plains;
- reedy marshes in southeast;
- mountains along borders with Iran and Turkey
arable land
12%
permanent crops
1%
meadows and pastures
9%
forest and woodland
3%
other
75%
current issues
- government water control projects drain inhabited marsh areas, drying up or diverting the streams and rivers that support a sizable population of Shi'a Muslims who have inhabited these areas for thousands of years;
- the destruction of the natural habitat also poses serious threats to the wildlife populations;
- damage to water treatment and sewage facilities during Gulf war;
- inadequate supplies of potable water;
- development of Tigris-Euphrates Rivers system contingent upon agreements with upstream riparians (Syria, Turkey);
- air and water pollution;
- soil degradation (salinization) and erosion;
- desertification
natural hazards
NA
international agreements
party to - Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban; signed, but not ratified - Environmental Modification
People
22 fieldsPer 1,000 population(1994 est.)
total population
65.74 years
male
64.87 years
female
66.66 years (1994 est.)
noun
Iraqi(s)
adjective
Iraqi
total population
60%
male
70%
female
49%
by occupation
services 48%, agriculture 30%, industry 22%
note
- severe labor shortage;
- expatriate labor force was about 1,600,000 (July 1990);
- since then, it has declined substantially
Government
Republic
33 fieldsPresidential electionpercent of vote
conventional long form
Republic of Iraq
conventional short form
Iraq
local long form
Al Jumhuriyah al Iraqiyah
local short form
Al Iraq
Administrative divisions
- 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
Constitution
22 September 1968, effective 16 July 1970 (provisional Constitution); new constitution drafted in 1990 but not adopted
Legal system
based on Islamic law in special religious courts, civil law system elsewhere; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
chief of state
- President SADDAM Husayn (since 16 July 1979);
- Vice President Taha Muhyi al-Din MARUF (since 21 April 1974);
- Vice President Taha Yasin RAMADAN (since 23 March 1991)
head of government
Prime Minister Ahmad Husayn Khudayir al-SAMARRAI (since 5 September 1993); Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Mikhail AZIZ (since NA 1979)
cabinet
Council of Ministers
National Assembly (Majlis al-Watani)
- elections 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;
- the assembly is not recognized by the Baghdad government
Other political or pressure groups
- political parties and activity severely restricted;
- opposition to regime from disaffected members of the Baath Party, Army officers, and Shi'a religious and ethnic Kurdish dissidents;
- the Green Party (government-controlled)
Member of
ABEDA, ACC, AFESD, AL, AMF, CAEU, CCC, ESCWA, FAO, G-19, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPEC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
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
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
Flag
- 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
Economy
The Ba'thist regime engages in extensive central planning and | management of industrial production and foreign trade while leaving | some small-scale industry and services and most agriculture to private | enterprise.
25 fieldsOverview
The Ba'thist regime engages in extensive central planning and management of industrial production and foreign trade while leaving some small-scale industry and services and most agriculture to private enterprise. The economy has been dominated by the oil sector, which has traditionally provided about 95% of foreign exchange earnings.
In the 1980s, financial problems caused by massive expenditures in the eight-year war with Iran and damage to oil export facilities by Iran, led the government to implement austerity measures and to borrow heavily and later reschedule foreign debt payments. After the end of hostilities in 1988, oil exports gradually increased with the construction of new pipelines and restoration of damaged facilities.
Agricultural development remained hampered by labor shortages, salinization, and dislocations caused by previous land reform and collectivization programs. The industrial sector, although accorded high priority by the government, also was under financial constraints. Iraq's seizure of Kuwait in August 1990, subsequent international economic embargoes, and military action by an international coalition beginning in January 1991 drastically changed the economic picture.
Industrial and transportation facilities suffered severe damage and have been only partially restored. Oil exports remain at less than 10% of the previous level. Shortages of spare parts continue. Living standards deteriorated even further in 1993 and early 1994; consumer prices at least tripled in 1993.
The UN-sponsored economic embargo has reduced exports and imports and has contributed to the sharp rise in prices. The government's policies of supporting large military and internal security forces and of allocating resources to key supporters of the regime have exacerbated shortages. In brief, per capita output in 1993-94 is far below the 1989-90 level, but no precise estimate is available.
revenues
$NA
expenditures
$NA, including capital expenditures of $NA
commodities
crude oil and refined products, fertilizer, sulfur
partners
US, Brazil, Turkey, Japan, Netherlands, Spain (1990)
commodities
manufactures, food
partners
Germany, US, Turkey, France, UK (1990)
capacity
7,300,000 kW available out of 9,902,000 kW due to Gulf war
production
12.9 billion kWh
consumption per capita
700 kWh (1992)
Industries
petroleum production and refining, chemicals, textiles, construction materials, food processing
Agriculture
- accounted for 11% of GNP and 30% of labor force before the Gulf war;
- principal products - wheat, barley, rice, vegetables, dates, other fruit, cotton, wool;
- livestock - cattle, sheep;
- not self-sufficient in food output
recipient
- 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
Exchange rates
Iraqi dinars (ID) per US$1 - 3.2 (fixed official rate since 1982); black-market rate (May 1994) US$1 = 370 Iraqi dinars
Communications
16 fieldstotal
34,700 km
paved
17,500 km
unpaved
improved earth 5,500 km; unimproved earth 11,700 km
Inland waterways
- 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
Merchant marine
37 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 805,205 GRT/1,444,810 DWT, cargo 15, oil tanker 16, passenger 1, passenger-cargo 1, refrigerated cargo 1, roll-on/roll-off cargo 3
note
none of the Iraqi flag merchant fleet was trading internationally as of 1 January 1993
total
118
usable
105
with permanent-surface runways
76
with runways over 3,659 m
10
with runways 2,440-3,659 m
51
with runways 1,220-2,439 m
17
Telecommunications
- 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
Defense Forces
Army and Republican Guard, Navy, Air Force, Air Defense Force, Border | Guard Force, Internal Security Forces
3 fieldsBranches
Army and Republican Guard, Navy, Air Force, Air Defense Force, Border Guard Force, Internal Security Forces
Manpower availability
- males age 15-49 4,428,193;
- fit for military service 2,487,319;
- reach military age (18) annually 219,641 (1994 est.)
Cite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Iraq.” The World Factbook 1994. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/iraq/1994.