IRAQ

Location

Located in Middle East, Iraq has a short coastline on the Gulf between Iran and Kuwait. Iran is located to its east, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia to its south, Jordan and Syria to its west and Turkey to its north.

Geography

Strategic location on Shatt al Arab waterway and at the head of the Persian Gulf.

Capital

Baghdad

Population

26,783,383

Climate

Mostly desert; mild to cool winters with dry, hot, cloudless summers; northern mountainous regions along Iranian and Turkish borders experience cold winters with occasionally heavy snows that melt in early spring, sometimes causing extensive flooding in central and southern Iraq.

Language

Arabic (official), Kurdish

Monetary Unit

Iraqi dinar

Largest Cities

Baghdad, Basra, Mosul

Principal rivers

Tigris (Dijlah), Euphrates (at Furat)