| Area Total | 438,317 sq km |
| 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 that melt in early spring, sometimes causing extensive flooding in central and southern Iraq |
| Natural Resources | petroleum, natural gas, phosphates, sulfur |
| Imports | $39.47 billion (2017 est.) partners: Turkey 27.8%, China 25.7%, South Korea 4.7%, Russia 4.3% (2017) – food, medicine, manufactures |
| Government | federal parliamentary republic |
| Capital | Baghdad |
| Population | 40.2 million (July 2018 est.) |
| Ethnicity | Arab 75-80%, Kurdish 15-20%, other 5% |
| Language | Arabic (official), Kurdish (official), Turkmen (a Turkish dialect), Syriac (Neo-Aramaic), and Armenian official in areas where native speakers of these languages constitute a majority of the population |
| Exports | $61.4 billion (2017 est.) partners: India 21.2%, China 20.2%, US 15.8%, South Korea 9.4%, Greece 5.3%, Netherlands 4.8%, Italy 4.7% (2017) – crude oil 99%, crude materials excluding fuels, food, live animals |
News about Iraq
- Lebanon to receive Jordan electricity via Syria, deal signedby Via AP news wire on January 26, 2022
Lebanon has signed deals to purchase electricity from Jordan via Syria to help the small Mediterranean country deal with its crippling energy crisis
- UN: More than 50 million people affected by urban conflictsby Via AP news wire on January 26, 2022
The United Nations chief says more than 50 million people are currently affected by conflict in urban areas from Afghanistan to Libya, Syria, Yemen and beyond where they face a much higher risk of being killed or injured
- SEAL sniper accuses his ex-commander Eddie Gallagher of purposely putting soldiers in crossfireon January 25, 2022
A former SEAL who served under the disgraced and acquitted Chief Eddie Gallagher accused him of purposely putting soldiers in the crossfire and regrets not doing more to stop his disgraced commander.
- Syrian Kurdish forces free hostages amid IS prison attackby Via AP news wire on January 25, 2022
U.S.-backed Kurdish-led forces say they have freed nine of their troops held hostage by Islamic State militants leading an assault on one of the largest detention facilities in northeastern Syria
- Petition demanding Tony Blair is stripped of his knighthood approaches 500,000 signatureson January 25, 2022
The former Labour Prime Minister, the first and only person to date to lead the party to three consecutive general election victories, was the most controversial name in the Queen 's New Year Honours list.
- Iraqi who kidnapped couple begs to be deported because he's LONELY in prisonon January 24, 2022
Kazm Saed, 26, woke Graham Fuller and threatened to kill his wife Rachel with a dagger if the couple did not drive to a cashpoint on the Isle of Wight and give him £600.
- Julian Assange WINS right to appeal extradition to US in UK supreme court on January 24, 2022
Assange, 50, is wanted in America over an alleged conspiracy following WikiLeaks' publication of hundreds of thousands of leaked documents relating to the Afghanistan and Iraq wars.
- There Will Be No More Night review – chilling meditation on modern warfareby Cath Clarke on January 24, 2022
Éléonore Weber’s documentary, air-strike footage of pilots on night missions, could work well in a galleryThis hypnotic meditation on modern warfare from Éléonore Weber is an experimental cine-essay that feels closer to a gallery installation than a documentary. Watching it is a bit of a test of concentration: 75 minutes of helicopter airstrike […]
- Islamic State attacks prison in Syria and military base in Iraqby Agence France-Presse in Hasakah on January 21, 2022
‘Dozens of IS fighters’ were freed from the jail and the attacks raise fears of the terror group’s resurgenceIslamic State has attacked a Syrian prison housing its suspected members and a military base in Iraq in near-simultaneous deadly operations that have revived fears of the terror group’s resurgence.IS has yet to comment on the attacks and […]
- STEPHEN GLOVER: The Tories need to be careful before they land us with Keir Starmer on January 20, 2022
STEPHEN GLOVER: Without Boris Johnson - and, I must admit, his former chief adviser, the scheming Dominic Cummings - these Red Wall Tories wouldn't have been elected in 2019.
- Saudis hit back with deadly airstrikes in Yemen after Houthis’ UAE drone attackby Martin Chulov Middle East correspondent on January 18, 2022
Coalition announces strikes on Houthi strongholds as global leaders rally round Abu DhabiHouthi forces who control much of northern Yemen say about 20 people have died in Saudi-led coalition airstrikes on the capital, Sana’a, a day after a Houthi drone attack killed three people in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia’s coalition partner.Neighbours […]
- Tony Blair suggests he will not use 'sir' after knighthoodon January 16, 2022
Tony Blair today suggested he does not want to be called 'Sir' following his knighthood as he said he is 'perfectly happy with Tony'.
- Biden attends funeral of Beau's Army Commander then makes unscheduled stop at Harry Reid's casketon January 13, 2022
Biden reacted to General Raymond Odierno's death in October and said he was 'forever grateful for the words and the kindness' the late military commander shared at Beau's 2015 funeral.
- US warns Iran of 'severe consequences' if they take revenge with an attackon January 10, 2022
The U.S. issued a dire warning to Iran as the Islamic Republic warned of 'hard revenge' for the killing of General Qassem Soleimani at the two-year anniversary of his death.
- Knighthood for Blair? He sent my son to war without vital armouron January 10, 2022
Marion Chapman, 73, (right) said it was 'outrageous' that the former Prime Minister had been knighted, having sent hundreds of troops to war in Iraq in 2003 without vital equipment.
- Russia reacts with fury to Blinken's jab at troops in Kazakhstanon January 9, 2022
Tensions are rising between the US and Russia, after the Kremlin on Saturday slammed a comment by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken about its troops in Kazakhstan.
- Blustering Iran vows hard revenge on America from within for the killing of Soleimanion January 8, 2022
A top Iranian military official has vowed to take 'hard revenge' on the US for the drone strike killing General Qassem Soleimani two years ago.
- Ex-PM Tony Blair secretly promised George Bush he'd 'spin' the Iraq war to the world on January 7, 2022
Tony Blair (pictured) secretly promised George Bush he would lead a public relations drive to promote the Iraq War, it was revealed last night.
- Steve Bell on the legacy of the Iraq war for Julian Assange and Tony Blair – cartoonby Steve Bell on January 6, 2022
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- Statue of Iranian general Soleimani is torched hours after it was unveiled by Tehran officialson January 6, 2022
Qassem Soleimani, who headed the foreign operations arm of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, was killed on January 3, 2020 in Iraq in a US drone strike along with his Iraqi lieutenant and others.
