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Iraq
http://worldatlas.com
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Official
Name Republic of Iraq
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Population
26,298,000
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Ethnic
groups: Arab 75%-80%, Kurdish 15%-20%, Turkoman, Assyrian or other 5%
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Religions:
Muslim 97% (Shi'a 60%-65%, Sunni 32%-37%), Christian or other 3%
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Capital
City Baghdad (6 million)
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Languages
Arabic, Kurdish, others
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Official
Currency Iraqi Dinar
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Latitude/Longitude
33º 33N, 44º 44E
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Land
Area 437,370 sq km (168,869 sq miles)
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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.
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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
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Iraq
Timeline
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3500
BC Mesopotamia, known as the world's first civilization, developed in
South Eastern Iraq
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539
BC Mesopotamia was conquered by the Persians
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332
BC Alexander the Great conquers the Persians
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226
AD The Persian Sassanid dynasty took control of Mesopotamia
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126
BC The Greek rule ended when the Parthians established control of Iraq
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633AD
Arab Muslims conquer the Sassanids and Iraq
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750
The Abbasids conquer the Islamic world. Baghdad was founded as the capital
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1258
Mesopatamia and its capital Baghdad falls to Mongol invaders led by the
grandson of Genghis Khan. The Arab Empire was destroyed
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1500s
The Ottoman Empire conquers the region
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1700s
The Ottoman power in Mesopotamia begins to decline
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1800s
Great Britain becomes involved with Mesapotamia needing to protect their
trade routes with India and the East
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1914-1918
World War I
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1917
British troops occupy Baghdad
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1920
The League of Nations give Great Britain a mandate to rule over
Mesopotamia
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1920
The San Remo Peace Conference of Allied Powers. Mesopotamia is renamed
Iraq
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1921
The British set up King Faisal I as the monarch and control the government
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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
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1932
Iraq become independent
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1937
April 28 - Saddam Hussein was born
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1939
WW11 breaks out
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1940-1941
The Iraqi government allies with Germany, Italy and Japan seeking to rid
Iraq of British power and influence
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1941
Great Britain defeat Iraq
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1945
End of WW11 and Iraq helps to form the Arab League
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1948
The Arab League declares war against the newly formed Israel
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1950-1952
Iraq signs agreements with foreign oil companies and receives 50% of the
oil profits
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1953
Faisal II became king of Iraq
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1950s
Many Iraqis began to oppose the monarchy. They wanted a say in the
government
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1955
Iraq signed the Baghdad Pact with Iran, Pakistan, and Turkey
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1958
Iraq becomes a republic during a military coup and the monarchy is killed
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1979
Saddam Hussein succeeds Al-Bakr as Iraqi President
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1980
Iraq invades Iran
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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 |