In this story: Iraq

Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. The capital and largest city is Baghdad. Iraq is home to various ethnic groups including Arabs, Kurds, Turkmens, Assyrians, Yazidis, Shabakis, Armenians, Mandaeans, Circassians, Sabians, and Kawliya. About 99% of the country’s 38 million citizens are Muslims, with small minorities of Christians, Yarsans, Yezidis and Mandeans also present. The official languages ​​of Iraq are Arabic and Kurdish.

Iraq has a coastline measuring 58 km (36 miles) on the northern Persian Gulf and encompasses the Mesopotamian alluvial plain, the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, and the eastern part of the Syrian Desert. Two major rivers, the Tigris and the Euphrates, flow southward through Iraq and empty into the Shatt al-Arab near the Persian Gulf. These rivers provide Iraq with significant amounts of fertile land. The region between the Tigris and Euphrates, historically known as Mesopotamia, is often referred to as the cradle of civilization.

Iraq is a federal parliamentary republic made up of 19 governorates, four of which constitute the autonomous region of Kurdistan. Disputes over the sovereignty of the Kurdistan region continue.

Iraq is a founding member of the UN as well as the Arab League, the OIC, the Non-Aligned Movement and the IMF.

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