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Iraq
SOURCE:
The following has been taken from the CIA Source Book on Iraq.
|
Background: |
Formerly part of the Ottoman
Empire, Iraq became an independent kingdom in 1932. A "republic" was
proclaimed in 1958, but in actuality a series of military strongmen have
ruled the country since then, the latest being SADDAM Husayn. Territorial
disputes with Iran led to an inconclusive and costly eight-year war
(1980-1988). In August 1990 Iraq seized Kuwait, but was expelled by US-led,
UN coalition forces during January-February 1991. The victors did not occupy
Iraq, however, thus allowing the regime to stay in control. Following
Kuwait's liberation, the UN Security Council (UNSC) required Iraq to scrap
all weapons of mass destruction and long-range missiles and to allow UN
verification inspections. UN trade sanctions remain in effect due to
incomplete Iraqi compliance with relevant UNSC resolutions. |
|
Location: |
Middle East, bordering the
Persian Gulf, between Iran and Kuwait |
|
Geographic coordinates: |
33 00 N, 44 00 E |
|
Map references: |
Middle East |
|
Area: |
total: 437,072 sq km
land: 432,162 sq km
water: 4,910 sq km |
|
Area - comparative: |
slightly more than twice the
size of Idaho |
|
Land boundaries: |
total: 3,631 km
border countries: Iran 1,458 km, Jordan 181 km, Kuwait 242 km, Saudi
Arabia 814 km, Syria 605 km, Turkey 331 km |
|
Maritime claims: |
continental shelf: not
specified
territorial sea: 12 NM |
|
Climate: |
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 |
|
Terrain: |
mostly broad plains; reedy
marshes along Iranian border in south with large flooded areas; mountains
along borders with Iran and Turkey |
|
Elevation extremes: |
lowest point: Persian
Gulf 0 m
highest point: Haji Ibrahim 3,600 m |
|
Natural resources: |
petroleum, natural gas,
phosphates, sulfur |
|
Land use: |
arable land: 12%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 9%
forests and woodland: 0%
other: 79% (1993 est.) |
|
Irrigated land: |
25,500 sq km (1993 est.)
|
|
Natural hazards: |
dust storms, sandstorms, floods
|
|
Environment - current issues: |
government water control
projects have 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 Shi'a Muslims, who have 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; development of Tigris-Euphrates Rivers system
contingent upon agreements with upstream riparian Turkey; air and water
pollution; soil degradation (salination) and erosion; desertification
|
|
Environment - international agreements: |
party to: Law of the
Sea, Nuclear Test Ban
signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification |
|
Geography - note: |
strategic location on Shatt al
Arab waterway and at the head of the Persian Gulf |
|
Population: |
23,331,985 (July 2001 est.)
|
|
Age structure: |
0-14 years: 41.64%
(male 4,934,340; female 4,781,206)
15-64 years: 55.28% (male 6,528,854; female 6,368,823)
65 years and over: 3.08% (male 335,953; female 382,809) (2001 est.)
|
|
Population growth rate: |
2.84% (2001 est.) |
|
Birth rate: |
34.64 births/1,000 population
(2001 est.) |
|
Death rate: |
6.21 deaths/1,000 population
(2001 est.) |
|
Net migration rate: |
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population
(2001 est.) |
|
Sex ratio: |
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.88 male(s)/female
total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2001 est.) |
|
Infant mortality rate: |
60.05 deaths/1,000 live births
(2001 est.) |
|
Life expectancy at birth: |
total population: 66.95
years
male: 65.92 years
female: 68.03 years (2001 est.) |
|
Total fertility rate: |
4.75 children born/woman (2001
est.) |
|
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: |
less than 0.01% (1999 est.)
