Overview
Iraq, in an area once home to some of the earliest civilisations, became a battleground for competing forces after the US-led ousting of President Saddam Hussein in 2003. The Shia-led government struggled to restore order until a "surge" of US troops in late 2007 began to push insurgents and militias out of cities and provinces they had long contested. The country remains volatile, and disputes with the autonomous Kurdistan Region over the oil-rich city of Kirkuk have threatened to derail progress towards political stability.
Map
Facts
| Full name | Republic of Iraq |
|---|---|
| Population: | 29.5 million (UN, 2008) |
| Area | 438,317 sq km (169,235 sq miles) |
| Capital: | Baghdad |
| Major languages: | Arabic, Kurdish |
| Major religion: | Islam |
| Life expectancy: | 58 years (men), 61 years (women) (UN) |
| Monetary unit: | Iraqi dinar |
| Main exports: | Crude oil |
| GNI per capita: | n/a |
| Internet domain: | .iq |
| International dialling code: | 964 |
Blogs
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Talk of invasion19 Jul 07 | Mark Mardell - The Reporters: Mark Mardell
Plain weird But the invasion of Iraq changed everything. Almost certainly the most stable part of that country is the Kurdish region right across the border from Turkey. ...
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Kurdish Independence17 Oct 07 | Dan Damon - World Update with Dan Damon
Some analysts have argued since the invasion of Iraq in 2003 that removing Saddam was bound to lead to an independent Kurdish state, if not in name in fact. ...
Around the web
News From Other Sources
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Iraq / Little business for antique dealers19 Jul 09 | San Francisco Chronicle
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Baghdad's antique shops tell city's sad story18 Jul 09 | Boston Globe
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Iraq's forgotten crisis18 Jul 09 | Guardian Unlimited
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Once world's bread basket, Iraq now a farming...17 Jul 09 | Yahoo! News
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Iraq, the world's oil pump17 Jul 09 | Salon
Coming Up
Radio
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Iraq UnitedBBC Radio 4, 20 Jul 09 20:00
Hugh, who has been reporting from Iraq for the past six years, follows the team and their supporters as they compete in Africa's first international football competition.
News
News Clips
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Stamps to honour fallen soldiers17 Jul 09Stamps have been created as part of a Wolverhampton art exhibition which pays tribute to fallen soldiers who fought in Iraq.
Watch "Stamps to honour fallen soldiers" now -
Iraq hostage policy is questioned16 Jul 09
Ex-Foreign Office minister Kim Howells has said he doubts Britain negotiated with the right people in its attempts to free five men kidnapped in Iraq.
Listento "Iraq hostage policy is questioned" now -
Former minister's hostage 'doubts'16 Jul 09Simon Cox, of the Report on Radio 4, discusses the UK's policy on dealing with hostage takers. ...
Listento "Former minister's hostage 'doubts'" now -
Iraq veterans swap weapons for art15 Jul 09A group of US war veterans who served in Iraq have turned to art to express their feelings of what it's like to be on the front line.
Watch "Iraq veterans swap weapons for art" now -
Thousands welcome war troops home15 Jul 09Surrey residents have lined Guildford streets to welcome home British troops who served in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Watch "Thousands welcome war troops home" now
News Articles
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Afghanistan: Key facts and figures17 Jul 09 | UK
Afghanistan: Key facts and figures The UK forces death toll in Afghanistan has now matched that suffered in Iraq.
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Fatal ammunition blast in Turkey14 Jul 09 | EuropeThe blast happened on Monday night at a military post in the town of Yuksekova in Hakkari province, near the border with Iraq, the newspaper Hurriyet said.
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MoD 'ignored' air safety warnings13 Jul 09 | UKThe two Sea King helicopters collided in the Persian Gulf in March 2003, killing six UK military personnel and a member of the US military.
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Iraqis to sue UK for compensation13 Jul 09 | UKAs the security situation deteriorated some were murdered, others fled to Syria and Jordan, some went into hiding in southern Iraq.
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Bomb rips through market in Iraq11 Jul 09 | Middle EastMosul, a city of about 1.8 million people about 400km (250 miles) north-west of Baghdad, is mainly populated by Iraqi Arabs with Kurdish and other ethnic minorities.
Weather
Weather for Baghdad
| Sunday | Monday | Tuesday | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conditions |  sunny | sunny | sunny |
| Max Temperature | Max:43°C/109°F | Max:42°C/108°F | Max:42°C/108°F |
| Min Temperature | Min:30°C/86°F | Min:27°C/81°F | Min:30°C/86°F |
Knowledge
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Timeline: EgyptCountry profiles
Six-day war 1967 May - Egypt, Jordan sign defence pact. Israel says it increases danger of war with Arab states. 1967 June - Six-Day War in which Israel defeats forces of Egypt, Jordan and Syria.
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History - British Relations with IraqHistory
Baghdad faced across the deserts to Syria and east to Persia.
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History - The Lost Palaces of IraqHistory
Some of the most sophisticated ancient civilisations once thrived in Iraq, but the cities of the Babylonians, Assyrians and Sumerians have become fragile ruins, in a nation recovering from war.
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Radio 4 Empire - High Street DurbarsRadio 4 Empire
A 90 part history of the British Empire. An Empire Marketing Board, sold Empire to the people.
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Radio 4 In Our Time - The Sunni-Shia SplitRadio 4 In Our Time
Iraq has a Sunni minority(formerly in power under Saddam Hussein) and a majority of Shi’ites.
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