1996 Edition

Description

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

Location

33 00 N, 44 00 E -- Middle East, bordering the Persian Gulf, between Iran and Kuwait Flag ----

Area

comparative area

slightly more than twice the size of Idaho

land area

432,162 sq km

total area

437,072 sq km

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

Coastline

58 km

Environment

current issues

government water control projects have drained most of the inhabited marsh areas east of An Nasiriyah by drying up or diverting the feeder streams and rivers; a once sizable population of Shi'a Muslims, who have inhabited these areas for thousands of years, has been displaced; furthermore, the destruction of the natural habitat poses serious threats to the area's wildlife populations; inadequate supplies of potable water; development of Tigris-Euphrates Rivers system contingent upon agreements with upstream riparian Turkey; air and water pollution; soil degradation (salinization) and erosion; desertification

international agreements

party to - Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban; signed, but not ratified - Environmental Modification

natural hazards

dust storms, sandstorms, floods

Geographic coordinates

33 00 N, 44 00 E

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

Irrigated land

25,500 sq km (1989 est.)

Land boundaries

border countries

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

total

3,631 km

Land use

arable land

12%

forest and woodland

3%

meadows and pastures

9%

other

75%

permanent crops

1%

Location

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

Map references

Middle East

Maritime claims

continental shelf

not specified

territorial sea

12 nm

Natural resources

petroleum, natural gas, phosphates, sulfur

Terrain

mostly broad plains; reedy marshes along Iranian border in south; mountains along borders with Iran and Turkey

highest point

Gundah Zhur 3,608 m

lowest point

Persian Gulf 0 m

Age structure

0-14 years: 48% (male 5,179,240; female 5,014,141) 15-64 years: 49% (male 5,342,529; female 5,228,802) 65 years and over: 3% (male 307,097; female 350,483) (July 1996 est.)

Birth rate

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

Death rate

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

Ethnic divisions

Arab 75%-80%, Kurdish 15%-20%, Turkoman, Assyrian or other 5%

Infant mortality rate

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

Languages

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

Life expectancy at birth

female

68.03 years (1996 est.)

male

65.92 years

total population

66.95 years

Literacy

age 15 and over can read and write (1995 est.)

female

45%

male

70.7%

total population

58%

Nationality

adjective

Iraqi

noun

Iraqi(s)

Net migration rate

0.37 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Population

21,422,292 (July 1996 est.)

Population growth rate

3.69% (1996 est.)

Religions

Muslim 97% (Shi'a 60%-65%, Sunni 32%-37%), Christian or other 3%

Sex ratio

all ages

1.02 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

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

Total fertility rate

6.41 children born/woman (1996 est.)

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

Capital

Baghdad

Constitution

22 September 1968, effective 16 July 1970 (provisional Constitution); new constitution drafted in 1990 but not adopted

Data code

IZ

Diplomatic representation in US

none; note - Iraq has an Interest Section in the Algerian Embassy; address: Iraqi Interests Section, Algerian Embassy, 1801 P Street NW, Washington, DC 20036; telephone: [1] (202) 483-7500; FAX: [1] (202) 462-5066

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) were elected by a two-thirds majority of the Revolutionary Command Council

head of government

Prime Minister SADDAM Husayn (since NA May 1994); Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Mikhail AZIZ (since NA 1979)

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

Independence

3 October 1932 (from League of Nations mandate under British administration)

International organization participation

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

Judicial branch

Court of Cassation

Legal system

based on Islamic law in special religious courts, civil law system elsewhere; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Legislative branch

unicameral

Name of country

conventional long form

Republic of Iraq

conventional short form

Iraq

local long form

Al Jumhuriyah al Iraqiyah

local short form

Al Iraq

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

National holiday

Anniversary of the Revolution, 17 July (1968)

Other political or pressure groups

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

Political parties and leaders

Ba'th Party, SADDAM Husayn, central party leader

Revolutionary Command Council

Chairman SADDAM Husayn, Vice Chairman Izzat IBRAHIM al-Duri

cabinet

Council of Ministers

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Type of government

republic

US diplomatic representation

none; note - the US has an Interests Section in the Polish Embassy in Baghdad, which is in the Masbah Quarter (opposite the Foreign Ministry Club); address: P. O. Box 2447 Alwiyah, Baghdad; telephone: [964] (1) 719-6138, 719-6139, 718-1840, 719-3791; Telex 212287

Agriculture

wheat, barley, rice, vegetables, dates, other fruit, cotton; cattle, sheep

Budget

expenditures

$NA, including capital expenditures of $NA

revenues

$NA

Currency

1 Iraqi dinar (ID) = 1,000 fils

Economic aid

recipient

ODA, $NA

Economic 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.

Electricity

capacity

7,170,000 kW

consumption per capita

1,247 kWh (1993)

production

25.7 billion kWh

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

Exports

$NA

commodities

crude oil and refined products, fertilizer, sulfur

partners

US, Brazil, Turkey, Japan, Netherlands, Spain (1990)

External debt

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

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP

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

GDP composition by sector

agriculture

NA%

industry

NA%

services

NA%

GDP per capita

$2,000 (1995 est.)

GDP real growth rate

NA%

Imports

$NA

commodities

manufactures, food

partners

Germany, US, Turkey, France, UK (1990)

Industrial production growth rate

NA%

Industries

petroleum, chemicals, textiles, construction materials, food processing

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

NA%

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

Unemployment rate

NA%

Branches

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

Defense expenditures

$NA, NA% of GDP

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.)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 16, FM 1, shortwave 0

Radios

4.02 million (1991 est.)

Telephone system

reconstitution of damaged telecommunication facilities began after the Gulf war; most damaged facilities have been rebuilt

domestic

the network consists of coaxial cables and microwave radio relay links

international

satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean Region) and 1 Arabsat; coaxial cable and microwave radio relay to Jordan, Kuwait, Syria, and Turkey; Kuwait line is probably nonoperational

Telephones

632,000 (1987 est.)

Television broadcast stations

13

Televisions

1 million (1992 est.) Defense

Airports

total

102

with paved runways 1 524 to 2 437 m

8

with paved runways 2 438 to 3 047 m

34

with paved runways 914 to 1 523 m

6

with paved runways over 3 047 m

21

with paved runways under 914 m

16

with unpaved runways 1 524 to 2 437 m

3

with unpaved runways 2 438 to 3 047 m

3

with unpaved runways 914 to 1 523 m

9 (1995 est.)

with unpaved runways over 3 047 m

2

Heliports

5 (1995 est.)

Highways

paved

38,402 km (including 976 km of expressways)

total

45,554 km

unpaved

7,152 km (1989 est.)

Merchant marine

ships by type

cargo 14, oil tanker 16, passenger 1, passenger-cargo 1, refrigerated cargo 1, roll-on/roll-off cargo 3 (1995 est.)

total

36 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 795,346 GRT/1,432,292 DWT

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

Railways

standard gauge

2,032 km 1.435-m gauge

total

2,032 km

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