|
|
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: |
NA |
|
Nationality: |
noun: Iraqi(s)
adjective: Iraqi |
|
Ethnic groups: |
Arab 75%-80%, Kurdish 15%-20%,
Turkoman, Assyrian or other 5% |
|
Religions: |
Muslim 97% (Shi'a 60%-65%,
Sunni 32%-37%), Christian or other 3% |
|
Languages: |
Arabic, Kurdish (official in
Kurdish regions), Assyrian, Armenian |
|
Literacy: |
definition: age 15 and
over can read and write
total population: 58%
male: 70.7%
female: 45% (1995 est.) |
|
Country name: |
conventional long form:
Republic of Iraq
conventional short form: Iraq
local long form: Al Jumhuriyah al Iraqiyah
local short form: Al Iraq |
|
Government type: |
republic |
|
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 |
|
Independence: |
3 October 1932 (from League of
Nations mandate under British administration) |
|
National holiday: |
Revolution Day, 17 July (1968)
|
|
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 |
|
Suffrage: |
18 years of age; universal
|
|
Executive branch: |
chief of state:
President SADDAM Husayn (since 16 July 1979); Vice Presidents Taha Muhyi
al-Din MARUF (since 21 April 1974) and Taha Yasin RAMADAN (since 23 March
1991)
head of government: Prime Minister SADDAM Husayn (since 29 May
1994); Deputy Prime Ministers Tariq Mikhail AZIZ (since NA 1979), Hikmat
Mizban Ibrahim al-AZZAWI (since 30 July 1999), Ahmad Husayn al-KHUDAYIR
(since NA July 2001), and Abd al-Tawab Mullah al-HUWAYSH (since NA July
2001)
cabinet: Council of Ministers; note - there is also a Revolutionary
Command Council or RCC (Chairman SADDAM Husayn, Vice Chairman Izzat IBRAHIM
al-Duri) which controls the ruling Ba'th Party, and is the most powerful
political entity in the country
elections: president and vice presidents elected by a two-thirds
majority of the Revolutionary Command Council; election last held 17 October
1995 (next to be held NA 2002)
election results: SADDAM Husayn reelected president; percent of vote
- 99%; Taha Muhyi al-Din MARUF and Taha Yasin RAMADAN elected vice
presidents; percent of vote - NA% |
|
Legislative branch: |
unicameral National Assembly or
Majlis al-Watani (250 seats; 30 appointed by the president to represent the
three northern provinces of Dahuk, Arbil, and As Sulaymaniyah; 220 elected
by popular vote; members serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 27 March 2000 (next to be held NA March 2004)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
NA |
|
Judicial branch: |
Court of Cassation |
|
Political parties and leaders: |
Ba'th Party [SADDAM Husayn,
central party leader] |
|
Political pressure groups and leaders: |
any formal political activity
must be sanctioned by the government; opposition to regime from Kurdish
groups and southern Shi'a dissidents |
|
International organization participation: |
ABEDA, ACC, AFESD, AL, AMF,
CAEU, CCC, EAPC, ESCWA, FAO, G-19, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB,
IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ITU,
NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPEC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO,
WMO, WToO |
|
Diplomatic representation in the US: |
none; note - Iraq has an
Interest Section in the Algerian Embassy headed by Akram AL DOURI; address:
Iraqi Interests Section, Algerian Embassy, 1801 P Street NW, Washington, DC
20036; telephone: [1] (202) 483-7500; FAX: [1] (202) 462-5066 |
|
Diplomatic representation from the US: |
none; note - the US has an
Interests Section in the Polish Embassy in Baghdad; address: P. O. Box 2051
Hay Babel, Baghdad; telephone: [964] (1) 718-9267; FAX: [964] (1) 718-9297
|
|
Flag description: |
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 which has two stars but no
script and the flag of Yemen which has a plain white band; also similar to
the flag of Egypt which has a symbolic eagle centered in the white band
|
|
Economy - overview: |
Iraq's economy is 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,
borrow heavily, and later reschedule foreign debt payments; Iraq suffered
economic losses of at least $100 billion from the war. After the end of
hostilities in 1988, oil exports gradually increased with the construction
of new pipelines and restoration of damaged facilities. Iraq's seizure of
Kuwait in August 1990, subsequent international economic sanctions, and
damage from military action by an international coalition beginning in
January 1991 drastically reduced economic activity. Although government
policies supporting large military and internal security forces and
allocating resources to key supporters of the regime have hurt the economy,
implementation of the UN's oil-for-food program in December 1996 has helped
improve conditions for the average Iraqi citizen. For the first six,
six-month phases of the program, Iraq was allowed to export limited amounts
of oil in exchange for food, medicine, and some infrastructure spare parts.
In December 1999, the UN Security Council authorized Iraq to export under
the program as much oil as required to meet humanitarian needs. Oil exports
are now more than three-quarters their prewar level. Per capita food imports
have increased significantly, while medical supplies and health care
services are steadily improving. Per capita output and living standards are
still well below the prewar level, but any estimates have a wide range of
error. |
|
GDP: |
purchasing power parity - $57
billion (2000 est.) |
|
GDP - real growth rate: |
15% (2000 est.) |
|
GDP - per capita: |
purchasing power parity -
$2,500 (2000 est.) |
|
GDP - composition by sector: |
agriculture: 6%
industry: 13%
services: 81% (1993 est.) |
|
Population below poverty line: |
NA% |
|
Household income or consumption by percentage share: |
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
|
Inflation rate (consumer prices): |
100% (2000 est.) |
|
Labor force: |
4.4 million (1989) |
|
Labor force - by occupation: |
agriculture NA%, industry NA%,
services NA% |
|
Budget: |
revenues: $NA
expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA
|
|
Industries: |
petroleum, chemicals, textiles,
construction materials, food processing |
|
Industrial production growth rate: |
NA% |
|
Electricity - production: |
29.42 billion kWh (1999)
|
|
Electricity - production by source: |
fossil fuel: 97.96%
hydro: 2.04%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999) |
|
Electricity - consumption: |
27.361 billion kWh (1999)
|
|
Electricity - exports: |
0 kWh (1999) |
|
Electricity - imports: |
0 kWh (1999) |
|
Agriculture - products: |
wheat, barley, rice,
vegetables, dates, cotton; cattle, sheep |
|
Exports: |
$21.8 billion (2000 est.)
