IRAQ
GEOGRAPHY
Total area: 434,920 km2; land area: 433,970 km2
Comparative area: slightly more than twice the size of Idaho
Land boundaries: 3,454 km total; Iran 1,458 km, Iraq - Saudi Arabia
Neutral Zone 191 km, Jordan 134 km, Kuwait 240 km, Saudi Arabia 495 km,
Syria 605 km, Turkey 331 km
Coastline: 58 km
Maritime claims:
Continental shelf: not specific;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Disputes: Iran and Iraq restored diplomatic relations on 14
October 1990 following the end of the war that began on 22 September
1980; progress had been made on the major issues of
contention--troop withdrawal, prisoner-of-war exchanges, demarcation of
the border, freedom of navigation, and sovereignty over the Shatt al Arab
waterway--but written agreements had yet to be drawn up when frictions
reemerged in March 1991 in the wake of Shia and Kurdish revolts in
Iraq that Baghdad accused Tehran of supporting; Kurdish question
among Iran, Iraq, Syria, Turkey, and the USSR; shares Neutral Zone with
Saudi Arabia--in December 1981, Iraq and Saudi Arabia signed a boundary
agreement that divides the zone between them, but the agreement must
be ratified before it becomes effective; Iraqi forces invaded and
occupied Kuwait from 2 August 1990 until 27 February 1991; in April 1991
official Iraqi acceptance of UN Security Council Resolution 687, which
demands that Iraq accept its internationally recognized border with
Kuwait, ended earlier claims to Bubiyan and Warbah Islands or to
all of Kuwait; 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: desert; mild to cool winters with dry, hot, cloudless
summers
Terrain: mostly broad plains; reedy marshes in southeast; mountains
along borders with Iran and Turkey
Land use: arable land 12%; permanent crops 1%; meadows and pastures
9%; forest and woodland 3%; other 75%; includes irrigated 4%
Environment: development of Tigris-Euphrates river systems
contingent upon agreements with upstream riparians (Syria, Turkey); air
and water pollution; soil degradation (salinization) and erosion;
desertification
PEOPLE
Population: 19,524,718 (July 1991), growth rate 3.9% (1991)
Birth rate: 46 births/1,000 population (1991)
Death rate: 7 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
Infant mortality rate: 66 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
Life expectancy at birth: 66 years male, 68 years female (1991)
Total fertility rate: 7.2 children born/woman (1991)
Nationality: noun--Iraqi(s); adjective--Iraqi
Ethnic divisions: Arab 75-80%, Kurdish 15-20%, Turkoman, Assyrian
or other 5%
Religion: Muslim 97%, (Shia 60-65%, Sunni 32-37%), Christian
or other 3%
Language: Arabic (official), Kurdish (official in Kurdish regions),
Assyrian, Armenian
Literacy: 60% (male 70%, female 49%) age 15 and over can
read and write (1990 est.)
Labor force: 4,400,000 (1989); services 48%, agriculture 30%,
industry 22%, severe labor shortage; expatriate labor force about
1,600,000 (July 1990)
Organized labor: less than 10% of the labor force
GOVERNMENT
Long-form name: Republic of Iraq
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
Tamim, 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)
Constitution: 22 September 1968, effective 16 July 1970 (interim
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
National holiday: Anniversary of the Revolution, 17 July (1968)
Executive branch: president, vice president, chairman of the
Revolutionary Command Council, vice chairman of the Revolutionary Command
Council, prime minister, first deputy prime minister, Council of
Ministers
Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly (Majlis Watani)
Judicial branch: Court of Cassation
Leaders:
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 Sadun HAMMADI (since 27 March
1991); Deputy Prime Minister Tariq AZIZ (since NA 1979);
Deputy Prime Minister Muhammad Hamza al-ZUBAYDI (since 27 March 1991)
Political parties: National Progressive Front is a coalition of the
Arab Bath Socialist Party, Kurdistan Democratic Party, and Kurdistan
Revolutionary Party
Suffrage: universal adult at age 18
Elections:
National Assembly--last held on 1 April 1989 (next to be held NA);
results--Sunni Arabs 53%, Shia Arabs 30%, Kurds 15%, Christians
2% est.; seats--(250 total) number of seats by party NA
Communists: about 1,500 hardcore members
Other political or pressure groups: political parties and activity
severely restricted; possibly some opposition to regime from disaffected
members of the regime, Army officers, and religious and ethnic dissidents
Diplomatic representation: no Iraqi representative in Washington;
Chancery at 1801 P Street NW, Washington DC 20036; telephone (202)
483-7500;
US--no US representative in Baghdad since mid-January 1991;
Embassy in Masbah Quarter (opposite the Foreign Ministry Club), Baghdad
(mailing address is 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 Bathist 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 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 actions
by an international coalition beginning in January 1991 drastically
changed the economic picture. Oil exports were cut to near zero,
and industrial and transportation facilities severely damaged.
