Iraq

Iraq

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GEOGRAPHY

Location

Middle East, bordering the Persian Gulf, between Iran and Kuwait

Area

Land Boundaries

Total 3,631 km, Iran 1,458 km, Jordan 181 km, Kuwait 242 km, Saudi Arabia 814 km, Syria 605 km, Turkey 331 km

Coastline

58 km

Maritime Claims

International Disputes

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

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
lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m
highest point: Gundah Zhur 3,608 m

Natural Resources

Land Use

Irrigated Land

25,500 sq km (1989 est)

Environment

PEOPLE

Population

21,422,292 (July 1996 est.)
20,643,769 (July 1995 est.)

Age Structure

0-14 Years

48% (male 5,179,240; female 5,014,141) (July 1996 est.)
48% (male 5,009,513; female 4,850,028) (July 1995 est.)

15-64 Years

49% (male 5,342,529; female 5,228,802) (July 1996 est.)
49% (male 5,125,191; female 5,021,710) (July 1995 est.)

65 Years and Over

3% (male 307,097; female 350,483) (July 1996 est.)
3% (male 298,537; female 338,790) (July 1995 est.)

Population Growth Rate

3.69% (1996 est.)
3.72% (1995 est.)

Birth Rate

43.07 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)
43.6 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Death Rate

6.57 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)
6.82 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Net Migration Rate

0.37 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)
0.39 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 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: 0.88 male(s)/female
all ages: 1.02 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

Infant Mortality Rate

60 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)
62.4 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)

Life Expectancy at Birth

Total Fertility Rate

6.41 children born/woman (1996 est.)
6.56 children born/woman (1995 est.)

Nationality

Ethnic Divisions

Religions

Languages

Arabic, Kurdish (official in Kurdish regions), Assyrian, Armenian

Literacy

Age 15 and over that can read and write (1995 est.)

Labor Force

4.4 million (1989)

By occupation:

Note: Severe labor shortage; expatriate labor force was about 1,600,000 (July 1990); since then, it has declined substantially

GOVERNMENT

Names

Digraph

IZ

Type

Republic

Capital

Baghdad

Administrative Divisions

18 provinces (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah); Al Anbar, Al Basrah, Al Muthanna, Al Qadisiyah, An Najaf, Arbil, As Sulaymaniyah, At Ta'mim, Babil, Baghdad, Dahuk, Dhi Qar, Diyala, Karbala', Maysan, Ninawa, Salah ad 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

Revolutionary Command Council

Chairman SADDAM Husayn, Vice Chairman Izzat IBRAHIM al-Duri

Legislative Branch

Unicameral

National Assembly (Majlis Al-Watani)

Elections last held 24 March 1996 (next to be held NA); results - percent of vote NA; seats - (250 total, 30 appointed by SADDAM Husayn to represent three northern provonces of Dahuk, Arbil, and As Sulaymaniyah)

Note: In northern Iraq, a "Kurdish Assembly" was elected in May 1992 and calls for Kurdish self-determination within a federated Iraq; the assembly is not recognized by the Baghdad government (see also seperate entry on Kurdistan)

Judicial Branch

Court of Cassation

Political Parties and Leaders

Ba'th Party

Other Political or Pressure Groups

Political parties and activity severely restricted; opposition to regime from disaffected members of the Ba'th Party, Army officers, and Shi'a religious and ethnic Kurdish dissidents; the Green Party (government-controlled)

Member of

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

National Anthem

Flag

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 Ba'thist regime 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 remain at less than 5% of the previous level. Shortages of spare parts continue. Living standards deteriorated even further in 1994 and 1995; consumer prices have more than doubled in both 1994 and 1995. 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 can 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 brief, per capita output for 1994-95 is well below the 1989-90 level, but any estimate has a wide range of error.

National Product

GDP - purchasing power parity - $41.1 billion (1995 est.)

National Product Real Growth Rate

NA

National Product Per Capita

$2,000 (1995 est.)

Inflation Rate (consumer Prices)

NA

Unemployment Rate

NA

Budget

Exports

$10.4 billion (f.o.b., 1990)

Commodities:

Partners:

Imports

$6.6 billion (c.i.f., 1990)

Commodities:

Partners:

External Debt

$50 billion (1989 est.), excluding debt of about $35 billion owed to Gulf Arab states

Industrial Production

Growth rate NA; manufacturing accounts for 10% of GNP (1989)

Electricity

Industries

Agriculture

Accounted for 11% of GNP and 30% of labor force before the Gulf war; principal products - wheat, barley, rice, vegetables, dates, other fruit, cotton, wool; livestock - cattle, sheep; not self-sufficient in food output

Economic Aid

Currency

1 Iraqi dinar (ID) = 1,000 fils

Exchange Rates

Iraqi dinars (ID) per US$1 - 3.2169 (fixed official rate since 1982); black-market rate (December 1995) US$1 = 2,900 Iraqi dinars; semi-official rate US$1 = 1,000 Iraqi dinars; (March 1995) US$1 = 1,200 Iraqi dinars; semi-official rate US$1 = 650 Iraqi dinars

Fiscal Year

Calendar year

TRANSPORTATION

Railroads

Highways

Inland 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

Umm Qasr, Khawr az Zubayr, and Al Basrah have limited functionality

Merchant Marine

Airports

Heliports

5 (1995 est.)

COMMUNICATIONS

Telephone System

632,000 telephones; reconstitution of damaged telecommunication facilities began after the Gulf war; most damaged facilities have been rebuilt

Radio

Television

DEFENSE FORCES

Branches

Army, Republican Guard and Special Republican Guard, Navy, Air Force, Air Defense Force, Border Guard Force, Internal Security Forces

Manpower Availability

Males age 15-49 4,832,001; males fit for military service 2,711,312; males reach military age (18) annually 237,843 (1996 est.)

Defense Expenditures

NA

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