Since the UN & the rest of so called "civilized" world has chosen to close out the country during the 1990's, non of the down mentioned statistic are 100% correct duo to totally lack of information.
[ General | People | Government | Economy | Communications | Transportation | Military ]
"A poem of Al-Mutanabbi, on map"
Location: Middle East, bordering the Arabian Gulf, between Iran and Kuwait
Geographic coordinates: 33 00 N, 44 00 E
Map references: Middle East
Area: total: 437,072 sq km land: 432,162 sq km water : 4,910 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly more than the size of Italy and Greece together.
Land boundaries: total: 3,631 km border countries : Iran 1,458 km, Jordan 181 km, Kuwait 242 km, Saudi Arabia 814 km, Syria 605 km, Turkey 331 km
water : 4,910 sq km
Coastline: 58 km
Maritime claims: continental shelf: not specified territorial sea: 12 nm territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: mostly desert; mild to cool winters with dry, hot, cloudless summers; northern mountainous regions along Iranian and Turkish borders experience cold winters with occasionally heavy snows which melt in early spring, sometimes causing extensive flooding in central and southern Iraq
Terrain: mostly broad plains; reedy marshes along Iranian border in south; mountains along borders with Iran and Turkey
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Arabian Gulf 0 m highest point: Gundah Zhur 3,608 m
Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, phosphates, sulfur
Land use: arable land: 12% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 9% forests and woodland : 0% other: 79% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 25,500 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: dust storms, sandstorms, floods
Environment - international agreements: party to: Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban signed, but not ratified : Environmental Modification
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Population: 22,219,289 (July 1997 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 47% (male 5,353,088; female 5,181,960) 15-64 years: 50% (male 5,565,926; female 5,442,949) 65 years and over: 3% (male 314,705; female 360,661) (July 1997 est.)
Population growth rate: 3.62% (1997 est.)
Birth rate: 42.52 births/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Death rate: 6.33 deaths/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.87 male(s)/female total population : 1.02 male(s)/female (1997 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 57.5 deaths/1,000 live births (1997 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 67.38 years male: 66.31 years female: 68.5 years (1997 est.)
Total fertility rate: 6.26 children born/woman (1997 est.)
Nationality: noun: Iraqi(s) adjective: Iraqi
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%
Languages: Arabic, Kurdish (official in Kurdish regions), Assyrian, Armenian
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 58% male: 70.7% female : 45% (1995 est.)
Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Iraq conventional short form: Iraq local long form: Al Jumhuriyah al Iraqiyah local short form: Al Iraq
Government type: republic
National capital: Baghdad
Administrative divisions: 18 provinces (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah); Al Anbar, Al Basrah, Al Muthanna, Al Qadisiyah, Al Najaf, Arbil, Al Sulaymaniyah, Al Ta'mim, Babil, Baghdad, Dahuk, Dhi Qar, Diyala, Karbala', Maysan, Ninawa, Salah al Din, Wasit
Independence: 3 October 1932 (from League of Nations mandate under British administration)
National holiday: Anniversary of the Revolution, 17 July (1968)
Constitution: 22 September 1968, effective 16 July 1970 (provisional Constitution); new constitution drafted in 1990 but not adopted
Legal system: based on Islamic law in special religious courts, civil law system elsewhere; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state : President Saddam Hussain (since 16 July 1979); Vice President Taha Muhyi al-Din MARUF , a Kurdish politician (since 21 April 1974); Vice President Taha Yasin RAMADAN (since 23 March 1991) head of government: Prime Minister Saddam Husain (since NA May 1994); Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Mikhail AZIZ (since NA 1979); Deputy Prime Minister Taha Yasin RAMADAN (since NA); Deputy Prime Minister Muhammad Hamza al-ZUBAYDI (since NA) cabinet: Council of Ministers note: there is also a Revolutionary Command Council; Chairman Saddam Hussain, Vice Chairman Izzat IBRAHIM al-Duri elections: president and vice presidents elected by a two-thirds majority of the Revolutionary Command Council; election last held 17 October 1995 (next to be held NA) election results: Saddam Hussain reelected president; percent of Revolutionary Command Council vote - 99%; Taha Muhyi al-Din MARUF and Taha Yasin RAMADAN elected vice presidents; percent of Revolutionary Command Council vote - NA
Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly or Majlis al-Watani (250 seats; 30 appointed by Saddam Hussain to represent the three northern provinces of Dahuk, Arbil, and As Sulaymaniyah; 220 elected by popular vote; members serve four -year terms) elections: last held 24 March 1996 (next to be held NA 2000) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA
Judicial branch: Court of Cassation
Political parties and leaders: Ba'th Party, Saddam Hussain, central party leader
Political pressure groups and leaders: political parties and activity severely restricted; the Green Party (government-controlled)
International organization participation: ABEDA, ACC, AFESD, AL, AMF, CAEU, CCC, ESCWA, FAO, G-19, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPEC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO
Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black with three green five-pointed stars in a horizontal line centered in the white band; the phrase ALLAHU AKBAR (God is Great) in green Arabic script - Allahu to the right of the middle star and Akbar to the left of the middle star - was added in January 1991 during the Persian Gulf crisis; similar to the flag of Syria that has two stars but no script and the flag of Yemen that has a plain white band; also similar to the flag of Egypt that has a symbolic eagle centered in the white band