GNP: $35 billion, per capita $1,940; real growth rate 5%
(1989 est.)
Budget: revenues $NA billion; expenditures $35 billion,
including capital expenditures of NA (1989)
Exports: $12.1 billion (f.o.b., 1989);
commodities--crude oil and refined products, fertilizer, sulfur;
partners--US, Brazil, Turkey, Japan, France, Italy, USSR (1989)
Imports: $10.3 billion (c.i.f., 1989);
commodities--manufactures, food;
partners--US, FRG, Turkey, UK, Romania, Japan, France (1989)
External debt: $40 billion (1989 est.), excluding debt to Arab
Gulf states
Industrial production: NA%; manufacturing accounts for 10% of GDP
(1987)
Electricity: 9,902,000 kW capacity; 20,000 million kWh produced,
1,110 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: petroleum, chemicals, textiles, construction materials,
food processing
Agriculture: accounts for 11% of GNP but 30% of labor
force; principal products--wheat, barley, rice, vegetables, dates, other
fruit, cotton, wool; livestock--cattle, sheep; not self-sufficient in
food output
Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-80), $3
million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments
(1970-88), $627 million; OPEC bilateral aid (1980-90), more than $30
billion; Communist countries (1970-89), $3.9 billion
Exchange rates: Iraqi dinars (ID) per US$1--0.3109 (fixed rate
since 1982)
Fiscal year: calendar year
COMMUNICATIONS
Railroads: 2,962 km total; 2,457 km 1.435-meter standard gauge,
505 km 1.000-meter gauge
Highways: 25,479 km total; 8,290 km paved, 5,534 km improved earth,
11,655 km unimproved earth
Inland waterways: 1,015 km; Shatt al Arab usually navigable by
maritime traffic for about 130 km, but closed since September 1980
because of Iran-Iraq war; Tigris and Euphrates navigable by shallow-draft
steamers (of little importance); Shatt al Basrah canal navigable in
sections by shallow-draft vessels
Ports: Umm Qasr, Khawr az Zubayr, Al Basrah
Merchant marine: 43 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 944,253
GRT/1,691,368 DWT; includes 1 passenger, 1 passenger-cargo, 17 cargo,
1 refrigerated cargo, 3 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 19 petroleum, oils, and
lubricants (POL) tanker, 1 chemical tanker; note--since the 2 August 1990
invasion of Kuwait by Iraqi forces, Iraq has sought to register at least
part of its merchant fleet under convenience flags; none of the Iraqi
flag merchant fleet was trading internationally as of 1 January 1991
Pipelines: crude oil, 4,350 km; 725 km refined products; 1,360 km
natural gas
Civil air: 64 major transport aircraft (including 30 IL-76s
used by the Iraq Air Force)
Airports: 111 total, 102 usable; 73 with permanent-surface runways;
9 with runways over 3,659 m; 52 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 15 with
runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: good network consists of coaxial cables, radio
relay links, and radiocommunication stations; 632,000 telephones;
stations--9 AM, 1 FM, 81 TV; satellite earth stations--1 Atlantic Ocean
INTELSAT, 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT, 1 GORIZONT Atlantic Ocean in the
Intersputnik system; coaxial cable and radio relay to Kuwait, Jordan,
Syria, and Turkey
DEFENSE FORCES
Branches: Army and Republican Guard, Navy, Air Force,
Border Guard Force, Internal Security Forces
Manpower availability: males 15-49, 4,270,592; 2,380,439 fit for
military service; 228,277 reach military age (18) annually
