Geography
Iraq is situated in Southwest Asia and is bounded on the east by Iran on the south by Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the Persian Gulf, on the west by Jordan and Syria and on the north by Turkey.
Iraq has four distinct geographic regions.
The north-eastern, mountainous region is known as al-Jazira, rising to nearly 2135m (7000 feet) near the Turkish border. Iraq's two highest points are Haji Ibrahim, which rises to 3600m (11,811 feet) and Mount Halgurd (3,728m; 12,230 feet). The land area between the Tigris and the Euphrates is an alluvial plain and is Iraq's most fertile region.
In the south-east, adjacent to the Persian Gulf, is a low-lying swampy area, containing marshes, lakes and reedy waterways.
To the west of the Euphrates is the desert region, where the land gradually rises to join the Syrian Desert. This desert area constitutes about 35% of Iraq's total land area.
Iraq's two main rivers, the Tigris and the Euphrates, flow from north-west to south-east. They converge near Baghdad, then diverge and meet once again about 160km (100 miles) north of the Persian Gulf, to form the Shatt al-Arab River. This river flows through Basra and drains into the Gulf. Richly alluvial soil characterises the Tigris-Euphrates basin; elsewhere, soils are very light and not especially fertile.
Iraq's mainly continental climate brings a wide range of temperature, with hot summers, particularly in the south, and cold winters, especially on the higher ground.
In the mountainous region of the north, summers can be a little cooler and humidity is lower than in the south. During the winter months (October to April) snow often falls on the mountains.
In the central areas of Iraq, summers are much hotter, with temperatures in Baghdad rising to about 33.3�C (92�F) in July and August. It is not unknown for temperatures to soar as high as 50.6�C (123�F) in this region. Winter in Baghdad brings a mean temperature of about 9.4�C (49�F). Temperatures in Basra range from 37�C (98.6�F) in summer to 14�C (57.2�F) in winter. Dust storms are an unpleasant feature of the central plains region.
The southern area around the Gulf has extremely high humidity and some of the highest temperatures recorded anywhere in the world.
Rainfall is heaviest in the north-east and falls mostly between October and May. On the central plain, however, less than 152mm (about 6 inches) falls annually. Desert areas receive virtually no rainfall.
Iraq's mineral resources are chiefly petroleum, but small deposits of coal, gypsum, salt and sulphur also exist.
Arabic (official) and Kurdish
Arab 75%�80%, Kurdish 15%�20%, Turkoman, Assyrian, or other 5%
Islam 97% (Shi'ite 60%�65%, Sunni 32%�37%), Christian or other 3%
58% (1995 est.)
International disputes: despite restored diplomatic relations in 1990, lacks maritime boundary with Iran and disputes land boundary, navigation channels, and other issues from eight-year war; in November 1994, Iraq formally accepted the UN-demarcated border with Kuwait which had been spelled out in Security Council Resolutions 687 (1991), 773 (1993), and 883 (1993); this formally ends earlier claims to Kuwait and to Bubiyan and Warbah islands although the government continues periodic rhetorical challenges; dispute over water development plans by Turkey for the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.