Iraq

officially the Republic of Iraq (جمهورية العراق Ǧumhūriyyat l-ʿIrāq, Kurdish: كؤماری عێراق, Komara Îraqê is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert.

Iraq is bordered by Jordan to the west, Syria to the northwest, Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, and Kuwait and Saudi Arabia to the south.

Historically, Iraq was known in Europe by the Greek toponym 'Mesopotamia' (Land between the rivers). Iraq has been home to continuous successive civilizations since the 6th millennium BC.

Iraq was ruled by Saddam Hussein and the Ba’ath Party.

On March 7, 2010, Iraq held a second round of national elections to choose the members of the Council of Representatives and, in turn, the executive branch of government.

Iraq is bordered by Kuwait, Iran, Turkey, Syria, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia. The country slopes from mountains over 3,000 meters (10,000 ft.) above sea level along the border with Iran and Turkey to the remnants of sea-level marshes in the southeast.

For most of the last decade, Iraq occupied center stage in the Arab world, as it was swiftly invaded and occupied by American forces in 2003 before being wracked by the insurgency that sprang up in opposition and then by waves of sectarian killing that grew into something close

keep a contingency force in Iraq after the scheduled withdrawal has been met with paralysis in the government. Mr. Maliki and his main rival, Ayad Allawi, refuse to speak to each other despite signing on to an American-backed power sharing agreement.

The one kind of turmoil Iraq has seen little of is the pro-democracy movement that sprang to life in early 2011 across the region, the so-called Arab spring.

Formerly part of the Ottoman Empire, Iraq was occupied by Britain during the course of World War I; in 1920, it was declared a League of Nations mandate under UK administration. In stages over the next dozen years, Iraq attained its independence as a kingdom in 1932.

In August 1990, Iraq seized Kuwait but was expelled by US-led, UN coalition forces during the Gulf War of January-February 1991.

Continued Iraqi noncompliance with UNSC resolutions over a period of 12 years led to the US-led invasion of Iraq in March 2003 and the ouster of the SADDAM Husayn regime.

Iraq war logs provide us with a unique picture of every death in Iraq.

An Iraqi man cries over the body of his daughter Suad Abdullah, 14, in Falluja in April 2004 Leaked Pentagon files contain records of more than 100,000 fatalities including 66,000 civilians Most recent -

Iraq rocket attack kills three American soldiers 30 Jun 2011: Fifteen US troops killed in June, the highest toll in two years, with latest strike blamed on Iranian-backed militia *

invasion of Iraq and Post-invasion Iraq Iraq War Part of the War on Terror Iraq header 2.

Iraq Iraq under Saddam Hussein - For fighting between insurgent groups, see Civil war in Iraq. Commanders and leaders United States George W.

Iraq Saddam Hussein (POW) Skull and crossbones.

Top Click to PlayAnthony Bourdain Tries Iraqi Food in Dubai Click to PlayUnique Vacation Ideas Click to PlayTop 10 Most Dangerous Cities In The World View more Travel videos Britannica Concise Encyclopedia: Iraq

and southeastern Iraq; Al-Jazirah, an upland region in the north between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers; deserts in the west and south, covering about two-fifths of the country; and highlands in the northeast.

Iraq is a multiparty republic with one legislative house; its head of state is the president, and its head of government is the prime minister.

Map of IraqMap of Iraq President: Jalal Talabani (2005) Prime Minister: Nuri al-Maliki (2006) Land area: 167,556 sq mi (433,970 sq km) Population (2010 est.): 29,671,605 (growth rate: 2.5%); birth rate: 29.

Iraq Main Page 2. Iraq Gains Independence 3. Rise of the Baath Party 4. Saddam Hussein's Ascendancy Brings Series of Wars 5.

Iraqi Leadership Struggles in Effort to Form a Government 11. U.S. Strategy Under Fire 12. President Bush Hopes Surge of U.S. Troops Will Change Course of War 13.

MANILA TRAINING CENTER, Iraq – Squads of 1st Kurdish Regional Guard Brigade soldiers conducted ambush and movement training at Manila Training Center in Kirkuk province, Iraq, June 23. Halfway through a four-week training cycle, U.S.

Iraq – Members of 1st Kurdish Regional Guard Brigade lunge forward into the prone position during a squad ambush training exercise at the Manila Training Center in Kirkuk province, Iraq, June 23, 2011.

Baghdad, Iraq- Iraqi Special Operations Forces (ISOF) train in preparation for counter-terrorism operations on Jan. 30. CJSOTF-AP CJSOTF-AP = Baghdad, Iraq- Iraqi Special Operations Forces (ISOF) train with the Iraqi Air Force on April 13.

