Iraq: sights and general information. Iraq - Online Travel

Republic of Iraq.

The name of the country comes from the Arabic “Iraq” - “coast” or “lowland”.

Capital of Iraq. Baghdad.

Area of ​​Iraq. 441800 km2.

Population of Iraq. 23332 thousand people

Location of Iraq. Iraq is a state in the South. In the north it borders with, in the east - with, in the south - with and, in the west - with and. In the south the state is washed by the Persian Gulf.

Administrative division Iraq. 16 governorates (provinces).

Iraqi form of government. Parliamentary republic.

Head of State of Iraq. President.

Supreme legislative body of Iraq. Interim National Council, active since July 2004.

Supreme executive body of Iraq. Government.

Major cities in Iraq. Mosul.

State language Iraq. Arab.

Religion of Iraq. 60% profess Shiite Islam, 37% Sunni Islam, 3% are Christians.

Ethnic composition of Iraq. 75% are Arabs, 15% are Turks and Turks.

Currency of Iraq. Iraqi dinar = 100 fils.

Climate of Iraq. Most of Iraq's territory lies in the continental zone. In central Iraq, summers are long and hot, and winters are short and cool. In the southernmost region, the climate is humid, tropical and temperatures often exceed + 50 °C. Precipitation in the mountains amounts to 500 mm per year, and in the southeast - 60-100 mm.

Flora of Iraq. The vegetation of the state is not very diverse. Among the rare trees in the south, the date palm stands out. On the mountain slopes, along with thorny bushes, there are single trees. Willow, tamarisk, and poplar grow along the banks of the rivers.

Fauna of Iraq. Prevail the following types animals: cheetah, gazelle, antelope, lion, hyena, wolf, jackal, hare, bat, jerboa. There are many birds of prey: vulture, owl, raven, hawk, buzzard. Waterfowl nest along the river banks. Lots of lizards.

Rivers and lakes of Iraq. The largest rivers are the Tigris with its tributaries, the Big Zab, the Little Zab and the Diyala, as well as. There are many lakes in Lower Mesopotamia.

Sights of Iraq. Museum of Iraq with exhibits dedicated to the civilizations of Mesopotamia, Iraqi Museum of Natural History, Abbasid Palace, Mir Ja Mosque, Iraqi War Museum in Baghdad. In Mosul - Chandani Church and the Great Mosque, Mosul City Museum. The mosque with a golden dome in Qedimein, the tomb of Ali (one of the main shrines of the Shiites) in Najif, the tomb of Hussein ibn Ali (a Muslim martyr) in Karbala. Numerous archaeological excavations are interesting, in which the history of countries comes to life. These are, for example, excavations of the cities of Dura-Europos, Nuffar, Nineveh - the capital of Assyria in the 8th-7th centuries. BC e. etc.

Useful information for tourists

Due to the tense situation, the state is practically not visited by foreign tourists.

Modern Iraq covers almost the same area as occupied by Ancient Mesopotamia, whose lands were concentrated between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Mesopotamia, also known as the land of the Fertile Crescent, was an important center of civilizations and saw the rise and fall of many cultures and states.

In the Middle Ages, Iraq was the name given to one of the Arab provinces that made up the southern half of the modern country. Today the country is called the Republic of Iraq, where Islam is the state religion, statistics state that 95 percent of the population are indigenous Iraqis and identify themselves with Arab culture.

The country's second largest group is the cultural group of Kurds who live in the highlands and mountain valleys of northern Iraq and consider themselves a politically autonomous country. The Kurds occupy the provinces of Sulaymaniyah, Dohuk and Erbil, the general territory of which is usually called Kurdistan.

Formation of a nation

If we talk about the prehistory of Iraq, then these territories were previously called Mesopotamia, and it was under the control of several civilizations at once. Around 4000 BC, the territory belonged to the Sumerians, who built modern irrigation systems, developed grain agriculture, invented an early form of writing, and a system of mathematics that led to the invention of the first wheel and the first plow in modern times.

Literature also developed in the Sumerian civilization, as evidenced by the Epic of Gilgamesh. Unlike their Egyptian contemporaries, who believed that all land belonged to the pharaoh, the Sumerians believed that land should be privately owned, exactly the same concept held in Iraq today.

