Iraq, a triangle of mountains, desert, and fertile river valley, is bounded on the east by Iran, on the north by Turkey, on the west by Syria and Jordan, and on the south by Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. It is twice the size of Idaho. The country has arid desert land west of the Euphrates, a broad central valley between the Euphrates and the Tigris, and mountains in the northeast.
Country lead by President: Jalal Talabani (2005)
Prime Minister: Ibrahim al-Jaafari (2005)
Population
26,783,383 (growth rate: 2.7%); birth rate: 32.0/1000; infant mortality rate: 48.6/1000; life expectancy: 69.0; density per sq mi: 160
Land Area
167,556 sq mi (433,970 sq km)
Monetary unit
U.S. dollar Language
Arabic (official), Kurdish (official in Kurdish regions), Assyrian, Armenian
Ethnicity Arab 75%–80%, Kurdish 15%–20%, Turkoman, Assyrian, or other 5%
Religion Arab 75%–80%, Kurdish 15%–20%, Turkoman, Assyrian, or other 5%
Transportation Railways: total: 2,200 km (2004). Highways: total: 45,550 km; paved: 38,399 km; unpaved: 7,151 km (1999). Waterways: 5,275 km (not all navigable); note: Euphrates River (2,815 km), Tigris River (1,895 km), and Third River (565 km) are principal waterways (2004). Ports and harbors: Al Basrah, Khawr az Zubayr, Umm Qasr. Airports: 111; note - unknown number were damaged during the March-April 2003 war (2004 est.).