Economy - overview: The goverment engages in extensive central planning and management of industrial production and foreign trade while leaving some small-scale industry and services and most agriculture to private enterprise. The economy has been dominated by the oil sector, which has traditionally provided about 95% of foreign exchange earnings. In the 1980s, financial problems caused by massive expenditures in the eight-year war with Iran and damage to oil export facilities by Iran, led the government to implement austerity measures and to borrow heavily and later reschedule foreign debt payments; Iraq suffered economic losses of at least $100 billion from the war. After the end of hostilities in 1988, oil exports gradually increased with the construction of new pipelines and restoration of damaged facilities. Agricultural development remained hampered by labor shortages, salinization, and dislocations caused by previous land reform and collectivization programs. The industrial sector, although accorded high priority by the government, also was under financial constraints. Iraq's seizure of Kuwait in August 1990, subsequent international economic embargoes, and military action by an international coalition beginning in January 1991 drastically changed the economic picture. Industrial and transportation facilities, which suffered severe damage, have been partially restored. Oil exports are at 25% of the prewar level following the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 986 in December 1996. Shortages of spare parts continue. The UN-sponsored economic embargo has reduced exports and imports and has contributed to the sharp rise in prices. The Iraqi Government has been unwilling to abide by UN resolutions so that the economic embargo could be removed. The government's policies of supporting large military and internal security forces and of allocating resources to key supporters of the regime have exacerbated shortages. In accord with a UN resolution Iraq agreed to an oil-for-food deal in 1996, under which it would export $2 billion worth of oil in exchange for badly needed food and medicine. The first oil was pumped in December 1996, and the first supplies of food and medicine should arrive in March 1997. Per capita output for 1995-96 and living standards are well below the 1989-90 level, but any estimates have a wide range of error.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $42 billion (1996 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 0% (1996 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $2,000 (1996 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA%
Inflation rate - consumer price index: NA%
Labor force: total: 4.4 million (1989) by occupation: services 48%, agriculture 30%, industry 22% note : severe labor shortage; expatriate labor force was about 1,600,000 (July 1990); since then, it has declined substantially
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget: revenues : $NA expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA
Industries: petroleum, chemicals, textiles, construction materials, food processing
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity - capacity: 6.83 million kW (1996)
Electricity - production: 31.8 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity - consumption per capita: 1,362 kWh (1996 est.)
Agriculture - products: wheat, barley, rice, vegetables, dates, other fruit, cotton; cattle, sheep
Exports: $NA commodities: crude oil partners: Jordan, Turkey (1996)
Imports: $NA commodities: manufactures, food partners: France, Turkey, Jordan, Vietnam, Australia (1996)
Debt - external: very heavy relative to GDP but amount unknown (1996)
Economic aid: recipient: ODA, $NA
Currency: 1 Iraqi dinar (ID) = 1,000 fils
Exchange rates: Iraqi dinars (ID) per US$1 - 0.3109 (fixed official rate since 1982); black market rate - Iraqi dinars (ID) per US$1 - 1,200 (May 1997), 3,000 (December 1995); subject to wide fluctuations
Financial year: calendar year
Telephones: 632,000 (1987 est.)
Telephone system: reconstitution of damaged telecommunication facilities began after the Gulf war; most damaged facilities have been rebuilt domestic: the network consists of coaxial cables and microwave radio relay links international : satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean Region) and 1 Arabsat (inoperative);
coaxial cable and microwave radio relay to Jordan, Kuwait, Syria, and Turkey; Kuwait line is probably nonoperational
Radio broadcast stations: AM 16, FM 1, shortwave 0
Radios: 4.02 million (1991 est.)
Television broadcast stations: 13
Televisions: 1 million (1992 est.)
Railways: total: 2,032 km standard gauge: 2,032 km 1.435-m gauge
Highways: total: 46,500 km paved: 39,990 km unpaved: 6,510 km (1995 est.)
Waterways: 1,015 km; Shatt al Arab is usually navigable by maritime traffic for about 130 km; channel has been dredged to 3 meters and is in use; Tigris and Euphrates Rivers have navigable sections for shallow-draft watercraft; Shatt al Basrah canal was navigable by shallow-draft craft before closing in 1991 because of the Persian Gulf war
Pipelines: crude oil 4,350 km; petroleum products 725 km; natural gas 1,360 km
Ports and harbors: Umm Qasr, Khawr az Zubayr, and Al Basrah have limited functionality
Merchant marine: total: 35 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 791,485 GRT/1,428,307 DWT ships by type: cargo 14, oil tanker 16, passenger 1, passenger-cargo 1, refrigerated cargo 1, roll-on/roll-off cargo 2 (1996 est.)
Airports: 101 (1996 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 85 over 3,047 m: 21 2,438 to 3,047 m: 33 1,524 to 2,437 m: 9 914 to 1,523 m: 6 under 914 m: 16 (1996 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total : 16 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m : 8 (1996 est.)
Heliports: 4 (1996 est.)
Military branches: Army, Republican Guard and Special Republican Guard, Navy, Air Force, Air Defense Force, Border Guard Force, Internal Security Forces
Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 5,039,332 (1997 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males : 2,825,888 (1997 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 246,404 (1997 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $NA
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: NA%
Disputes - international: Iran and Iraq restored diplomatic relations in 1990 but are still trying to work out written agreements settling outstanding disputes from their eight-year war concerning border demarcation, prisoners-of-war, and freedom of navigation and sovereignty over the Shatt al Arab waterway; in November 1994, Iraq formally accepted the UN-demarcated border with Kuwait which had been spelled out in Security Council Resolutions 687 (1991), 773 (1993), and 883 (1993); this formally ends earlier claims to Kuwait and to Bubiyan and Warbah islands; dispute over water development plans by Turkey for the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers.
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