Iraq

• 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

• mostly broad plains;
• reedy marshes along Iranian border in south with large flooded areas;
• mountains along borders with Iran and Turkey

mean elevation:

312 m

elevation extremes:

0 m lowest point: Persian Gulf; 3611 highest point: Cheekha Dar (Kurdish for "Black Tent")

• population is concentrated in the north, center, and eastern parts of the country, with many of the larger urban agglomerations found along extensive parts of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers;
• much of the western and southern areas are either lightly populated or uninhabited

• dust storms;
• sandstorms;
• floods

• government water control projects drained most of the inhabited marsh areas east of An Nasiriyah by drying up or diverting the feeder streams and rivers;
• a once sizable population of Marsh Arabs, who inhabited these areas for thousands of years, has been displaced;
• furthermore, the destruction of the natural habitat poses serious threats to the area's wildlife populations;
• inadequate supplies of potable water;
• soil degradation (salination) and erosion;
• desertification;
• military and industrial infrastructure has released heavy metals and other hazardous substances into the air, soil, and groundwater;
• major sources of environmental damage are effluents from oil refineries, factory and sewage discharges into rivers, fertilizer and chemical contamination of the soil, and industrial air pollution in urban areas

party to:

Biodiversity, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection

signed, but not ratified:

Environmental Modification

noun:

Iraqi(s)

adjective:

Iraqi

0-14 years:

39.01% (male 8,005,327 /female 7,674,802)

15-24 years:

19.42% (male 3,976,085 /female 3,829,086)

25-54 years:

33.97% (male 6,900,984 /female 6,752,797)

55-64 years:

4.05% (male 788,602 /female 839,291)

65 years and over:

3.55% (male 632,753 /female 794,489) (2018 est.)

total dependency ratio:

77.7 (2015 est.)

youth dependency ratio:

72.3 (2015 est.)

elderly dependency ratio:

5.5 (2015 est.)

potential support ratio:

18.3 (2015 est.)

• population is concentrated in the north, center, and eastern parts of the country, with many of the larger urban agglomerations found along extensive parts of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers;
• much of the western and southern areas are either lightly populated or uninhabited

at birth:

1.04 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

0-14 years:

1.04 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

15-24 years:

1.04 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

25-54 years:

1.02 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

55-64 years:

0.91 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

65 years and over:

0.8 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

total population:

1.02 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

degree of risk:

intermediate (2016)

food or waterborne diseases:

bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever (2016)

conventional long form:

Republic of Iraq

conventional short form:

Iraq

local long form:

Jumhuriyat al-Iraq/Komar-i Eraq

local short form:

Al Iraq/Eraq

former:

Mesopotamia, Mandatory Iraq, Hashemite Kingdom of Iraq

etymology:

the name probably derives from "Uruk" (Biblical "Erech"), the ancient Sumerian and Babylonian city on the Euphrates River

name:

Baghdad

geographic coordinates:

33 20 N, 44 24 E

time difference:

UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

• 18 governorates (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah (Arabic); parezgakan, singular - parezga (Kurdish)) and 1 region*;
• Al Anbar;
• Al Basrah;
• Al Muthanna;
• Al Qadisiyah (Ad Diwaniyah);
• An Najaf;
• Arbil (Erbil) (Arabic), Hewler (Kurdish);
• As Sulaymaniyah (Arabic), Slemani (Kurdish);
• Babil;
• Baghdad;
• Dahuk (Arabic), Dihok (Kurdish);
• Dhi Qar;
• Diyala;
• Karbala';
• Kirkuk;
• Kurdistan Regional Government*;
• Maysan;
• Ninawa;
• Salah ad Din;
• Wasit

• 3 October 1932 (from League of Nations mandate under British administration);
• note - on 28 June 2004 the Coalition Provisional Authority transferred sovereignty to the Iraqi Interim Government

history:

several previous; latest adopted by referendum 15 October 2005 (2016)

amendments:

• 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 a 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 a two-thirds majority vote of Council of Representatives members after two successive electoral terms, approval in a referendum, and ratification by the president (2016)

citizenship by birth:

no

citizenship by descent only:

at least one parent must be a citizen of Iraq

dual citizenship recognized:

yes

residency requirement for naturalization:

10 years

highest courts:

