|
List All Cities in Iraq Listing cities Iraq database :
Ad-Dawr Afak Al Diwaniyah Al Hillah Al-Awja Al-Qa'im Amarah Ar Rutba Arbil Baghdad Baghdadi Baiji Balad Baqubah Basra Dahuk Fallujah Haditha Halabja H?t Iskandariya Karbala Khanaqin Kirkuk Kut Mosul Muqdadiyah Najaf Nasiriyah Ramadi Samarra Samawah Shamia Sulaymaniyah Taji Tal Afar Tel Keppe Tikrit Umm Qasr Zakho Zubayr
|
Background
|
|
Formerly part of the Ottoman Empire, Iraq was occupied by Britain during the course of World War I; in 1920, it was declared a League of Nations mandate under UK administration. In stages over the next dozen years, Iraq attained its independence as a kingdom in 1932. A "republic" was proclaimed in 1958, but in actuality a series of strongmen ruled the country until 2003. The last was SADDAM Husayn. Territorial disputes with Iran led to an inconclusive and costly eight-year war (1980-88). In August 1990, Iraq seized Kuwait but was expelled by US-led, UN coalition forces during the Gulf War of January-February 1991. 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. Continued Iraqi noncompliance with UNSC resolutions over a period of 12 years led to the US-led invasion of Iraq in March 2003 and the ouster of the SADDAM Husayn regime. US forces remained in Iraq under a UNSC mandate through 2009 and under a bilateral security agreement thereafter, helping to provide security and to train and mentor Iraqi security forces. In October 2005, Iraqis approved a constitution in a national referendum and, pursuant to this document, elected a 275-member Council of Representatives (CoR) in December 2005. After the election, Ibrahim al-JAAFARI was selected as prime minister; he was replaced by Nuri al-MALIKI in May 2006. The CoR approved most cabinet ministers in May 2006, marking the transition to Iraq's first constitutional government in nearly a half century. On 31 January 2009, Iraq held elections for provincial councils in all provinces except for the three provinces comprising the Kurdistan Regional Government and at-Ta'mim (Kirkuk) province.
|
|
Population
|
|
29,671,605 (July 2010 est.)
|
|
Government type
|
|
18 governorates (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah) and 1 region*; Al Anbar, Al Basrah, Al Muthanna, Al Qadisiyah (Ad Diwaniyah), An Najaf, Arbil, As Sulaymaniyah, Babil, Baghdad, Dahuk, Dhi Qar, Diyala, Karbala', Kirkuk, Kurdistan Regional Government*, Maysan, Ninawa, Salah ad Din, Wasit
|
|
Administrative divisions
|
|
parliamentary democracy
|
|
Independence
|
|
Republic Day, July 14 (1958); note - the Government of Iraq has yet to declare an official national holiday but still observes Republic Day
|
|
International organization participation
|
|
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; design is based upon the Arab Liberation colors; the Council of Representatives approved this flag in 2008 as a compromise temporary replacement for the Ba'athist Saddam-era flag
|
|
Economy - overview
|
|
|
|
Market value of publicly traded shares
|
|
petroleum, chemicals, textiles, leather, construction materials, food processing, fertilizer, metal fabrication/processing
|
|
Agriculture - products
|
|
3.1% (2009 est.)
|
|
Industries
|
|
46.39 billion kWh (2009 est.)
|
|
Industrial production growth rate
|
|
52 billion kWh (2009 est.)
|
|
Electricity - production
|
|
0 kWh (2009 est.)
|
|
Oil - production
|
|
1.91 million bbl/day (2009 est.)
|
|
Internet country code
|
|
300,000 (2008)
|
|
|