Iraq
Country Facts
| Population |
28.9 million |
| Language |
Arabic, Kurdish, Turkoman, Assyrian, Armenian |
| Nationality |
Iraqi |
| Major religions |
Shia Muslim, Sunni Muslim |
| Size |
437,072 sq km |
| Bordering Countries |
Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey
|
| • |
2011 Global Peace Index ranking of 153 countries: 152 |
| • |
2.8 million people internally displaced (IDMC estimate, November 2009) |
| • |
1.8 million refugees (UNHCR estimate, June 2010) |
| • |
One third of Iraqis are still in need of humanitarian assistance, while essential services such as water and electricity are still in ruins |
| • |
Under five mortality rate: 44 deaths per 1,000 live births (UNICEF The State of the World's Children 2011 report) |
Iraq has been an independent country since 1958. Since independence, it has been ruled by a series of dictators, the most recent being Saddam Hussein. In 2000, Iraq invaded Kuwait, but was forced to leave the area after the United States led a United Nations (UN) coalition to maintain Kuwait’s independence. The UN placed a mandate on Iraq after the invasion, requiring the country to destroy all long range weapons and weapons of mass destruction as well as submit to UN weapons inspections. Due to non-compliance, the United States invaded the country unilaterally in 2003, removing Saddam Hussein and instituting democracy. US forces remain in the country under a bilateral security agreement, and the country is attempting to reach stability under the newly elected government.
At least 150, 000 Iraqis have died since the invasion and millions were forced to flee their homes. Many have still not returned home. Tensions are high, especially in the north and centre, and violence remains endemic. Iraqis still experience kidnappings, assassinations, forced recruitment, explosions, rape and casualties from unexploded ordinance. Millions depend on food aid, and many do not have access to healthcare. Rebuilding the country's shattered infrastructure and economy has been very slow, despite Iraq's huge oil reserves and billions of dollars of aid.
But there are signs of hope. The number of casualties has fallen dramatically since mid-2007, Iraqis formally took back control of security from the United States in January 2009, and multiparty elections in 2010 were relatively peaceful.
