Geographical Profile of Iraq

Geographical Profile of Iraq

Official Name: ReRepublic of Iraq(Jamburia al Iraqia)blic of Iraq

Data code: Iraq

Past Name:  Mesopotamia

Location: Middle East, bordering the Persian Gulf, between Iran and Kuwai

Area:  438,317 sq km

Land: 437,367 sq km

Water: 950 sq km

Capital: Bagdad

Cities: Baghdad, Abu Ghurayb, Sadr City, Mosul, Basrah,  Irbi,lKirkuk, Sulaymaniyah, Najaf, Karbala, Hilla. About 75% People of Iraq are living in Cities.

Boarder Area:  3,650 km

border countries: Iran 1,458 km, Jordan 181 km, Kuwait 240 km, Saudi Arabia 814 km,Syria 605 km, Turkey 352 km

Coastline: 58 km

Geographic coordinates: 33 00 N, 44 00 E

lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m

highest point: unnamed peak; 3,611 m; note - this peak is neither Gundah Zhur 3,607

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

Rivers:  Taigris (Dajla) & Ufretis (Forat)

Population: 30,399,572 (July 2011 est.)

Sex ration: 1.05 male(s)/female

Density: 45/km2 (116.6/sq ml)

Age structure:   0-14 years: 38% ; 15-64 years: 58.9% ;   65 years and over: 3.1% (2011 est.)

Median age:  20.9 years

Population Growth Rate:  2.399% (2011 est.)

Birth Rate: 28.81 births/1,000 population (2011 est.)

Death Rate: 4.82 deaths/1,000 population (July 2011 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:  70.55 years

Literacy: 74.1%;male: 84.1%;female: 64.2% (2000 est.)

Language: Arabic (official), Kurdish (official in Kurdish regions), Turkoman (a Turkish dialect), Assyrian (Neo-Aramaic), Armenian. At least 80% people of Iraq are talking in Arabic.

Ethnic Groups:  Arab 75%-80%, Kurdish 15%-20%, Turkoman, Assyrian, or other 5%

Religion: Muslim 97% (Shia 60%-65%, Sunni 32%-37%), Christian or other 3%

Nationality: Iraqi

Independence: 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

National holiday: Republic Day, July 14 (1958); note - the Government of Iraq has yet to declare an official national holiday but still observes Republic Day

Government Type:  parliamentary democracy

Constitution: ratified on 15 October 2005 (subject to review by the Constitutional Review Committee and a possible public referendum)

Legislative Branch: unicameral Council of Representatives (325 seats consisting of 317 members elected by an optional open-list, proportional representation system and 8 seats reserved for minorities; members serve four-year terms); note - Iraq's Constitution calls for the establishment of an upper house, the Federation Council

Chief of state: President Jalal TALABANI (since 6 April 2005)

head of government: Prime Minister Nuri al-MALIKI (since 20 May 2006)

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

Political parties: Badr Organization, Da'wa al-Islamiya Party, Da'wa Tanzim, Fadilah Party , Hadba Gathering, Hadba Gathering, Iraqi Islamic Party or IIP, Iraqi National Congress or INC, Iraqi National Accord or INA, Kurdistan Democratic Party or KDP

International organization participation: ABEDA, AFESD, AMF, CAEU, CICA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPCW, OPEC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)

Flag Description: 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);

Weather and Climate:

Natural hazards:    dust storms; sandstorms; floods

Tourism:

Currency: Iraqi Dinar

1 Iraqi Dinar = 0.0008591 US Dollar  1 US Dollar (USD) = 1,164.03 Iraqi Dinar (IQD)

 Income of per Capita:

Economy

Nominal GDP (2009 est.): $65.8 billion.  Nominal GDP per capita (2009 est., PPP): $2,108.  GDP real growth rate (2009 est.): 4.0%. Unemployment rate (2008 official): 12% to 18%.  Budget (FY 2010): Revenues--$52.8 billion;

expenditures--$72.4 billion.  Public debt (Dec. 2008 est.): $46 billion to $87 billion. Natural resources: Oil, natural gas, phosphates, sulfur.  Agriculture: Products--wheat, barley, rice, corn, chickpeas, beans, dates, cotton, sunflowers, cattle, sheep, and chickens.  Industry: Types--petroleum, chemicals, textiles, construction materials, food processing, fertilizer, metal fabrication/processing.

Industries Growth Rate: 4.8% (2010 est.)  Exports (2009 est.)--$39.3 billion; export commodities--crude oil, crude materials excluding fuels, food and live animals. Export partners (2009)--U.S. 27.6%, India 14.5%, Italy 10.1%, South Korea 8.6%, Taiwan 5.6%, China 4.2%, Netherlands 4.1%, Japan 4.0%.

Imports (2009 est.)--$41.3 billion; import commodities--food, medicine, manufactured goods. Import partners (2009): Turkey 25.0%, Syria 17.4%, U.S. 8.7%, China 6.8%, Jordan 4.2%, Italy 4.0%, Germany 4.0%.

GDP—composition by sector: agriculture: 9.7%,industry: 63%, services: 27.3%

Population below poverty line: 25% (2008 est.)

Labor force: 8.5 million (2009 est.)

Labor force—by occupation:

agriculture: 21.6%

industry: 18.7%

services: 59.8% (2008 est.)

Unemployment rate: 15.3% (2009 est.)

Electricity—production: 46.39 billion kWh (2009 est.)

Electricity—consumption: 52 billion kWh (2009 est.

 Electricity—exports: 0 kWh (2009 est.)

Electricity—imports: 5.6 billion kWh (2009 est.)

Oil - proved reserves: 2.399 million bbl/day (2009 est.)

Oil - consumption: 687,000 bbl/day (2009 est.)

Oil - exports: 1.91 million bbl/day (2009 est.)

Oil - production: 116,900 bbl/day (2009 est.)

Natural gas - production: 1.88 billion cu m (2008 est.)

Natural gas - consumption: 9.454 billion cu m

Natural gas - exports: 0 cu m (2008 est.)

Natural gas - imports: 0 cu m (2008 est.)

Land in Use: arable land: 13.12%

permanent crops: 0.61%

other: 86.27% (2005)