When the Sumerian civilization collapsed in 1700 BC, King Hammurabi conquered the Sumerian territories and renamed them Babylon. Hammurabi, a famous great leader, introduced the first legal code in history recorded in writing. Thanks to this code, the Assyrians and Babylonians lived relatively peacefully.

After several revolutions of power, Nebuchadnezzar II ascended the throne and reigned from 604 to 562 BC. Thanks to him, Babylon earned great fame. Babylon, which covered an area of ​​forty-eight kilometers south of modern Baghdad, became the most famous city in the world, boasting the Hanging Gardens of Babylon among its other advantages.

In 323 BC, Babylonia became part of the Persian Empire until the Muslim Arabs conquered it in 634. At the time of the Arab invasion, the inhabitants of Mesopotamia were mostly Christian, they were enslaved and paid taxes to their invaders. Gradually, the inhabitants of Mesopotamia began to accept Islam and marry Arabs.

In 762, the capital Baghdad was founded and became an important commercial, cultural and educational center. The capital provided the opportunity to have contact with Asian and Mediterranean countries through trade. The capital often hosted important guests, scientists and major traders from all over the world. Incredible philosophical and scientific works by famous Arab and Persian thinkers were written in Baghdad.

In 1200 there was another conquest, this time by the Mongols, who ruled until 1400. After this, power over the territory of present-day Iraq passed to the Turks, this happened in the sixteenth century. The reign of the Turks lasted until the end of the First World War, after which the Ottoman Empire was defeated.

Following the defeat of the Ottoman Empire, the League of Nations placed rule over the territory in the hands of Great Britain, which paid little attention to natural boundaries and ethnic divisions. introduced its own political system, which was the monarchy, and also created the first written constitution.

On July 14, 1958, the monarchy was overthrown and Iraq was proclaimed a free republic. This was followed by ten years of political unrest and instability. Then, on July 17, 1968, another coup d'etat took place, which brought to power the Baath Party, which is today's leader in government.

National unity of Iraq

Arab rule during the medieval period has a major cultural impact on modern Iraq. The dominant culture in Iraq is Arabic, and most Arabs are Muslim. Iraqi Muslims are divided into two groups: Sunnis and Shiites.

Sunnis, who are the majority in Islam, are a minority in Iraq, and Shiites, who are a minority in the Arab world, are the majority in Iraq. An interesting relationship has developed between Sunnis and Shiites over the centuries.

Although they have different opinions regarding religion, both Sunnis and Shiites rank high leadership positions in government (including a Sunni post held by Saddam Hussein), some Christians do the same.
Arab culture, which came under the influence of conquerors in the seventh century, has withstood many changes in power over the centuries, yet it has managed to remain influential.

In the nineteenth century, while the Ottoman Empire was focused on "Turkishizing" its people, Mesopotamian rebels organized an Arab nationalist movement. They were given the opportunity to act during World War II when the British agreed to recognize Arab independence in Mesopotamia if they would help fight against the Turks.

Although Iraq was a state under British rule, after the defeat Ottoman Empire Arab nationalism became even stronger. Over the next few decades, even after gaining independence from Britain, government attitudes fluctuated between remaining under British rule or allowing Arab nationalists to take power. Today, Arab nationalism is firmly accepted in Iraq.

Ethnic relations

Throughout Iraq's history, there has been a cultural struggle between two ethnic groups: Arabs and Kurds. The Kurds always tried to defend their mentality and culture, to show how different they are from the Arabs. The Turkmens, who inhabit the northern mountainous regions, have also had tense relations with the Kurds due to their historical situation of asserting their separateness.

There are other cultural groups in Iraq that have sometimes bowed to the will of the Arab majority. Among them are the Yazidis of Kurdish origin, who are different from the Kurds because of their uniqueness in their religion. There are Assyrians, who are direct descendants of the ancient Mesopotamian peoples, who speak Aramaic.

They are predominantly Christian, and although they form a significant minority in Iraq, the government does not officially recognize the people as a distinct ethnic group. Regarding relations with other countries, Iraqi Shiites have always been at enmity with the Persians.

From 1980 to 1988, Iraq and Iran fought a long, bloody war over land disputes. The Iraqi Kurdish population lives surrounded by fellow Kurds from other countries: Iran, Turkey, Syria and Azerbaijan.

