Iraq
From Imakoopedia
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| Capital | Baghdad |
| Government | republic |
| Currency | Iraqi dinar (IQD) |
| Area | total: 437,072 sq km water: 4,910 sq km land: 432,162 sq km |
| Population | 25,374,691 (July 2004 est.) |
| Language | Arabic, Kurdish (official in Kurdish regions), Assyrian, Armenian |
| Religion | Muslim 97% (Shi'a 60%-65%, Sunni 32%-37%), Christian or other 3% |
| Country Calling Code | 964 |
| Internet TLD | .iq |
| Time Zone | UTC +3 |
Iraq is a country in the Middle East. It lies at the north end of the Persian Gulf and has a small (58 km) coastline in the southeast of the country. It is surrounded by Iran to the east, Kuwait to the south, Saudi Arabia to the southwest, Jordan to the west, Syria to the northwest, and Turkey to the north.
| Table of contents |
Regions
- Baghdad (بغداد)
- Salah ad Din (صلاح الدين)
- Diyala
- Wasit
- Maysan
- Al Basrah (البصرة)
- Dhi Qar (ذي قار)
- Al Muthanna
- Al Qadisyah (القادسية)
- Babil (بابل)
- Al Karbala (كربلاء)
- An Najaf (النجف)
- Al Anbar (الأنبار)
- Ninawa (نينوى)
- Dahuk (دهوك)
- Arbil (أربيل)
- At Ta'mim
- As Sulaymaniyah (السليمانية)
Cities
- Arbil (أربيل)
- Baghdad (بغداد)
- Basra (بصرى)
- Dahuk
- Fallujah
- Karbala (كربلاء)
- Kirkuk (كركوك)
- Mosul (موصل)
- Najaf (نجف)
- Nassiriya (ناصرية)
- Osiraq
- Samarra (سامراء)
- Ar Ramadi (الرمادي)
- Ar Rutba (الرطبة)
- As Sulaymaniyah (السليمانية)
- Tikrit (تكريت)
- Umm Qasr (أم قصر)
Other destinations
Understand
The area where Iraq is today was the birthplace of many of the Earth's oldest civilizations, including the Babylonians and the Assyrians. A part of the Ottoman Empire from 1534, the Treaty of Sèvres brought the area under British control in 1918. Iraq gained independence in 1932. In 1968 the socialist Ba'ath Party took control of Iraq and Saddam Hussein came to power eleven years later.
The next twenty-five years took a grinding toll in the country, with a lengthy war with neighbouring Iran and sanctions following the invasion of Kuwait in 1990. Iraq was invaded in 2003 by a coalition of forces, principally including the United States, United Kingdom, Poland and Australia, who removed the ruling regime. Sovereignty has been handed over to an appointed (not elected) government, though it is unclear how much freedom of action this new government has. So the traveller should be prepared that in various situations it may be ambigious whether the traveller will need to seek permission from the government or from the coalition.
Iraq is beset with numerous problems that make travelling risky and difficult. Since the handover of power, it has been necessary for the traveller to obtain a visa before travelling to Iraq. As yet, overseas Iraqi embassies are not issuing visas. It is rumoured that the embassy in Amman, Jordan may issue visas.
The security situation is perilous in most areas of the country, and continues to deteriorate. A process of reconstruction is now taking place in Iraq. However, underground resistance to the Coalition Forces and the new governing council means guerrilla warfare, acts of terrorism, and kidnapping of foreign workers are ongoing problems.
Get in
By plane
At present the only civilian airline serving Baghad is Royal Wings, a subsidiary of Royal Jordanian, who have flights to Amman for around US$500 each way. Another option is to take a flight to the Turkish town of Gazientep, and to take a train from there.
By train
There is a weekly train from Gazientep to Baghdad.
By car
By bus
It is possible to enter Iraq from Jordan and some other Arab countries by taking a bus from Amman.
Get around
Talk
Buy
Eat
Drink
Sleep
Learn
Work
Stay safe
Stay healthy
Respect
Contact
External links
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