Iraq

Introduction & Quick Facts
Land
- Relief
  - Alluvial plains
  - Al-Jazīrah
  - Deserts
  - The northeast
- Drainage
  - The Tigris-Euphrates river system
  - Irrigation and canals
- Soils
- Climate
- Plant and animal life
People
- Ethnic groups
  - Arabs
  - Kurds
  - Other minorities
- Languages
- Religion
  - Sunnis
  - The Shiʿah
  - Religious minorities
- Settlement patterns
  - Rural settlement
  - Urban settlement
    - Baghdad
    - Regional centres
- Demographic trends
Economy
- Overview
  - Economic development
  - State control
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing
- Resources and power
  - Petroleum and natural gas
  - Oil pipelines
  - Other minerals and energy
- Manufacturing
- Finance
- Trade
- Services
- Labour and taxation
- Transportation and telecommunications
Government and society
- Constitutional framework
- Local government
- Justice
- Political process
- Security
- Health and welfare
- Housing
- Education
Cultural life
- Cultural milieu
- Daily life and social customs
- The arts
- Cultural institutions
- Sports and recreation
- Media and publishing
History
- Iraq from c. 600 to 1055
  - The Arab conquest and the early Islamic period
  - The Abbasid Caliphate
  - The Buyid period (932–1062)
- Iraq from 1055 to 1534
  - The Seljuqs (1055–1152)
  - The later Abbasids (1152–1258)
  - The Mongol Il-Khans (1258–1335)
  - Il-Khanid successors (1335–1410)
  - The Turkmen (1410–1508)
  - The Safavids (1508–34)
- Ottoman Iraq (1534–1918)
  - The 16th-century conquest of Iraq and the regime imposed by Süleyman I
  - The local despotisms in the 17th century
  - The 18th-century Mamluk regime
  - The fall of the Mamluks and the consolidation of British interests
  - Mid-19th-century Ottoman reforms
  - The governorship of Midhat Paşa
  - The end of Ottoman rule
- Iraq until the 1958 revolution
  - British occupation and the mandatory regime
  - Independence, 1932–39
  - World War II and British intervention, 1939–45
  - Postwar reconstruction and social upheavals, 1945–58
- The Republic of Iraq
  - The 1958 revolution and its aftermath
    - Recurrence of military coups, 1963–68
    - Iraqi foreign policy, 1958–68
  - The revolution of 1968
    - The second Baʿath government
    - The revolution of 1968
    - Foreign policy 1968–80
    - Economic development to 1980
  - Iraq under Saddam Hussein
    - The Iran-Iraq War
    - Postwar policies
    - The Persian Gulf War
      Causes
      The invasion
    - The UN embargo and oil-for-food program
  - The Iraq War (2003–11) and its aftermath
    - Post-9/11 tension and the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq
    - Rocky transition to civilian government
    - U.S. withdrawal and the rise of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL)
      Second term of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and sectarian polarization
      Fight against ISIL
  - Postwar Iraq
    - 2018 parliamentary elections and the premiership of Adel Abdul Mahdi
    - Tishreen Movement: protests in 2019–20 against corruption and foreign interference
    - Premiership of Mustafa al-Kadhimi

References & Edit History Facts & Stats

Images

Political map of Iraq showing its international boundaries with Turkey, Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Syria. Major cities such as Baghdad, Mosul, Basra, and Erbil are labeled, along with rivers and key towns. An inset locator map highlights Iraq's position within the Middle East.

Map highlighting Iraq in the Middle East, shaded in tan, with its capital Baghdad marked. Surrounding countries including Turkey, Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Syria, and others are labeled, along with major bodies of water such as the Persian Gulf, Caspian Sea, and Arabian Sea.

Physical map of Iraq highlighting major rivers such as the Tigris and Euphrates, key lakes, mountain ranges, and deserts within the country's borders. Neighboring countries including Turkey, Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Syria are shown. An inset locator map in the bottom left corner indicates Iraq's position within the Middle East.

dhows in the Shatt al-Arab, Iraq

Euphrates River at Khān al-Baghdādī, Iraq

Tigris River in Baghdad

marshland in southern Iraq

Iraq: Ethnic composition

At a Glance

default image

Iraq: Media

country, Asia

Images

flag of Iraq

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Political map of Iraq showing its international boundaries with Turkey, Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Syria. Major cities such as Baghdad, Mosul, Basra, and Erbil are labeled, along with rivers and key towns. An inset locator map highlights Iraq's position within the Middle East.