The official name is the Republic of Iraq. Located in Southwest Asia. Area 435.05 thousand km2, population 23.117 million people. (2000). The official language is Arabic, and in Iraqi Kurdistan it is also Kurdish. The capital is Baghdad (approx. 5 million people). The monetary unit is the Iraqi dinar (equal to 1 thousand fils).

Member of the UN (since 1945) and its specialized organizations, Arab League (since 1945), OPEC (since 1960), Arab Fund for Economic and social development(since 1968), OIC (since 1971), Arab Monetary Fund (since 1978), etc.

Sights of Iraq

Geography of Iraq

Located between 38o45' and 48o45' east longitude, 29o05' and 37o22' northern latitude. In the southeast it is washed by the Persian Gulf for 58 km. The Abdullah Strait separates the southern coast from the islands of Warba and Bubiyan (Kuwait). It borders: in the north - with Turkey, in the east - with Iran, in the southwest and south - with Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, in the northwest and west - with Syria and Jordan.

According to the nature of the relief, Iraq can be divided into four parts: mountainous (Iraqi Kurdistan) - in the north and northeast; the elevated plateau of El Jazeera (Upper Mesopotamia) - in the west; Mesopotamian Lowland (Lower Mesopotamia, or Arab Iraq) - in the center and south; the outskirts of the Syrian-Arabian Plateau (desert region) - in the southwest.

The highest mountains (height more than 3000 m) are located on the border with Turkey and Iran and in the area between the Greater and Lesser Zab rivers. El Jazeera is an elevated plain with an average altitude of 200 to 450 m above sea level. In the north it is crossed by the Jebel Sinjar Mountains (highest point - 1463 m), running from southwest to northeast, and in the south by the Jebel Hamrin Mountains (highest point - 520 m). North of Baghdad, El Jazeera decreases to the south and turns into a vast plain - the Mesopotamian Lowland, its average height is 100 m. The desert plateau, including El Jazeera, is approx. 60% of the territory of Iraq, mountainous region and alluvial lowland (Arab Iraq) - 20% each.

Iraq ranks 2nd in the world after Saudi Arabia in terms of proven oil reserves (112 billion barrels, or 15.3 billion tons), which is approx. 10.7% of proven world reserves. The cost of production is very low - on average, approx. 1-1.5 US dollars per 1 barrel.

Proven natural gas reserves reach 3188 billion m3 (10th place in the world). 3/4 of them are concentrated in the gas caps of oil fields (bound gas). Iraq has some of the world's largest deposits of native sulfur in the Mishrak region near Mosul and phosphorus-containing ores (estimated at 10 billion tons), the largest in the Rutba region (Akashat, 3.5 billion tons) and in the Marbat region approx. Baghdad. The subsoil of Iraq also contains reserves of iron ore, chromium, copper, manganese, uranium, asbestos, gypsum, marble and other minerals. Exploration for mineral resources has been carried out only on 50% of the country's territory.

The most common soils are alluvial-meadow (along most of the Tigris River, along the entire course of the Euphrates and Shatt al-Arab rivers), gray soils (western and southwestern parts of the country, part of Upper Mesopotamia), chestnut (in the north, in the region of .Mosul) and mountain chestnut (in the mountains of Kurdistan).

Most of Iraq has a continental-type subtropical Mediterranean climate with hot, dry summers and warm, rainy winters. In the north there is a hot summer, but the average July temperature is not higher than +35 ° C and a mild, rainy autumn, precipitation from 400 to 1000 mm/year. Upper Mesopotamia has dry, hot summers (absolute maximum in July + 50°C), mild rainy winters, precipitation - 300 mm/year. Lower Mesopotamia is located in the tropical zone, occupying 70% of the territory of Iraq, with precipitation ranging from 50 to 200 mm/year. In the west and southwest of Iraq, the climate is desert, precipitation reaches 100-120 mm/year. In July-August, southern winds (Arabian simoom) predominate; in winter, northeastern winds with hot fine sand prevail; they reach particular strength in February.

The largest rivers of the Middle East - the Tigris and Euphrates (in Arabic Ed-Dijla and El-Furat) - are the main sources of surface water in Iraq. Approx. flows through its territory. 80% of the total length of the Tigris (approx. 1400 km) and 44% of the Euphrates (approx. 1150 km). The Shatt al-Arab River was formed as a result of the confluence of the lower reaches of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, its length is 187 km.

