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Iraq Information / Facts
WMD's found in Iraq
"The most dangerous place on Earth"
Insurgent Sniper Training
5/17/05
As of January 10th, 2004 about 12,000 prisoners have
been detained in Iraq. Five hundred (500)
low risk detainees were released 01/09/2004.
Syria-Iraq-Kurds Smuggling Routes
Iraqi Uranium Removed
British Intelligence Summary of Iraqi Weapons
Programs 1971-1998
Official Name:
Republic of Iraq
Political System:
Unitary Multiparty Republic
Independence:
1932
Head of State:
President Saddam Hussein
U.S. Diplomatic
Representation:
None. The U.S. maintains an interest section in the Polish Embassy
in Baghdad.
Currency:
Iraqi dinar
Area:
Total — 437,072 sq. km. (Roughly twice the size of Idaho)
Water — 4,910 sq. km.
Land — 432,162 sq. km.
Language:
Arabic — 80%
Kurdish — 17%
Turkish, Farsi
Religion:
Official — Islam
Shi'a Muslims — 62.5%
Sunni Muslims — 34.5%
Several Christian minorities
Population:
24,001,816 (CIA profile estimate in 2002)
Age:
0-14 years — 41.1% [male — 5.03 million, female — 4.8 million
15-64 years — 55.9% [male — 6.7 million, female — 6.6 million]
65 plus years — 3% [male — 341,000, female — 388,000]
Ethic Groups:
Arabs — 77%
Kurds — 19%
Assyrians, Turkomans, others
Border Countries:
Iran, Turkey, Syria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia
and Kuwait
Capital:
Baghdad
Major Cities [Est pop]:
Baghdad [5,000,000]
Basrah [1,500,000]
Mosul [1,200,000]
Kirkuk [535,000]
Administrative Divisions:
Country separated into 18 provinces — Al Anbar, Al Basrah, Al Muthanna, Al
Qadisiyay, An Najaf, Arbil, AS Sulaymaniyah, At Ta'mim, Babil Baghdad,
Dahuk, Bhi Qar, Diyala, Karbala', Maysan, Ninawa, Salah ad Din, Wasit
Key Sea Ports:
BasrahUmm QasrKhor al-Amaya (primary
deep-sea crude oil port)
Coastline:
Coast along Persian Gulf is 58 km long —
with much of this obscured by the Kuwaiti coast.
Primary Airport:
Saddam Hussein International Airport
Key Geographical Features
• Dominated by Tigris-Euphrates river systems
• Desert to the west
• Zagros Mountain Range to the east and north
• To the south, its control of the Shatt al-Arab confluence of the two
major rivers provides it with extremely restricted access to the Persian
Gulf. Its location within the Mesopotamian plain means that it acts a
geographic bridge between the Mediterranean and Asia and is thus a key
player in the regional geo-strategic picture.
Climate:
Mostly desert with 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
Elevation Extremes:
• Persian Gulf — 0 meters
• Haji Ibrahim — 3,600 meters
Natural Hazards:
• Dust Storms
• Sandstorms
• Floods
Government
President:
Saddam Hussein
Vice-President:
Taha Muhyi al-Din Maruf
Vice-President:
Taha Yassin Ramadan
Prime Minister:
Saddam Hussein
Minister of Defense:
Lt.Gen. Sultan Hashim Ahmad al-Jabburi Tai
Minister of Foreign Affairs:
Tariq Mikail Aziz
Minister of the Interior:
Mahmud Dhiyab al-Ahmad
Minister of Justice:
Munder Ibrahim al-Shawi
Minister of State:
Abd al-Wahab Umar Mirza al-Atrush
Arshad Muhammad Ahmad Muhammad al-Zibari
Minister of State for Foreign
Affairs:
Naji Sabri Ahmed al-Hadihi
Minister of State for Military
Affairs:
Staff General Abd al Jabbar Khalil Shanshal
Advisor to the President for
Military Affairs:
Sadi Tuma Abbas al Jabburi
Head of Interest Section in
the U.S. - Permanent Rep. to the U.N.
Interest Section in the Algerian Embassy headed by Akram al Douri
Address: Iraqi Interests Section,
Algerian Embassy
1801 P Street NW
Washington, D.C. 20036
Telephone: (202) 483-7500;
Fax: (202) 462-5066
Defense
Defense Spending:
$1.3 billion U.S. (a 1998 Jane's estimate)
4.2% of GNP
Total Armed Forces:
402,000
Army:
350,000, commanded by Abd al Wahhib Shannan
al-Rabbat
Air Force:
30,000 (with 17,000 in air defense),
commanded by Muzahim Sab Hasan
Navy:
5,000
Civilians Reaching Military
Age
274,035 annually (2001 est.)
Military-Age Males [15-49]:
Available: 5,902,215 (2001 est.)
Fit for duty: 3,301,880 (2001 est.)
Economy
Iraqi Economy:
• Main source of revenue (estimated at 95%)
was generated by oil.
• The eight-year war with Iran caused massive expenditures and forced
heavy borrowing that led the government to implement austerity measures.
• Iran War left Iraq with at least $100 billion in war losses. In 1988,
Iraq began to recover after re-opening some oil pipelines.
• The Gulf War halted all recovery efforts and international sanctions
further deepened the financial crisis.
External Debt:
$62.2 billion
Import Commodities:
Food, medicine and manufactured goods
Imports:
$11 billion
Economic Aid Received:
$327.5 million
Communications
Broadcast Stations:
Television — 13
AM Radio 19 (5 inactive)
FM Radio — 51
Short Wave — 4
Telephones:
675,000 (1997 estimate)
Railroads:
2,339 km of standard track
Highways:
45,550 km
Paved — 38,400 km
Unpaved — 7,150 km
Navigable Waterways:
1,015 km
Natural Resources
Oil:
• Believed to have the some of the largest reserves in the world
• Estimated 112 million to 186 million barrels
Gas:
Estimated to have 2.4% of the world's reserves
Minerals:
Phosphates, Sulphur, salt and gypsum
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