The Republic of Iraq is in West Asia, with a short coastline on the northern Persian Gulf. Surrounding nations include Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and Turkey. Its larger border is with Iran, to the east.
Its capital city is Baghdad, the largest city in Iraq, by population, and the second largest in the Arab world. Founded in the 8th century, Baghdad is situated along the Tigris River.
Most of the region that is now Iraq was once part of Mesopotamia, the cradle of human civilization. It was here, with the Sumerian civilization, that the first system of writing was devised, allowing for recorded history. The Sumerians invented the wheel, built city-states, and were the first to record knowledge of astrology, astronomy, mathematics, law, medicine, and organized religion.
Since 6000 BC, Iraq was the center of the Akkadian, Sumerian, Assyrian, and Babylonian empires, and part of the Median, Achaemenid, Hellenistic, Parthian, Sassanid, Roman Rashidun, Umayyad, Abbasid, Ayyubid, Mongol, Safavid, Afsharid, and Ottoman empires.
The current borders of Iraq were devised by the League of Nations after the Ottoman Empire was divided after World War I, and Iraq was put under the control of the United Kingdom. It was at that time that it became known as Iraq. Britain began a policy of appointing minority Sunni Arabs to ministry positions in Iraq, a policy that carried over after Britain granted independence to Iraq in 1932. In preparation for withdrawing from Iraq, Britain appointed the former Syrian king, who had found refuge in the UK after bring deposed in 1920, as king of Iraq in 1921. King Faisal's power base was among the Sunni population.
Although the majority, the Shiites in Iraq had been marginalized, were poorer and had less education than the Sunnis. Positions of government were largely controlled by Sunnis.
King Faisal died not long after rising to the throne. Although the official cause of death was a heart attack, there were suspicions of arsenic poisoning. He was succeeded by his son, King Ghazi, who proved to be a weak king and one who was undermined by attempted military coups until his own death in 1939. King Ghazi was succeeded by his underage son, Faisal II. In 1941, the government was overthrown in a coup.
Afraid the new government would cut oil supplies to the West, the United Kingdom occupied the country militarily until 1947, returning the government to King Faisal II.< In 1958, King Faisal was executed in a military coup at the age of twenty-three, ending the monarchy in Iraq.
Iraq was ruled by military leaders until 1968 when the government was overthrown by the Ba'ath Party. Soon afterward, Saddam Hussein rose to the presidency. In 1980, while Iran was involved in the Iranian Revolution, Hussein declared war on Iran, beginning the Iran-Iraq War. Iraq captured some territories in southwestern Iran, but Iran soon recaptured them and was on the offensive for the next six years. The war ended in a stalemate in 1988, after the deaths of more than a million people. Iraq was accused of using chemical weapons against Iranians during the war and, in the final stages of the war, of waging a genocidal campaign against the Iraqi Kurds.
In 1990, Iraq invaded Kuwait, resulting in military intervention by the United States, in what became the First Gulf War. In 2003, the US again invaded Iraq, due to unproven accusations that Saddam Hussein had retained a cache of weapons of mass destruction. In 2006, Saddam Hussein was captured by Iraqi forces allied with US interests, sentenced to death and hanged.
Currently, the United States still has a military presence in Iraq but the country is ruled by an elected government, in the form of a federal parliamentary republic, which is Islamic in nature.
The population of Iraq is approximately 99% Muslim, the majority Shia, with about 40% of the population being Sunni. Christians have resided in the region since shortly after Christianity began, but they presently account for less than 1% of the population. Most Iraqi Christians fled the country in the last couple of decades, although some are returning to their traditional homeland in the Kurdish autonomous region of Iraq.
As many as two million Iraqis have fled the country since Iraq was invaded in 2003, the majority taking refuge in Syria or Jordan. In the face of the Syrian civil war, an increasing number of Iraqis have returned to Iraq.
Education in Iraq is mandatory through the sixth grade, after which the results of a national examination determines whether a student is qualified to continue to the upper grades. Generally, Iraqi boys and girls attend the same school up until the sixth grade, but upper levels are segregated by sex.
Topics related to Iraq, or representing businesses or other entities in Iraq, are appropriate for this category.