Most of the lakes are located in the south of the country. The most important of them are: Khor el-Hammar (area 2500 km2), Khor el-Howeyza (in Iraq, about 1200 km2), Khor Saniya, Khor es-Saadia. In the center of Iraq there is one of the largest artificial reservoirs in the world - Lake Tartar (Wadi Tartar) (area 2710 km2, capacity - 85.4 km3); Lake Er-Razzaza (on maps in the USSR indicated as Lake El-Milkh, capacity - 25.5 km3), Lake Habbaniya (capacity - 3.25 km3), in the north - the Dukan reservoir (capacity - 6.8 km3) and Derbendi -Khan (capacity - 3.25 km3).

The main types of vegetation are semi-desert-desert (west, south-west and south of the country), steppe (north and north-east of Iraq), swamp (southern Lower Mesopotamia), shrub (in the floodplain zone of the Tigris and Euphrates river valleys) and woody (in north and northeast of Iraq). The total forest area is 1,776 thousand hectares, including 20 thousand hectares of gallery forests along river banks (mainly poplar). Among cultivated plants, the main one is the date palm; its plantations occupy the south of Iraq; the number of productive date palms in 1994 reached 12.6 million.

mammals and causing hookworm disease. The rivers of Iraq and the Persian Gulf are rich in fish. Domestic animals include horses (predominant Arabian horses), cattle - buffaloes (the main draft animal), cows, sheep, goats, donkeys. Dromedary camels (dromedaries) are bred in southern Iraq.

Population of Iraq

Iraq population dynamics (million people): 1957 (census) - 6,299, 1965 - 8,047, 1977 - 12.0, 1987 - 16,335, 1995 (estimate) - 20.1, 2003 (estimate) - approx. 25.0. The decrease in population growth in 1987-2000 is explained by the 1980-88 war between Iraq and Iran, Iraq's war against multinational forces in 1991 and the introduction of economic sanctions against Iraq by the UN Security Council in August 1990, which were in effect until May 2003, which caused a drop in the birth rate and an increase in mortality. And huge wave emigration from the country. The number of emigrants from Iraq as of 2000 is estimated at 2-4 million people.

Birth rate in 1973-75 42.6‰; according to UN estimates, in 1990-95 38.4‰, in 1995-2000 - 36.4‰.

Mortality, according to UN estimates, was 10.4‰ in 1990-95, 8.5‰ in 1995-2000. Infant mortality (under 1 year of age) in 1973-75 88.7 people. per 1000 newborns; according to UN estimates, in 1990-95 - 127, in 1995-2000 - 95.

Age structure of the population: 0-14 years - 45.2%; 15-59 years old - 49.7%; 60 years and older - 5.1% (1987). Men 51.3%, women 48.7% (1994 estimate).

Urban population and its share in the total population of the country (million people, %): 1970 (estimate) - 5,452 (57.8), 1977 - 7,646 (63.7), 1987 - 11,469 (70.2), 1994 (estimate) - 14.308 (71.5), 2000 (estimate) - 17.325 (75).

The proportion of illiterate people over the age of 9 is 27.4% (1987). The share of children and youth (aged 6 to 23 years) studying in educational institutions, decreased in 1980-98 from 67 to 50%.

The published results of the population censuses in 1965, 1977 and 1987 do not contain information about its ethnic composition. According to estimates, in the total population: Arabs - 76-77%, Kurds - 18-20%, Turkomans, Assyrians, Chaldeans, Persians (Iranians), Armenians, Turks, Jews, etc. Languages: Arabic (Iraqi dialect, in which spoken by most of the Arabs of Iraq, formed from the 7th century from the living speech of the Arabs under the influence of elements of Aramaic, Persian and Turkish languages); Kurdish (Kurmanji and Sorani dialects).

