Iraq




                                 Geography


Location:
     Middle East, between Iran and Saudi Arabia
Map references:
     Middle East, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
     437,072 sq km
land area:
     432,162 sq km
comparative area:
     slightly more than twice the size of Idaho
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:
continental shelf:
     not specified
territorial sea:
     12 nm
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 April 1991 official Iraqi acceptance of UN
     Security Council Resolution 687, which demands that Iraq accept the
     inviolability of the boundary set forth in its 1963 agreement with
     Kuwait, ending earlier claims to Bubiyan and Warbah islands or to all
     of Kuwait; the 20 May 1993 final report of the UN Iraq/Kuwait Boundary
     Demarcation Commission was welcomed by the Security Council in
     Resolution 833 of 27 May 1993, which also reaffirmed that the
     decisions of the commission on the boundary were final, bringing to a
     completion the official demarcation of the Iraq-Kuwait boundary; Iraqi
     officials still refuse to unconditionally recognize Kuwaiti
     sovereignty or the inviolability of the UN demarcated border; periodic
     disputes with upstream riparian Syria over Euphrates water rights;
     potential 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;
     northernmost regions along Iranian and Turkish borders experience cold
     winters with occasionally heavy snows
Terrain:
     mostly broad plains; reedy marshes in southeast; mountains along
     borders with Iran and Turkey
Natural resources:
     petroleum, natural gas, phosphates, sulfur
Land use:
arable land:
     12%




permanent crops:
     1%
meadows and pastures:
     9%
forest and woodland:
     3%
other:
     75%
Irrigated land:
     25,500 sq km (1989 est)
Environment:
current issues:
     government water control projects drain inhabited marsh areas, drying
     up or diverting the streams and rivers that support a sizable
     population of Shi'a Muslims who have inhabited these areas for
     thousands of years; the destruction of the natural habitat also poses
     serious threats to the wildlife populations; damage to water treatment
     and sewage facilities during Gulf war; inadequate supplies of potable
     water; development of Tigris-Euphrates Rivers system contingent upon
     agreements with upstream riparians (Syria, Turkey); air and water
     pollution; soil degradation (salinization) and erosion;
     desertification
natural hazards:
     NA
international agreements:
     party to - Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban; signed, but not ratified
     - Environmental Modification


                                  People


Population:
     19,889,666 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
     3.73% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
     44.11 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
     7.26 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
     0.4 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
     67.1 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
     65.74 years
male:
     64.87 years
female:
     66.66 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
     6.71 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
     Iraqi(s)




adjective:
     Iraqi
Ethnic divisions:
     Arab 75-80%, Kurdish 15-20%, Turkoman, Assyrian or other 5%
Religions:
     Muslim 97% (Shi'a 60-65%, Sunni 32-37%), Christian or other 3%
Languages:
     Arabic, Kurdish (official in Kurdish regions), Assyrian, Armenian
Literacy:
     age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
total population:
     60%
male:
     70%
female:
     49%
Labor force:
     4.4 million (1989)
by occupation:
     services 48%, agriculture 30%, industry 22%
note:
     severe labor shortage; expatriate labor force was about 1,600,000
     (July 1990); since then, it has declined substantially


                                Government


Names:
conventional long form:
     Republic of Iraq
conventional short form:
local long form:
     Al Jumhuriyah al Iraqiyah
local short form:
     Al Iraq
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:
chief of state:
     President SADDAM Husayn (since 16 July 1979); Vice President Taha
     Muhyi al-Din MARUF (since 21 April 1974); Vice President Taha Yasin
     RAMADAN (since 23 March 1991)
head of government:
     Prime Minister Ahmad Husayn Khudayir al-SAMARRAI (since 5 September
     1993); Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Mikhail AZIZ (since NA 1979)
Revolutionary Command Council:
     Chairman SADDAM Husayn, Vice Chairman Izzat IBRAHIM al-Duri
cabinet:
     Council of Ministers
Legislative branch:
     unicameral
National Assembly (Majlis al-Watani):
     elections last held on 1 April 1989 (next to be held NA); results -
     Sunni Arabs 53%, Shi'a Arabs 30%, Kurds 15%, Christians 2% est.; seats
     - (250 total) number of seats by party NA
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
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 Baath 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, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT,
     INTERPOL, IOC, ISO, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPEC, PCA, UN,
     UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
     Iraq has an Interest Section in the Algerian Embassy in Washington, DC
chancery:
     Iraqi Interests Section, 1801 P Street NW, Washington, DC 20036
telephone:
     (202) 483-7500
FAX:
     (202) 462-5066
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
     (vacant); note - operations have been temporarily suspended; a US
     Interests Section is located in Poland's embassy in Baghdad