Recommended Resources
Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq
Maintained as an archive of sanctions-related documents and other materials, the site is hosted by the Iraq Analysis Group, the site was created by CASI in order to increase awareness of the consequences of sanctions on the country, campaigning for the lifting of sanctions on humanitarian grounds; a result that was met in May of 2003, at which time the site’s content became an archive of the organization’s work.
http://www.casi.org.uk/
Although the site has not been maintained since 2008, the Iraq Analysis Group existed to advocate for policies that recognized the responsibility for the well-being of the Iraqi people that was put on the United Kingdom because of its invasion of their country. Active from 2004 to 2008, the site offers reports on mortality in Iraq, the costs of war, and an overview of topics such as human rights, Iraqi politics, and history.
http://www.iraqanalysis.org/
Funded largely through donations and grants, IBC records statistics on the violent deaths have resulted from the 2003 military intervention in Iraq, featuring a database that includes civilian deaths caused by the US-led coalition, Iraqi government forces. paramilitary acts, and criminal attacks by others. Apart from the numerical and graphical statistics, the site offers analysis of the numbers and an introduction to the organization.
https://www.iraqbodycount.org/
Launched in 2010, the site offers business and industry news from Iraq and other topics related to the economic development of the country, such as the oil industry, infrastructure, and economy, offering tenders, job opportunities, stocks market reports, and events. Subscriptions are available, along with advertising options, and a web directory of Iraqi businesses, industries, services, schools, and healthcare facilities.
http://www.iraq-businessnews.com/
Created by Iraqis as the Free Iraq Foundation in 1991, the independent organization is unaffiliated with any political party, religion, or ethnicity, and was designed for the promotion of democracy and human rights in Iraq. Its mission and goals, history, office locations, hours, and contacts are set forth, and its leadership is acknowledged. Project reports and employment opportunities are posted to the site.
http://www.iraqfoundation.org/
Officially known as the Historic Buildings, Religious Shrines, and Monuments Commission for Iraq, the non-departmental public body was created in 2013 to identify, preserve, and restore archaeological discoveries and heritage sites, preserving future heritage sites, and incorporating Iraqi heritage into the country’s educational system. Its heritage protection and planning programs, membership policies, and timeline are set forth.
http://www.iraqheritage.org/
The news site specializes in stories about Iraq’s oil and energy resources, security concerns, and political situation. Oil production dominates the site’s news about energy, offering reports from the various oil companies engaged in Iraq. Interviews with corporate officers associated with oil drilling companies and political ministries responsible for the regulation of the energy industries are included, along with research data.
https://www.iraqoilreport.com/
The national carrier of Iraq is headquartered at the Baghdad International Airport and the oldest airline in the Middle East. Founded in 1945, the airline operates domestic and regional air services. Its destinations, flight schedules, and travel packages are published to the site, with information about its passenger care and cargo services. Flights may be booked online, and arrivals and departures may be viewed online.
http://iraqiairways.com.iq/
Iraqi Civil Aviation Authority
The ICAA is the government agency responsible for coordinating with other Iraq agencies for the development and coordination of matters related to the International Civil Aviation Organization. Aviation carrier operation requirements are posted, along with regulatory information, permissions, and forms. Iraqi airports are identified, and air safety data, AIS publications, and contacts.
http://www.iraqcaa.com/
Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Responsible for conducting the foreign affairs of the Republic of Iraq, the Minister, Undersecretaries, departments, and ambassadors are acknowledged, along with laws pertaining to the Ministry, a list of previous MOFA ministers, consular services, administrative offices, and contacts. The Ministry’s strategic objectives, goals, and functions are included, and news archives are posted to the site.
http://www.mofa.gov.iq/en/
Published since 2003, Iraqi News is an English-language online news service covering Iraqi and Middle Eastern events. Although the site shows a Bahrain address, it bills itself as Iraq’s first independent digital news service, and its site focuses on Iraqi news, although covering the surrounding regions as well. News, business and economy, politics, security, and ISIS are major topics.
https://www.iraqinews.com/
The nation of Iraq has the third largest petroleum reserves in the world, and Shell Oil has been a part of the country’s oil industry since 1927. Shell’s interests in Iraq and worldwide are featured, and its industrial lubricants are introduced, along with its energy and innovation products and programs, deep-water drilling operations, technology challenges, and a discussion of the future of energy, sustainability, and employment opportunities.
https://www.shell.iq/
US Embassy & Consulates in Iraq
Situated in Baghdad, the embassy and consulate offices in Iraq offer a variety of services to American in Iraq, such as visa and passport services, emergency notifications, and travel information, while offering assistance to Iraqis wishing to emigrate to Germany, to study in Germany, do business in Germany, or to learn to speak German. Its location, hours of operation, and contacts are posted.
https://iq.usembassy.gov/