Over. 95% of the population (Arabs, Kurds, Turkomans, Iranians, Turks) profess Islam, which is the state religion. The rest profess various forms of Christianity, Judaism and some residual forms of the ancient beliefs of the peoples of the Middle East. The majority of Iraqi Muslims belong to the Shia community (60-65% of all Muslims in the country and about 80% of Arab Muslims). The Shia community in Iraq is the largest in Arab countries and ranks 3rd in the world after Iran and Pakistan. In addition to the Arabs, 30% of the Turkomans living in Iraq also belong to it; Almost all Iraqis are of Iranian origin (Persians). Most Shiites live in the south and east of the country, as well as in Baghdad. Most of the Shiites are rural residents; urban Shiites live, in addition to the sacred Shiite centers of An-Najef and Karbala, and in such religious centers of Shiism as Kazymein (outskirts of Baghdad), Kufa, Samarra. The Shia population is represented by the Imami sects (the largest sect in Shiism) - approx. 90% of the country's Shiites, Sheikhs, Ali-Ilahi, Bahais, Ismailis. Shiites are the most backward and traditionally oppressed part of the country's population. The spiritual leader of the Shiites of Iraq, the Ayatollah, lives in Najaf. Sunnis are the leading branch in the world of Islam, but in Iraq they rank second in the number of its adherents (about 30-35% of all Muslims in the country and less than 20% of Arabs in Iraq). This ratio between the numbers of Sunnis and Shiites was carefully hidden by the authorities during the years when the Baath Party was in power, and the existing differences in the socio-economic situation between Sunnis and Shiites were obscured in every possible way. These differences have existed since the time of the Ottoman Empire. All leadership positions in administrative bodies and in various sectors of the economy, officer positions in the army and police were primarily given to Sunnis (under the Ba'ath - members of this ruling party). Sunnis live in the center and north of Iraq. The highest authority among Sunnis is qadi (qadi). There are from 800 thousand to 1 million Christians in Iraq. (grade). TO Orthodox Church Most of the Assyrians belong to the Nestorians. Catholics include part of the Assyrians (Syro-Catholics), Chaldeans - former Nestorians who accepted a union with the Catholic Church and submit to the Pope, as well as Jacobite Arabs and Maronites. The number of Chaldeans and Assyrians, according to St. 600 thousand people Part of the Armenian community also belongs to Catholics. The other part is that the Gregorian Armenians recognize the Catholicos of all Armenians in Etchmiadzin (Armenia) as their head. The total number of Armenians in the country in 2000 is approx. 30 thousand people Among the religious minorities professing residual forms of ancient beliefs, the most famous are the Yezidis (about 30-50 thousand people) and the Sabaeans (several tens of thousands). The Jewish community, uniting those professing Judaism, numbers approx. 2.5 thousand people, they live mainly in Baghdad and Basra. The Jewish community was once very influential in the business world of Iraq. However, since 1948 - the beginning of the Arab-Israeli wars - the vast majority of Jews left Iraq.

History of Iraq

Iraq is located between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers (Greek - Mesopotamia, i.e. interfluve). Mesopotamia was the birthplace of the world's most ancient civilizations: Sumerian-Akkadian (3rd millennium BC), the Babylonian kingdom (21st-6th centuries BC), ancient Assyria (3rd millennium - 7th century BC). BC). In the 7th-8th centuries. AD Mesopotamia was conquered by the Arabs, and Islam came here with them. Mesopotamia became part of the Umayyad and Abbasid caliphates (7-11 centuries AD). The Turkish Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent subjugated all of Mesopotamia in 1534-46, and for almost 4 centuries it was one of the outskirts of the Ottoman Empire, which collapsed after the 1st World War. From three provinces of the former empire - Baghdad, Basra and Mosul - modern Iraq was formed, which, in accordance with the decision of the Supreme Council of the Entente and the mandate of the League of Nations, was ruled by Great Britain in 1920-32. In July 1921, the provisional government of Iraq elected Emir Faisal al-Hashimi as king, but the British High Commissioner to Iraq remained the de facto leader of the country. In October 1932, after the abolition of the mandate, Iraq became a formally independent state and was admitted to the League of Nations.

The mandate regime left a difficult legacy - a backward economy, the omnipotence of feudal lords and moneylenders in the countryside, the poverty of millions of landless peasants in the countryside and workers, artisans, and the unemployed in the city, serious national and religious contradictions. After gaining independence, the country was ruled by proteges of the British - Prime Minister Nuri Said and regent under the heir to the throne Faisal 2nd Emir Abdul Illah. Their dominance in the country relied on the support of not only the British, but also local feudal lords and compradors.