Modern Iraq was ancient Mesopotamia, from the Greek meaning 'between two rivers', and it was here that human beings first began to cultivate their land, where writing was invented and where the Assyrians, Sumerians and Babylonians all made Iraq the centre

With the arrival of Islam, Iraq again took centre stage. Islam's most enduring schism - between Sunnis and Shiites - was first played out on Iraqi soil.

the West earned Iraq international infamy and also drew the attention of international human-rights organisations and Western armies in equal measure. Indeed in recent years, few countries have experienced such external interference as Iraq has, culminating in the 2003 American-led invasion of the country.

Full coverage of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, the war on terror and more.

Iraq's only outlet to the sea is a short stretch of coast on the northwestern end of the Persian Gulf, including the Shatt al Arab waterway. Basra and Umm Qasr are the main ports. Iraq is approximately coextensive with ancient Mesopotamia.

Very little rainfall occurs in Iraq except in the northeast, and agriculture mainly depends upon river water. The sandy soil and steady heat of the southeast enable a large date crop and much cotton to be produced.

Iraq Maps on Other Web Sites: Country and Thematic Maps City Maps Historical Maps The following maps were produced by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, unless otherwise indicated.

* Iraq (Political) 2004 (351K) and pdf format (399K) * Iraq (Political) 1999 (323K) and pdf format (199K) * Iraq (Political) 1996 (295K) and pdf format (299K) * Iraq (Shaded Relief) 2004 (374K) and pdf format (423K)

* Iraq (Shaded Relief) 1999 (323K) and pdf format (221K) * Iraq (Shaded Relief) 1996 (307K) and pdf format (311K) * Iraq (Shaded Relief) From the CIA Atlas of the Middle East, 1993 (580k)

The Republic of Iraq, commonly known as Iraq, is a country in Southwest Asia spanning most of Mesopotamia as well as the north-western end of the Zagros mountain range and the eastern part of the Syrian Desert.

Iraq is an unstable state composed of warring national and tribal groups that are the focus of increased attention from the West as a result of a United States-led invasion in 2003 and the ensuing turmoil.

Policy named Iraq the fourth most-unstable nation in the world. Contents - * 1 Geography * 2 History * 2.

IraqCountry Specific Information * Print * Email * Recent Embassy Notices for American Citizens * Travel Warning for Iraq On this page »

Government of Iraq (GOI), led by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, was sworn in. In late January 2009, Iraqi citizens elected new members for a majority of provincial councils. A bilateral security agreement, which came into effect on January 1, 2009, now governs the presence of U.S.

Framework Agreement with Iraq, which governs all bilateral relations in general. On March 7, 2010, Iraqi citizens participated in a new round of parliamentary elections.

Three US soldiers were killed in action in southern Iraq, the military said, making June the deadliest month for American soldiers here in three years.(AFP/File/Mehdi Fedouach) AFP - Three US soldiers were killed in action in southern Iraq on Wednesday, the military said, making June the deadliest month for American soldiers here in three years.

Iraqi policemen man at a checkpoint in Baghdad on June 7. A high-ranking housing ministry official, another civilian and two soldiers were killed in attacks in Iraq on Wednesday, an interior ministry official and an army officer said.

WARNING: Iraq is presently a war zone. Traveling there is extremely dangerous and strongly discouraged. All foreigners are in danger of kidnapping, murder, and general armed violence. Tourism visas for Iraq are not granted at the moment.

provinces which comprise Iraqi Kurdistan can be considered safe for foreigners, the margins for errors are small. While no foreign deaths have occurred in the province since the 2003 Iraq invasion, many foreign deaths have occurred elsewhere in Iraq.

Iraq (Arabic: العراق Al-Irāq) 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.

See Wikipedia: Iraq for comprehensive info on the country of Iraq. Iraq is a country between Syria to the west, Iran to the east, and Saudi Arabia to the south, with a capital city of Baghdad. Following the U.S.

Please see Post-war Iraq for a comprehensive list of topics pertaining to and during the U.S.-led occupation of Iraq.

* Iraq Research and Documentation Project * Iraqi Civil Defense Corps * Iraqi Embassy in U.S.

The president of Iraq's semiautonomous Kurdish region said Wednesday he is giving free electricity to the oil-rich northern city of Kirkuk, where he wants to wrest control from the central government in Baghdad.

