Iraq

Iraq

Official Name Republic of Iraq
Population 26,298,000
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%
Capital City Baghdad (6 million)
Languages Arabic, Kurdish, others
Official Currency Iraqi Dinar
Latitude/Longitude 33º 33N, 44º 44E
Land Area 437,370 sq km (168,869 sq miles)
Landforms Most of Iraq is a series of broad, sandy plains. In the far-west, the Syrian Desert covers the land, and in the far-southeast near the Persian Gulf, the land is low, marshy, and often flooded. It's mountainous in the far-north, as the Zagros Mountains front its borders with Iran and Turkey. The highest point, a unamed peak, rises to 11,795 ft. (3,595 m). Two historically significant rivers, the Euphrates and Tigris, drain the land.
Land Divisions 18 governorates

Baghdad(بغداد)
Salah ad-Din (صلاح الدين)
Diyala (ديالى)
Wasit (واسط)
Maysan(ميسان)
Al-Basrah(البصرة)
Dhi Qar(ذي قار)
Al-Muthanna(المثنى)
Al-Qadisiyyah (القادسية)
Babil (بابل)
Al-Karbala' (كربلاء)
An-Najaf(النجف)
Al-Anbar(الأنبار)
Ninawa (نينوى)
Dahuk(دهوك)
Arbil(أربيل)
Kirkuk (التاميم)
As-Sulaymaniyyah (السل

Iraq Timeline

3500 BC Mesopotamia, known as the world's first civilization, developed in South Eastern Iraq
539 BC Mesopotamia was conquered by the Persians
332 BC Alexander the Great conquers the Persians
226 AD The Persian Sassanid dynasty took control of Mesopotamia
126 BC The Greek rule ended when the Parthians established control of Iraq
633AD Arab Muslims conquer the Sassanids and Iraq
750 The Abbasids conquer the Islamic world. Baghdad was founded as the capital
1258 Mesopatamia and its capital Baghdad falls to Mongol invaders led by the grandson of Genghis Khan. The Arab Empire was destroyed
1500s The Ottoman Empire conquers the region
1700s The Ottoman power in Mesopotamia begins to decline
1800s Great Britain becomes involved with Mesapotamia needing to protect their trade routes with India and the East
1914-1918 World War I
1917 British troops occupy Baghdad
1920 The League of Nations give Great Britain a mandate to rule over Mesopotamia
1920 The San Remo Peace Conference of Allied Powers. Mesopotamia is renamed Iraq
1921 The British set up King Faisal I as the monarch and control the government
1925 The League of Nations sets the border between Turkey and Iraq which places the Mosul region in Iraq rather than Turkey against the wishes of the Kurdish population
1932 Iraq become independent
1937 April 28 - Saddam Hussein was born
1939 WW11 breaks out
1940-1941 The Iraqi government allies with Germany, Italy and Japan seeking to rid Iraq of British power and influence
1941 Great Britain defeat Iraq
1945 End of WW11 and Iraq helps to form the Arab League
1948 The Arab League declares war against the newly formed Israel
1950-1952 Iraq signs agreements with foreign oil companies and receives 50% of the oil profits
1953 Faisal II became king of Iraq
1950s Many Iraqis began to oppose the monarchy. They wanted a say in the government
1955 Iraq signed the Baghdad Pact with Iran, Pakistan, and Turkey
1958 Iraq becomes a republic during a military coup and the monarchy is killed
1979 Saddam Hussein succeeds Al-Bakr as Iraqi President
1980 Iraq invades Iran
17 January 1991 A coalition of 39 countries begin bombing Iraq starting the Persian Gulf War

Iraq, an ancient land, was once at the heart of the Mesopotamia culture, the world's first civilization. Over the centuries, numerous empires dominated Mesopotamia, the fertile land between the Euphrates and Tigris Rivers. The city of Baghdad became the most significant commercial and cultural center in the entire Muslim world. Dozens of invasions and wars would follow, and in 1638, it was conquered by the Ottoman Turks. 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 military strongmen have ruled the country since then, the latest was Saddam Hussein.

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. United Nations Resolution 687 (1991)

At around 0230 GMT,March 20 2003 shortly after the 48-hour deadline for Saddam to quit Iraq expires, America launches its first series of air strikes on Baghdad. George Bush says the US has begun attacks against 'targets of military opportunity'. Saddam Hussein gives a televised address to the Iraqi people at around 0530 GMT, calling the attack a 'shameful crime' and vowing to win the war. China, France and Russia denounce the US-led action.

At around 1805 GMT, US planes begin a heavy bombardment of military targets in central Baghdad. Later on, British marines invade the Faw peninsula in the south of the country.

The US-led invasion of Iraq in March 2003 ousted the Saddam Hussein regime. Coalition forces remain in Iraq, helping to restore degraded infrastructure and facilitating the establishment of a freely elected government. The Coalition Provisional Authority transferred sovereignty to the Interim Government on 28 June 2004.

"The Iraqi people and their leaders have arrived at an important crossroads: if they are able to build firm foundations for the common interest of all Iraqis, the promise of peace and prosperity will be within reach. However, if current patterns of discord and violence prevail for much longer, there is a grave danger of a breakdown of the Iraqi State, and potentially of civil war. "

Kofi Annan Secretary-General's report to the Security Council, September 2006

November 9,2006-Iraq's Health Minister Ali al-Shamari said between 100,000-150,000 people were killed in three-and-a-half years of war in Iraq. The bulk of the dead in the past year have been killed in a bitter Shiite-Sunni sectarian conflict across Iraq. Baghdad has been the worst hit, with dozens of bodies found on the streets every week. Former Secretary of State Colin Powell said Wednesday that Iraq's violence meets the standard of civil war and that if he were heading the State Department now, he might recommend that the administration use that term.

Source: CIA Fact Book, United Nations