embassy:
     Masbah Quarter (opposite the Foreign Ministry Club), Baghdad
mailing address:
     P. O. Box 2447 Alwiyah, Baghdad
telephone:
     [964] (1) 719-6138 or 719-6139, 718-1840, 719-3791
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. 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 suffered severe damage and
     have been only partially restored. Oil exports remain at less than 10%
     of the previous level. Shortages of spare parts continue. Living
     standards deteriorated even further in 1993 and early 1994; consumer
     prices at least tripled in 1993. The UN-sponsored economic embargo has
     reduced exports and imports and has contributed to the sharp rise in
     prices. 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
     in 1993-94 is far below the 1989-90 level, but no precise estimate is
     available.
National product:
     GNP - purchasing power equivalent - $38 billion (1993 est.)
National product real growth rate:
     NA%
National product per capita:
     $2,000 (1993 est.)




Inflation rate (consumer prices):
     200% (1993 est.)
Unemployment rate:
     NA%
Budget:
revenues:
     $NA
expenditures:
     $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA
Exports:
     $10.4 billion (f.o.b., 1990)
commodities:
     crude oil and refined products, fertilizer, sulfur
partners:
     US, Brazil, Turkey, Japan, Netherlands, Spain (1990)
Imports:
     $6.6 billion (c.i.f., 1990)
commodities:
     manufactures, food
partners:
     Germany, US, Turkey, France, UK (1990)
External debt:
     $45 billion (1989 est.), excluding debt of about $35 billion owed to
     Arab Gulf states
Industrial production:
     growth rate NA%; manufacturing accounts for 10% of GNP (1989)
Electricity:
capacity:
     7,300,000 kW available out of 9,902,000 kW due to Gulf war
production:
     12.9 billion kWh
consumption per capita:
     700 kWh (1992)
Industries:
     petroleum production and refining, chemicals, textiles, construction
     materials, food processing
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:
recipient:
     US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-80), $3 million; Western
     (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $647
     million; Communist countries (1970-89), $3.9 billion
Currency:
     1 Iraqi dinar (ID) = 1,000 fils
Exchange rates:
     Iraqi dinars (ID) per US$1 - 3.2 (fixed official rate since 1982);
     black-market rate (May 1994) US$1 = 370 Iraqi dinars
Fiscal year:
     calendar year




                              Communications


Railroads:
     2,457 km 1.435-meter standard gauge
Highways:
total:
     34,700 km
paved:
     17,500 km
unpaved:
     improved earth 5,500 km; unimproved earth 11,700 km
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 reopened in November 1993; Khawr az Zubayr and Al Basrah have
     been closed since 1980
Merchant marine:
     37 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 805,205 GRT/1,444,810 DWT, cargo
     15, oil tanker 16, passenger 1, passenger-cargo 1, refrigerated cargo
     1, roll-on/roll-off cargo 3
note:
     none of the Iraqi flag merchant fleet was trading internationally as
     of 1 January 1993
Airports:
total:
     118
usable:
     105
with permanent-surface runways:
     76
with runways over 3,659 m:
     10
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
     51
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
     17
Telecommunications:
     reconstitution of damaged telecommunication facilities began after
     Desert Storm, most damaged facilities have been rebuilt; the network
     consists of coaxial cables and microwave radio relay links; 632,000
     telephones; broadcast stations - 16 AM, 1 FM, 13 TV; satellite earth
     stations - 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT, 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT, 1
     Atlantic Ocean GORIZONT in the Intersputnik system and 1 ARABSAT;
     coaxial cable and microwave radio relay to Jordan, Kuwait, Syria, and
     Turkey, Kuwait line is probably non-operational


                              Defense Forces




Branches:
     Army and Republican Guard, Navy, Air Force, Air Defense Force, Border
     Guard Force, Internal Security Forces
Manpower availability:
     males age 15-49 4,428,193; fit for military service 2,487,319; reach
     military age (18) annually 219,641 (1994 est.)
Defense expenditures:
     $NA, NA% of GNP