Iraq can barely handle oil security in south Iraq is barely capable of protecting its vital oil infrastructure and could falter if its oil police do not get enough manpower and sophisticated security equipment soon, a senior Iraqi security

Wheelchair bomber attacks Iraqi police station Dog may help wounded Ohio soldier cope with stress Judge dismisses Blackwater founder from lawsuit Ex-KBR firefighter denies raping woman in Iraq Blasts rip through western Baghdad, killing 40

Brief conflict in 2003 between Iraq and a combined force of troops largely from the U.S. and Great Britain; and a subsequent U.S.-led occupation of Iraq and protracted Iraqi armed insurgency against it.

Iraq was continuing to hinder UN inspections and that it still retained proscribed weapons. On March 20 the U.S. and Britain (with smaller troop contingents from other countries) launched a series of air attacks on Iraq, and a ground invasion followed.

warfare in Iraq that hindered Iraq's recovery and killed thousands of soldiers and tens of thousands of civilians. The war, long opposed by many throughout the world, also became increasingly unpopular in the U.S.

Iraqi PM Tells Mullen Iraqi Troops Can Take Over Apr 22nd 2011 – 9:00AM DOD / AP DOD / AP BAGHDAD - Iraq's prime minister has told the top U.S.

in Iraq past this year. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki made the remark during a late Thursday meeting with Adm. Mike...

Gunmen Kill Iraqi Family of 4 in Baghdad Home Apr 17th 2011 – 7:43AM BAGHDAD - Gunmen stormed the home of a Shiite family living in a mostly Sunni neighborhood of Baghdad and killed all four family members, police said Sunday.

Iraq Oil Photos War Wikipedia: Post-invasion Iraq (2003 to present) The Guardian Iraq can barely handle oil security in south Wed 29 Jun 2011 * Expansion will put new stress on undermanned oil police * Sophisticated cameras and monitoring systems

Iraq Photos War Washington Wikipedia: George W. Bush and the Iraq War A US Army (USA) Soldier assigned to Company B, 1st Battalion, 12th Calvary Regiment, armed with a 5.

troop deaths in Iraq at highest level since 2009 BAGHDAD - Two U.S. soldiers were killed Sunday in Iraq, the military command said, making June the worst month in combat-related fatalities for U.S. forces in Iraq in... (photo: US DoD/SSGT RICKY A.

Troop Attacks in Iraq, Gates Says - San Francisco Chronicle - ‎4 uren geleden‎ June 29 (Bloomberg) - Iran is furnishing new, more deadly weapons to Shiite militia groups in Iraq that are targeting US troops in advance of their scheduled exit

Panetta must fight four wars: Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, waste Boston Globe USA Today - Reuters Indiaalle 187 nieuwsartikelen » artikel e-mailen The Guardian Iraq rocket attack kills three American soldiers - The Guardian - ‎13 minuten geleden‎ AP American soldiers in Iraq.

near Iraq's border with Iran has killed three American soldiers, according to an ...

Iraq n (Placename) a republic in SW Asia, on the Persian Gulf: coextensive with ancient Mesopotamia; became a British mandate in 1920, independent in 1932, and a republic in 1958.

Iraq's refusal to destroy their weapons of mass destruction resulted in defeat in the second Gulf War (2003) by a coalition of US and UK forces.

IraqIraq - a republic in the Middle East in western Asia; the ancient civilization of Mesopotamia was in the area now known as IraqAl-Iraq, Irak, Republic of IraqAssyrian Neo-Aramaic, Assyrian - the language of modern IraqAnsar al Islam, Ansar al-Islam, Supporters of Islam - a

Iraq put Iran out of Olympic qualifying TOI TEHRAN: Iran's hopes of playing in the 2012 London Olympic soccer tournament vanished on Thursday when they were beaten 2-0 by neighbours Iraq in the second leg of a second-round qualifier.

From a new generation of artists, canvases of Iraq's pain ET Inside a crumbling Baghdad apartment building, past spouting drainpipes and up a gloomy staircase, a tiny revolution is playing out in oil and acrylic paint.

Iran beat Iraq 1-0 in Olympic qualifier TOI ARBIL (Iraq): Iran beat Iraq 1-0 in a second-round 2012 Olympic soccer qualifier played in northern Iraq on Sunday with a first-half goal by Muhsin Musliman. The two teams will meet again on June 23 in Tehran.

"All in all, do you think the situation in Iraq was worth going to war over, or not?" Worth it Not worth it Unsure % % % 9/1-2/10

the war in Iraq is over, or not?" Over Not over Unsure % % % 9/1-2/10 20 80

the war in Iraq is over, or not?" If over: "Would you describe the war in Iraq as a victory for the U.S., a defeat for the U.S.