• Federal Supreme Court or FSC (consists of 9 judges);
• note - court jurisdiction limited to constitutional issues and disputes between regions or governorates and the central government;
• 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 and Court of Cassation judges selected by the president of the republic from nominees selected by the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC), a 25-member committee of judicial officials that manage the judiciary and prosecutors;
• FSC members appointed for life;
• Court of Cassation judges appointed by the SJC and confirmed by the Council of Representatives to serve until retirement nominally at age 63

subordinate 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;
• religious courts

chief of state:

President Barham SALIH (since 2 October 2018); vice presidents (vacant)

head of government:

Prime Minister Adil ABD AL-MAHDI (since 24 October 2018)

cabinet:

Council of Ministers proposed by the prime minister, approved by Council of Representatives

elections/appointments:

• president indirectly elected by Council of Representatives (COR) to serve a 4-year term (eligible for a second term);
• COR election last held on 12 May 2018 (next to be held in 2022);
• prime minister nominated by the largest COR bloc or by consensus and submission of COR minister nominees for majority COR approval;
• disapproval requires designation of a new prime minister candidate

election results:

• COR vote in first round - Barham SALIH (PUK) 165, Fuad HUSAYN (KDP) 90;
• Barham SALIH elected president in second round - Barham SALIH 219, Fuad HUSAYN 22;
• note - the COR vote on 1 October 2018 failed due to a lack of quorum, and a new session was held on 2 October

description:

• unicameral Council of Representatives or Majlis an-Nuwwab al-Iraqiyy (329 seats; 320 members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by open-list proportional representation vote and 9 seats at the national level reserved for minorities - 5 for Assyrians, 1 each for Mandaeans, Yazidis, Shabaks, Fayli Kurds; 25% of seats allocated to women; members serve 4-year terms);
• note - Iraq's constitution calls for the establishment of an upper house, the Federation Council, but it has not been instituted

elections:

last held on 12 May 2018 (next to be held in 2022)

election results:

• percent of vote by party/coalition - NA;
• seats by party/coalition - Al Sa'irun Alliance 54, Al Fatah Alliance 48, Al Nasir Alliance 42, KDP 25, State of Law Coalition 25, Wataniyah 21, National Wisdom Trend 19, PUK 18, Iraqi Decision Alliance 14, Anbar Our Identity 6, Goran Movement 5, New Generation 4, other 48;
• composition - men 245, women 84, percent of women 25.5%

chief of mission:

Ambassador Farid YASIN (since 18 January 2017)

chancery:

3421 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20007

telephone:

[1] (202) 742-1600

FAX:

[1] (202) 333-1129

consulate(s) general:

Detroit, Los Angeles

chief of mission:

Ambassador Douglas A. SILLIMAN (since 1 September 2016)

embassy:

Al-Kindi Street, International Zone, Baghdad; note - consulate in Al Basrah closed as of 28 September 2018

mailing address:

APO AE 09316

telephone:

0760-030-3000

FAX:

NA

• three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black;
• the Takbir (Arabic expression meaning "God is great") in green Arabic script is centered in the white band;
• the band colors derive from the Arab Liberation flag and represent oppression (black), overcome through bloody struggle (red), to be replaced by a bright future (white);
• the Council of Representatives approved this flag in 2008 as a compromise replacement for the Ba'thist SADDAM-era flag

note: similar to the flag of Syria, which has two stars but no script; Yemen, which has a plain white band; and that of Egypt, which has a golden Eagle of Saladin centered in the white band

name:

"Mawtini" (My Homeland)

lyrics/music:

Ibrahim TOUQAN/Mohammad FLAYFEL

note: adopted 2004; following the ouster of SADDAM Husayn, Iraq adopted "Mawtini," a popular folk song throughout the Arab world; also serves as an unofficial anthem of the Palestinian people

agriculture:

21.6%

industry:

18.7%

services:

59.8% (2008 est.)

lowest 10%:

25.7% (2007 est.)

highest 10%:

25.7% (2007 est.)

general assessment:

• the 2003 liberation of Iraq severely disrupted telecommunications throughout Iraq;
• widespread government efforts to rebuild domestic and international communications have slowed due to political unrest;
• 2018 showed signs of stability and installations of new fibre-optic cables and growth in mobile broadband subscribers;
• the most popular plans are pre-paid (2017)

domestic:

• the mobile cellular market continues to expand;
• 3G services offered by three major mobile operators;
• conflict has destroyed infrastructure in areas;
• 7 per 100 for fixed-line and 85 per 100 for mobile-cellular subscriptions (2017)

international:

