Iraq facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Republic of Iraq
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 Coat of arms
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_-_IRQ_-_UNOCHA.svg) |
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| Capital and largest city
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Baghdad 33°20′N 44°26′E / 33.333°N 44.433°E |
| Official languages | |
| Religion | Islam |
| Demonym(s) | Iraqi |
| Government | Federal parliamentary republic |
| Barham Salih | |
| Mustafa Al-Kadhimi | |
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• Speakers of the Council of Representatives
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Mohamed al-Halbousi |
| Legislature | Council of Representatives |
| Independence from the United Kingdom | |
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• Kingdom
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3 October 1932 |
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• Republic declared
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14 July 1958 |
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• Current constitution
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15 October 2005 |
| Area | |
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• Total
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437,072 km2 (168,754 sq mi) (58th) |
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• Water (%)
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1.1 |
| Population | |
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• 2018 estimate
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38,433,600 (36th) |
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• Density
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82.7/km2 (214.2/sq mi) (125th) |
| GDP (PPP) | 2018 estimate |
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• Total
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$695 billion (34th) |
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• Per capita
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$17,429 (71st) |
| GDP (nominal) | 2018 estimate |
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• Total
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$223 billion (47th) |
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• Per capita
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$5,601 (88th) |
| Gini (2012) | 29.5 low |
| HDI (2017) |  0.685medium · 120th |
| Currency | Iraqi dinar (IQD) |
| Time zone | UTC+3 (AST) |
| Driving side | right |
| Calling code | +964 |
| ISO 3166 code | IQ |
| Internet TLD | .iq |
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Iraq is a country in southwestern Asia. Iraq borders with Saudi Arabia and Kuwait to the south, Turkey to the north, Syria to the north-west, Jordan to the west, and Iran to the east. The capital of Iraq is Baghdad.
Iraq has been known by the Greek name Mesopotamia which means (Land between the rivers) and has been home to continuous successive civilizations since the 6th millennium BC. The region between the Euphrates and Tigris rivers is often referred to as the cradle of civilization and the birthplace of writing. Iraq was part of several empires, some were Safavid, and Afsharid. During the Mesopotamian Campaign of World War I, British Empire troops conquered the Ottoman Empire provinces of Basra and Baghdad and later added the province of Mosul to make Iraq.
Most Iraqis are Shia Muslims.
Politics
From 1968 to 2003, Iraq was run by the Ba'ath Party. Saddam Hussein was the President from 1979 until the disbandment of the Ba'ath Party.
After the 1990 invasion of Kuwait many countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, France, Italy, Pakistan, and others fought to free Kuwait. Later, some agents believed to be sent by Saddam Hussein tried to kill former President George H. W. Bush with a truck bomb in Kuwait.
The March 2003 invasion of Iraq was led by American, British, Australian, Danish and Polish forces. They forced the Ba'ath Party to surrender. The publicly stated reason for the invasion was that Saddam Hussein refused to let United Nations inspectors look for suspected nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons. In the past, Iraq used chemical weapons to kill people. Iraq had done research in making biological and nuclear weapons.
The country was initially split into 3 zones, the American zone, the British zone, and the Polish zone similar to the way Germany was divided in 1945. Forces from Denmark controlled areas in the British zone. A new temporary government was formed on June 28, 2004. The coalition forces were in the country.
There were many U.S., British and multi-national troops in the country until December 15, 2011 when the Iraq War had ended. Tensions between religious groups (Shia and Sunni Muslims, as well as Christians) lead to a great deal of instability in the country.
Geography
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The country area lies between two rivers; for this reason the area was called Mesopotamia in ancient ages. The rivers Euphrates and Tigris bound what is called the Fertile Crescent. Iraq also has a small coastline along the Persian Gulf, and this coastline was considered the heart of the petroleum trade in Iraq before the First Gulf War. The weather is extremely hot and dry because Iraq is far from seas and oceans and even the close ones are blocked by mountains so that the rainy wind can not reach the inlands. This region has fertile land because of the two rivers.