The period after World War II took place in an atmosphere of the rise of the national liberation movement. The activity of political parties expressing the interests of the working class, petty bourgeoisie and national bourgeoisie increased. Despite the establishment of a brutal dictatorship by N. Said, resistance to the anti-people policies of the ruling circles grew. Participants in the national liberation movement directed their efforts towards Iraq’s withdrawal from the Baghdad Pact (1955), and in October-November 1956 there was a powerful wave of demonstrations condemning the aggression of Great Britain, France and Israel against Egypt. The national liberation movement finally took shape in 1957, when the National Unity Front (FNU) was created, which included the Iraqi Communist Party (ICP), the National Democratic Party (NDP), the Baath Party (Iraqi Arab Socialist Renaissance Party - PASV) and the Independence Party . The FNU program provided for the removal of the feudal-monarchist clique from power, Iraq's withdrawal from the Baghdad Pact and the provision of constitutional democratic freedoms to the population. The Front's program was endorsed by mass patriotic organizations, trade unions, and the underground organization "Free Officers", created in the Iraqi army in May 1956.

The revolution of July 14, 1958 eliminated the feudal-monarchical regime. In place of the monarchy, the Iraqi Republic was proclaimed. The first republican government was headed by the head of the Free Officers organization, which became the vanguard of the armed coup in the capital, Brigadier Abdel Kerim Qassem. During the first year of its existence, the republic achieved significant success in internal and foreign policy: Iraq withdrew from the Baghdad Pact, liquidated foreign military bases, denounced agreements with the United States on military and economic issues, and restored diplomatic relations with the USSR. In July 1958, the Provisional Constitution was adopted, proclaiming the equality of all citizens before the law, for the first time women were given equal rights with men, and the activities of public organizations and trade unions, a purge of the state apparatus began, and key figures of the monarchical regime were put on trial.

In September 1958, the law on agrarian reform began to be implemented, undermining the foundations of the semi-feudal exploitation of the peasants. In 1959, the Temporary Plan was approved, and in 1961, the first five-year plan for the development of the national economy. In order to reduce dependence on Western capital, Iraq left the sterling bloc and established control over the activities of foreign companies, including the multinational company Iraq Petroleum Company (IPC). Trade and economic ties were established with socialist countries, primarily with the USSR. These states began to provide assistance to Iraq in the development of the national economy, mainly in the field of industry, infrastructure and in the training of national personnel.

In September 1961, the regime of A.K. Qassem began a war against the Kurdish people in the north of the country. This war continued intermittently for 30 years - until 1991. On February 8, 1963, the regime of A.K. Kassem was overthrown as a result of an armed coup organized by the Baath Party, the Arab Nationalist Movement and the military group of Colonel A.S. Aref.

The new supreme body of power, the National Council of the Revolutionary Command (NRC), appointed A.S. Aref as president of the country, but actual power was in the hands of extremist Baath leaders who occupied key positions in the NRC and the government. During the first period of its stay in power (February-November 1963), PASV showed itself with the most severe repressions unleashed against the communists and other democratic forces of the country. As a result, approx. were killed without trial or investigation. 5 thousand people, and more than 10 thousand were thrown into prisons and concentration camps. Almost the entire leadership of the ICP, including its general secretary Salam Adil, was destroyed.

After the liquidation of its opponents, the Baath regime began a war of extermination against the Kurds in June 1963, during which the civilian population of Kurdistan was subjected to violence and ill-treatment. The anti-people political course of the ruling regime, its complete inability to solve the most important problems countries plunged Iraq into a deep economic crisis. In mid. 1963 all political parties and groups that participated in the overthrow of Qassem abandoned the alliance with PASV. On November 18, 1963, as a result of a military coup, the Baathists were removed from power. A.S.Aref took the posts of president of the country, chairman of the National Socialist Republic of Kazakhstan and commander-in-chief. The short period in power of A.S. Aref, and after his death in a plane crash in 1966 - that of his brother General Abdel Rahman Aref, who previously held the post of Chief of the General Staff of the Iraqi Army, was characterized by a struggle within the ruling bloc. Trying to bring the country out of the crisis, the government expanded cooperation with the UAR, normalized relations with the USSR, and tried to regulate relations with the Kurds. Under the influence of supporters of the development of Iraq along the path of the UAR, on July 14, 1964, laws were adopted on the nationalization of large enterprises in industry and trade, all banks and insurance companies, including branches of foreign banks and insurance companies. However, in reality, the most important problems related to the democratization of society, the Kurdish issue and the economy have not been resolved. A.R. Aref tried to maneuver between various opposition forces to no avail. On July 17-30, 1968, the Baath Party came to power again in Baghdad, carrying out a coup d'etat with the help of the army. A.R. Aref was removed from the post of president. To govern the country, the Revolutionary Command Council (RCC) was established, headed by Brigadier Ahmed Hassan al Bakr, the Secretary General of the Iraqi Ba'ath, who simultaneously took the post of President of the Republic.