Iraq

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Map highlighting Iraq in the Middle East, shaded in tan, with its capital Baghdad marked. Surrounding countries including Turkey, Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Syria, and others are labeled, along with major bodies of water such as the Persian Gulf, Caspian Sea, and Arabian Sea.

Iraq

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Physical map of Iraq highlighting major rivers such as the Tigris and Euphrates, key lakes, mountain ranges, and deserts within the country's borders. Neighboring countries including Turkey, Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Syria are shown. An inset locator map in the bottom left corner indicates Iraq's position within the Middle East.

physical features of Iraq

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

dhows in the Shatt al-Arab, Iraq

dhows in the Shatt al-Arab, Iraq

Dhows anchored in the Shatt al-Arab, Iraq.

Diane Rawson/Photo Researchers

Euphrates River at Khān al-Baghdādī, Iraq

Euphrates River at Khān al-Baghdādī, Iraq

The Euphrates River at Khān al-Baghdādī, on the edge of Al-Jazīrah plateau in north-central...

© Nik Wheeler

Tigris River in Baghdad

Tigris River in Baghdad

The Tigris River flowing through Baghdad.

robertharding/Alamy

marshland in southern Iraq

marshland in southern Iraq

Wild pigs roam in the marshland between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in southern...

© Nik Wheeler

Kurdish settlement in southwestern Asia

Kurdish settlement in southwestern Asia

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

The citadel mound in Irbil, Iraq, with large tan fortress walls and buildings atop a hill, and people sitting and walking in a plaza with benches and a blue umbrella in the foreground.

citadel at Erbil, Iraq

The citadel mound, Erbil, Iraq.

© Stephen A. Rohan/Shutterstock.com

Ruṣāfah and Al-Karkh districts of Baghdad

Ruṣāfah and Al-Karkh districts of Baghdad

Central Baghdad, Iraq, seen from the Ruṣāfah district looking south toward Al-Karkh...

Steve McCurry/Magnum Photos

The Persian Gulf War

The Persian Gulf War

Remains of an Iraqi convoy near Kuwait city, Kuwait, during the Persian Gulf War.

Tech. Sgt. Joe Coleman/U.S. Air Force

removal of a statue of Saddam Hussein in Baghdad

removal of a statue of Saddam Hussein in Baghdad

Iraqi civilians in a car dragging a statue of Saddam Hussein down the streets of...

Department of Defense

Persian Gulf War

Persian Gulf War

Remains of a facility used for Iraq's clandestine nuclear weapons program. The International...

© IAEA Action Team

Thematic map showing the Arabian-Iranian basin region highlighted in purple, spanning parts of Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Oman, Jordan, and Syria. Major oil fields, including supergiant fields such as Al-Ghawar, Kirkuk, and Ahvaz, are marked with black shapes within the basin. Major water bodies like the Persian Gulf, Red Sea, Gulf of Oman, and Caspian Sea are labeled.

Arabian-Iranian basin oil fields

Major oil fields of the Arabian-Iranian basin region.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

National flag of Iraq, 2004 to 2008.

National flag of Iraq, 2004 to 2008.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

National flag of Iraq, 1991 to 2004.

National flag of Iraq, 1991 to 2004.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

National flag of Iraq proposed by the Iraqi Governing Council, 2004.

National flag of Iraq proposed by the Iraqi Governing Council, 2004.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Iraq

Iraq

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Audio

National anthem of Iraq

The instrumental version of the national anthem of Iraq.

Interactives

Iraq: Ethnic composition

Iraq: Ethnic composition

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Iraq: Religious affiliation

Iraq: Religious affiliation

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Iraq: Urban-rural

Iraq: Urban-rural

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Iraq: Age breakdown

Iraq: Age breakdown

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Iraq: Major import sources

Iraq: Major import sources

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Iraq: Major export destinations

Iraq: Major export destinations

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

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