Iraq is divided into 18 provinces (muhafazah).
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Economy
Iraq has a large amount of oil. Iraq is the world's number four in petroleum production and the world's number two in petroleum reserves. In the past, Iraq sold much of this oil to other countries. After Iraq invaded Kuwait in August 1990, the United Nations stopped Iraq from selling the oil. The United Nations later allowed Iraq to sell some oil to buy food, clothes, and medicine so the people would not suffer as much. This was called the "Oil-for-Food" program.
Related pages
Images for kids
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Inside the Shanidar Cave, where the remains of eight adults and two infant Neanderthals, dating from around 65,000–35,000 years ago were found.
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Bronze head of an Akkadian ruler from Nineveh, presumably depicting either Sargon of Akkad, or Sargon's grandson Naram-Sin
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Hammurabi, depicted as receiving his royal insignia from Shamash. Relief on the upper part of the stele of Hammurabi's code of laws.
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Map of the Neo-Assyrian Empire under Shalmaneser III (dark green) and Esarhaddon (light green)
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A partial view of the ruins of Babylon.
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Roman amphitheater in Sulaymaniyah.
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Al-Hariri of Basra was a poet, high government official and scholar of the Arabic language, He is known for his Maqamat al-Hariri (‘'Assemblies of Hariri'’), a collection of some 50 stories written in the Maqama style. Al-Hariri's best known work, Maqamat has been regarded as the greatest treasure in Arabic literature.
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The siege of Baghdad by the Mongols.
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Crowning of King Faisal II of Iraq in the Council of Representatives, 1953
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Nuri Said (1888 - 1958), contributed to the establishment of the Kingdom of Iraq and the armed forces while also served as the Prime minister of the state.
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The April 2003 toppling of Saddam Hussein's statue by US Army troops in Firdos Square in Baghdad shortly after the US-led invasion.
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Destroyed Lion of Babylon tank on Highway 9 outside Najaf during US-led invasion in 2003.
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An Iraqi Army Aviation Command aerial gunner prepares to test fire his M240 machine gun, Near Baghdad International Airport, 2011
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Combined Air and Space Operations Center (CAOC) at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, provides command and control of air power throughout Iraq and Syria.
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Pro-independence rally in Iraqi Kurdistan in 2017. The Kurdistan Regional Government announced it would respect the Supreme Federal Court's ruling that no Iraqi province is allowed to secede.
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Protest in Baghdad in November 2019. The protests were the largest incident of civil unrest Iraq has experienced since the 2003 invasion.
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Cheekha Dar, highest point in Iraq.
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The Asiatic lion has remained a prominent symbol of the country throughout history.
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Historical GDP per capita development
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Agriculture is the main occupation of the people.
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Mosul Museum is the second largest museum in Iraq after the Iraq Museum in Baghdad. It contains ancient Mesopotamian artifacts.
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Supertankers at the Basra Oil Terminal
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Mosul Dam Lake
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Lake Dukan
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Children in a village in Sulaymaniyah.
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Imam Hussein Shrine in Karbala
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Mor Mattai Monastery (Dayro d-Mor Mattai) in, Bartella, Nineveh, Iraq. It is recognized as one of the oldest Christian monasteries in existence and is famous for its magnificent library and considerable collection of Syriac Christian manuscripts
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Saddam Hussein Promoting women's literacy and education in the 1970s
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Al-Mutanabi, regarded as one of the greatest, most prominent and influential poets in the Arabic language, much of his work has been translated into over 20 languages worldwide
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Wasiti's illustrations served as an inspiration for the modern Baghdad art movement in the 20th-century.
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The Queen's gold lyre from the Royal Cemetery at Ur. Iraq Museum, Baghdad.
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Masgouf, a popular Iraqi dish.
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Madina Stadium in Baghdad is Iraq's first-ever stadium solar power plant, and the second in the Middle East of its kind.
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See also
In Spanish: Irak para niños
 | Gustavo Gac-Artigas |
 | Lucia M. Gonzalez |
 | Meg Medina |
 | R. J. Palacio |
