Iraq - Tourism and Travel

The Republic of Iraq is a country in Southwest Asia, in the region known as the Fertile Crescent, where some of the oldest civilizations on Earth came into being.

Iraq has an area of 30,747,000 square miles (438,317 square kilometers).

Central Iraq is located in a valley between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.

Most of the arable land in Iraq is here.

The hilly Al-Jazirah plateau lies between the Tigris and Euphrates in the north.

There are flood plains in southern Iraq, where the Tigris and Euphrates converge. Most of this region consists in of salt marshes and alluvial plains that are covered in salt. There are many salt lakes that are filled with brackish water.

For centuries, Marsh Arabs have lived in this area. In 1990s, Saddam Hussein tried to destroy the traditional lifestyle of these people by draining the region.

Hawr al Hammar, a 70 miles (110 kilometer) long lake that is surrounded by marshland, is in southern Iraq.

The Mesopotamian marshes, a wetland area that extends into Iran, are here.

The Shatt al-Arab waterway, which flows into the Persian Gulf, is located in southeastern Iraq.

Western Iraq is mostly desert.

Iraq has mild winters and hot, dry summers.

Rainfall is light and erratic.

30,747,000 people live in Iraq.

One fifth of them live in Baghdad, the capital.

80% of the population is Arab, 15% is Kurdish and 3% is Turkmen.

Arabic and Kurdish are official languages. Armenian, Assyrian and Turkic languages are also spoken.

60% of the people are Shi'a Muslim and 35% are Sunni Muslim.

Iraq's economy is based on oil, and oil is Iraq's main export.

It is a member of OPEC.

Before the Iran-Iraq War, which began in the 1980s, Iraq was the second largest exporter of oil in the world.

Iraq's economy has suffered as a result of recent wars in the region.

The official currency of Iraq is the new Iraqi dinar, which equals 1000 fils.

Iraq has a parliamentary system of government.