Here are some interesting facts about Iraq and its government, population, history, and war:
1 It is a country in the Middle East, bordering Turkey to the north, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait to the south, Iran to the east, Syria to the west, Jordan to the southwest and with a limited access to the Persian Gulf. With an area of 169,234 square miles, it is the 50th-largest country in the world.
2 Two important rivers, the Euphrates and Tigris, run south through the middle of the country and flow into the Shatt al-Arab close to the Persian Gulf.
3 After the defeat of the Turkish Empire during World War I, Great Britain gains complete control of these lands, and sets up a functional government and renames the country ”Iraq.”
4 Baghdad, covering a total area of 872.7 square miles, is the capital and largest city in this country. Located along the Tigris river, this city is approximately 300 miles from the southern, northern, and western borders of the country, and it was founded in the eighth century.
5 Baghdad became an amazing capital city of the Abbasid Caliphate (the 3rd of the Islamic caliphates to succeed Muhammad) and, during the High Middle Ages, it was called the largest city in the world.
6 While Europe was suffering during the Dark Ages, this remarkable city was known as one of the most intellectual and wealthiest civilizations in the world, plus, it had a spirited culture.
7 The capital city has many well-equipped clinics, hospitals, and dispensaries and presently, has the best health-care facilities in this country.
8 This country is frequently named ”the cradle of civilization” or ”the land between the rivers.” Actually, Mesopotamia, that is now Iraq, was the cradle of civilization due to the fact that Mesopotamia was one of the 1st places on the planet where people began living in one place together.
9 These lands were home to many different empires, such as – Assyrian, Akkadian, Sumerian, and Babylonian.
10 Epic of Gilgamesh, preserved on clay tablets and the world’s first written story, was written here.
11 Saddam Hussein, president of this country for more than 2 decades, took over as the President in 1979. Furthermore, in March 1988, he ordered a chemical attack on Kurds, killing 5,000 people.
12 This country is sitting atop more than 110 billion barrels of crude oil and is believed to be the 2nd-largest reserve in the world.
13 March 20, 2003 marks the onset of the Iraq war. This war occurred as a result of the country’s possession of weapons of mass destruction, like – biological, chemical, nuclear-based weapons.
14 Approximately 10 million individuals protested against this war in February of 2003, making it the biggest protest in history.
15 This was followed by numerous air strikes directed against military and government installations. More than 300,000 coalition troops were sent to this region: about 45,000 British, 255,000 U.S., 200 Polish, and 2,000 Australian.
16 The invasion, nicknamed by the British ”Operation Telic,” started with an attack on the Al-Faw peninsula to secure important ports and oil fields and air strikes on the capital city.
17 The president Saddam Hussein was hanged on December 30, 2006, for crimes against humanity. During his trial, he had to be hospitalized because he was suffering from severe malnutrition due to a hunger strike.
18 After violence started to decline in 2007, the US slowly reduced its military presence in this country. Nevertheless, in 2014 the United States came again in this country as the head of a new coalition because of the presence of civil armed rebellions and conflicts.
19 Both sides suffered severe human life and financial losses by the time this war officially ended in December 2011. 20 percent of wounded U.S soldiers had serious spinal or brain injuries.
20 The conflict in this land has caused an estimated 1.8 million Iraqis to flee their homes. The total number of civilians which have been killed since the start of the war is approximately 187,720.
21 It was the 1st war which was heavily televised. For example, there were live bombings on TV and showings of the front lines by the news media.
23 Starting 1997, more than 13 million metric tons of food have arrived in the country.
24 A natural gas vent in the country has been burning continuously for over 4,000 years and is known as ”The Eternal Fire,” plus, it is mentioned by Plutarch, Herodotus, and in the Old Testament’s Book of Daniel.
25 The official languages of the country are Kurdish and Arabic, however, Assyrian, Turkoman, and Armenian are also spoken in these lands.
26 The national flag is composed of 3 colored, horizontal sections, starting with red on the top, white, and black.
27 It has a population of 36.42 million (2015) and consists of Sunni Muslims (35%), Shiite Muslims (60%), and Christians (5%). The majority of the population lives in an alluvial plain from the southeast from Basrah and Baghdad to the Persian Gulf.
28 The national music is called maqam, with at least 400-hundred years old tradition and is based on Arabic poetry.