Iraq

In brief

Iraq is a country in Western Asia. Its capital is Baghdad. With 47 million inhabitants in 2025, it ranks 34th in the world by population, out of the 195 countries recognised by the UN. Its area is 438,317 km². It shares land borders with Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Türkiye.

GDP per capita stands at $5,410 (2025), 115th in the world. Life expectancy at birth is 72.4 years (2024). 70% of the population lives in cities.

History of Iraq

Between the Tigris and the Euphrates, Mesopotamia gave rise to Sumer, where cuneiform writing appeared around 3200 BC, then to Babylon, where Hammurabi had his law code carved, and to Assyria. Baghdad, founded in 762, became the capital of the Abbasid caliphs and a great centre of learning until it was destroyed by the Mongols in 1258. Ottoman and then under British mandate, Iraq became an independent kingdom in 1932 and a republic in 1958. Saddam Hussein, in power from 1979 to 2003, waged war on Iran and invaded Kuwait; the US-led invasion of 2003 toppled him. The Islamic State group controlled vast areas from 2014 to 2017.

Geography of Iraq

The Tigris and Euphrates join in the south to form the Shatt al-Arab, surrounded by marshes. The west is desert and the north mountainous, in the autonomous Kurdistan Region. The country has only a short coast on the Persian Gulf but holds some of the world’s largest oil reserves.

Map of Iraq

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Flag of Iraq

The flag of Iraq is red, white and black. Its official proportions are 2:3 (height to width).

• Red34%
• Black33%
• White31%
• Green3%

Share of the flag’s surface taken by each colour.

What the flag stands for

Red, white and black, the pan-Arab colours, with the words “Allahu akbar” in green Kufic script. Its current version dates from 2008.

Sources: Wikipedia, articles “Iraq” and “Flag of Iraq”.

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Fact file

Economy and society