• country code - 964;
• satellite earth stations - 4 (2 Intelsat - 1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean, 1 Intersputnik - Atlantic Ocean region, and 1 Arabsat (inoperative));
• local microwave radio relay connects border regions to Jordan, Kuwait, Syria, and Turkey;
• international terrestrial fiber-optic connections have been established with Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Kuwait, Jordan, and Iran;
• links to the Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe (FLAG) and the Gulf Bridge International (GBI) submarine fiber-optic cables have been established (2017)

• the number of private radio and TV stations has increased rapidly since 2003;
• government-owned TV and radio stations are operated by the publicly funded Iraqi Media Network;
• private broadcast media are mostly linked to political, ethnic, or religious groups;
• satellite TV is available to an estimated 70% of viewers and many of the broadcasters are based abroad;
• transmissions of multiple international radio broadcasters are accessible (2015)

number of registered air carriers:

4 (2015)

inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 39 (2015)

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers:

484,803 (2015)

annual freight traffic on registered air carriers:

10,758,230 mt-km (2015)

total:

2,272 km (2014)

standard gauge:

2,272 km 1.435-m gauge (2014)

total:

59,623 km (2012)

paved:

59,623 km (includes Kurdistan Region) (2012)

total:

77 (2017)

by type:

general cargo 1, oil tanker 6, other 70 (2017)

Ministry of Defense:

• Iraqi Army (includes
  • Army Aviation Directorate),
  • Iraqi Navy,
  • Iraqi Air Force
  ;
• National-Level Security Forces: Iraqi Counterterrorism Service, Iraqi Federal Police (includes Emergency Response Division), Iraqi Border Guard Force, Popular Mobilization Committee (2018)

Ansar al-Islam (AAI):

aim(s): expel western interests from Iraq and, ultimately, establish an independent Iraqi state operating according to its interpretation of sharia

area(s) of operation:

headquartered in northern Iraq with its largest presence in Kirkuk, Tikrit, and Mosul; active in the western and central regions of the country

note: majority of members are Iraqi Kurds or Iraqi Arabs who are Sunni Muslim (April 2018)

Jaysh Rijal al-Tariq al-Naqshabandi (JRTN):

aim(s): end external influence in Iraq and, ultimately, overthrow the Government of Iraq to install a secular Ba'athist state within the internationally recognized borders of Iraq

area(s) of operation:

attacks separatist Kurdish groups, Iraqi Government military and security forces and facilities, and foreign military personnel (April 2018)

Kata'ib Hizballah (KH):

aim(s): counter US influence and, ultimately, overthrow the Iraqi Government to install a government based on Shia Muslim laws and precepts

area(s) of operation:

headquartered in the Shia Muslim areas of Baghdad, with fighters active in Ninawa, Al Anbar, and Babil governorates (April 2018)

Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK):

aim(s): advance Kurdish autonomy and security goals in Iraq, Turkey, Iran, and Syria

area(s) of operation:

• operational in the north and east, with its stronghold in the Qandil Mountains;
• majority of members inside Iraq are Iraqi, Turkish, and Iranian Kurds, along with Kurds from Syria (April 2018)

Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS):

• aim(s): replace the world order with a global Islamic state based in Iraq and Syria;
• expand its branches and networks in other countries;
• rule according to ISIS's strict interpretation of Islamic law

area(s) of operation:

operational in the rural and desert areas of central and northern Iraq, primarily within and near Sunni populations, with some presence in major population areas (April 2018)

refugees (country of origin):

15,514 (Turkey), 7,865 (West Bank and Gaza Strip), 7,143 (Iran) (2017), 252,722 (Syria) (2018)

IDPs:

2,908,112 (includes displacement between 2006 and 2008 due to ethno-sectarian violence and displacement in central and northern Iraq since January 2014) (2018)

stateless persons:

• 47,630 (2017);
• note - in the 1970s and 1980s under SADDAM Husayn's regime, thousands of Iraq's Faili Kurds, followers of Shia Islam, were stripped of their Iraqi citizenship, had their property seized by the government, and many were deported;
• some Faili Kurds had their citizenship reinstated under the 2,006 Iraqi Nationality Law, but others lack the documentation to prove their Iraqi origins;
• some Palestinian refugees persecuted by the SADDAM regime remain stateless

note: estimate revised to reflect the reduction of statelessness in line with Law 26 of 2006, which allows stateless persons to apply for nationality in certain circumstances; more accurate studies of statelessness in Iraq are pending (2015)