Iraq

Iraq,[a] officially known as the Republic of Iraq,[b] is a country in West Asia, bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south, Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and Kuwait to the southeast, Jordan to the southwest, and Syria to the west. It covers an area of 438,317 square kilometres (169,235 sq mi) and has a population of over 46 million, making it the 58th largest country by area and the 31st most populous in the world. Baghdad is the capital and largest city of Iraq, home to over 8 million people.

Starting in the 6th millennium BC, fertile plains between Iraq's Tigris and Euphrates rivers, referred to as Mesopotamia, fostered the rise of early cities, civilizations, and empires like Sumer, Akkad, and Assyria. Known as the Cradle of Civilization, it saw the invention of writing systems, mathematics, navigation, timekeeping, a calendar, astrology, wheels, sailboat, and a law code. After the Muslim conquest of Mesopotamia, Baghdad became the capital of the Abbasid Caliphate and a global cultural and intellectual hub during the Islamic Golden Age, home to institutions like the House of Wisdom. The city's destruction by the Mongols in 1258 led to a prolonged decline due to plagues and successive empires. Addtionally, Iraq holds religious significance in Christianity, Judaism, Yazidism, and Mandaeism. It has deep biblical history.[13][14][15][16][17]

Since independence, Iraq has experienced spells of significant economic and military growth alongside periods of instability and conflict. Mandatory Iraq was established by the British in 1921 and transitioned to an independent kingdom in 1932. In a coup in 1958, it was transformed into a republic, successively led by Abdul Karim Qasim, Abdul Salam Arif, and Abdul Rahman Arif. The Ba'ath Party took power in 1968, establishing a one-party state under Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr and later Saddam Hussein, who launched wars against Iran and Kuwait. In 2003, a U.S.-led coalition forces invaded and occupied Iraq, overthrowing Saddam and triggering an insurgency and sectarian violence, came known as the Iraq War, that ended in 2011. From 2013 to 2017, it faced another war with the rise and defeat of the Islamic State. Today post-war conflict in Iraq continues at a lower scale, hampering stability alongside the rising influence of Iran.[18][19]

A federal parliamentary republic country, Iraq is considered an emerging middle power. It is home to diverse population, geography and wildlife. Majority of Iraqis are Muslims, while minorities are Christians, Zoroastrians, Mandaens, Yazidis, Yarsanism and Jews. Iraqi people are ethnically diverse; mostly Arabs, as well as Kurds, Turkmen, Yazidis, Assyrians, Armenians, Domcs, Persians and Shabakis. Arabic and Kurdish are official languages of Iraq, while Suret, Turkish and Mandaic spoken regionally. With a strategic location, Iraq has one of the largest oil reserves in the world and a significant oil and gas industry. In addition, it has been popular for its agriculture and tourism. At present, Iraq is putting efforts to rebuild with foreign support.[20][3][21][22][23][24][25][26][27]