|
|
Exports - commodities: |
crude oil |
|
Exports - partners: |
Russia, France, Switzerland,
China (2000) |
|
Imports: |
$13.8 billion (2000 est.)
|
|
Imports - commodities: |
food, medicine, manufactures
|
|
Imports - partners: |
Egypt, Russia, France, Vietnam
(2000) |
|
Debt - external: |
$139 billion (2000 est.)
|
|
Economic aid - recipient: |
$327.5 million (1995)
|
|
Currency: |
Iraqi dinar (IQD) |
|
Exchange rates: |
Iraqi dinars per US dollar -
0.3109 (fixed official rate since 1982); black market rate - Iraqi dinars
per US dollar - 1,910 (December 1999), 1,815 (December 1998), 1,530
(December 1997), 910 (December 1996), 3,000 (December 1995); note - subject
to wide fluctuations |
|
Fiscal year: |
calendar year |
|
Telephones - main lines in use: |
675,000 (1997) |
|
Telephones - mobile cellular: |
NA; service available in
northern Iraq (2001) |
|
Telephone system: |
general assessment:
reconstitution of damaged telecommunication facilities began after the Gulf
war; most damaged facilities have been rebuilt
domestic: the network consists of coaxial cables and microwave radio
relay links
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic
Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region), and 1
Arabsat (inoperative); coaxial cable and microwave radio relay to Jordan,
Kuwait, Syria, and Turkey; Kuwait line is probably nonoperational
|
|
Radio broadcast stations: |
AM 19 (5 are inactive), FM 51,
shortwave 4 (1998) |
|
Radios: |
4.85 million (1997)
|
|
Television broadcast stations: |
13 (1997) |
|
Televisions: |
1.75 million (1997)
|
|
Internet country code: |
.iq |
|
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): |
1 (2000) |
|
Railways: |
total: 2,339 km
standard gauge: 2,339 km 1.435-m gauge (2001) |
|
Highways: |
total: 45,550 km
paved: 38,400 km
unpaved: 7,150 km (1996 est.) |
|
Waterways: |
1,015 km
note: Shatt al Arab is usually navigable by maritime traffic for
about 130 km; channel has been dredged to 3 m and is in use; Tigris and
Euphrates Rivers have navigable sections for shallow-draft boats; Shatt al
Basrah canal was navigable by shallow-draft craft before closing in 1991
because of the Gulf war |
|
Pipelines: |
crude oil 4,350 km; petroleum
products 725 km; natural gas 1,360 km |
|
Ports and harbors: |
Umm Qasr, Khawr az Zubayr, and
Al Basrah have limited functionality |
|
Merchant marine: |
total: 30 ships (1,000
GRT or over) totaling 453,273 GRT/779,662 DWT
ships by type: cargo 14, passenger 1, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum
tanker 12, refrigerated cargo 1, roll on/roll off 1 (2000 est.) |
|
Airports: |
110 (2000 est.) |
|
Airports - with paved runways: |
total: 76
over 3,047 m: 20
2,438 to 3,047 m: 36
1,524 to 2,437 m: 6
914 to 1,523 m: 7
under 914 m: 7 (2000 est.) |
|
Airports - with unpaved runways: |
total: 34
over 3,047 m: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 5
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4
914 to 1,523 m: 10
under 914 m: 12 (2000 est.) |
|
Military branches: |
Army, Republican Guard, Navy,
Air Force, Air Defense Force, Border Guard Force, Fedayeen Saddam
|
|
Military manpower - military age: |
18 years of age |
|
Military manpower - availability: |
males age 15-49:
5,902,215 (2001 est.) |
|
Military manpower - fit for military service: |
males age 15-49:
3,301,880 (2001 est.) |
|
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: |
males: 274,035 (2001
est.) |
|
Military expenditures - dollar figure: |
$NA |
|
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: |
NA% |
|
Disputes - international: |
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 November 1994, Iraq
formally accepted the UN-demarcated border with Kuwait which had been
spelled out in Security Council Resolutions 687 (1991), 773 (1993), and 883
(1993); this formally ends earlier claims to Kuwait and to Bubiyan and
Warbah islands although the government continues periodic rhetorical
challenges; dispute over water development plans by Turkey for the Tigris
and Euphrates rivers |
|