The activities of the PASV leadership in 1968-2003, which took into account its sad experience of short-lived rule of the country, can be reduced to several important areas: 1) strengthening social base the ruling party; 2) strengthening the financial and economic base for the socio-economic development of the country and to strengthen the strength of the regime; 3) solution of all remaining major political problems (Kurds, communists, Shiites, activities of bourgeois and nationalist parties and movements) with the aim of weakening and neutralizing them as much as possible; 4) the creation of an authoritarian regime of personal power for President S. Hussein, who in November 1969 became the second person in the state and party; 5) expansion of Iraq's influence in the Middle East region, turning the country into a regional superpower.

With the coming to power of the Baath Party, the “Baathization” of the army officers (completed by the beginning of 1970) and all civilian levels of the state apparatus began to be carried out. The expansion and renewal of the social base was also carried out at the expense of workers, intellectuals, and university students. The activities of trade unions were brought under the control of the Baath, new Baathist mass organizations were created, as well as “people's councils” and the “people's army” (armed units of the party, personally subordinate to S. Hussein).

In 1972-75, Baath carried out the nationalization of the multinational company IPC and its branches in Mosul and Basra. With this, she took complete control of the main thing natural wealth countries - oil. In addition to the foreign policy significance of this step, the nationalization of IPC led to a huge increase in the power of PASV due to the sharp increase in world oil prices. Iraq's revenues from oil exports increased over 13 years (1968-80) by almost 55 times - from 476 million to 26.1 billion US dollars. This gave the Ba'ath a degree of financial power and independence that no previous Iraqi government had had, with the financial stewards being a small group of members of the SRC, among whom was the deputy chairman of the SRC, S. Hussein. Possessing such a serious financial base, the Baath was able to solve a number of important social issues related to improving social security, expanding free medical care, and creating one of the most advanced in the 1970s. educational systems in the Arab world.

In 1970, the Baath invited the PCI to recognize its (Baath) leading role in governing the country and in the activities of mass organizations. In July 1973, the PCI joined the Progressive National Patriotic Front (PNPF) as a Baath partner, depriving itself of the opportunity to publicly criticize the actions of the ruling party. In 1978, when the alliance with the IKP was no longer needed by the Baath (the problems of the Kurds and the nationalization of the IKP were practically resolved), S. Hussein declared the Iraqi communists to be foreign agents, repressions were launched against them, and 31 communist officers were executed. The ICP was forced to go underground, and the PNPF practically collapsed. The problem of the Kurds was “solved” by the adoption of the law of March 11, 1974 on Kurdish autonomy. This “solution” did not suit the Kurds of Iraq at all. In Iraqi Kurdistan, ethnic cleansing began - instead of Kurds, Arabs from the southern regions were resettled to the north of the country. In the 2nd half. 1970s St. was deported from Iraqi Kurdistan. 700 thousand people, destroyed from 1975 to 1988 approx. 4 thousand Kurdish villages.

The problem of the Shiites was also “solved” with harshness. In March 1980, several tens of thousands of Shiite Iraqis of Iranian origin were expelled to Iran. In the same year, on the orders of S. Hussein, the spiritual leader of the Shiites of Iraq, Ayatollah Mohammed Bakr al-Sadr, and his sister were executed. Before these events in the 1970s. Shiite protests in the south of the country were brutally suppressed.

In July 1979, S. Hussein completely seized power in the country, depriving President A.Kh. al-Bakr of all posts. Saddam Hussein's real and potential competitors - a third of the members of the SRC - were shot. Only those who were able to unquestioningly obey their leader were left alive.

In order to strengthen Iraq's power in the region and his own influence, in 1980 Saddam Hussein started a war with Iran, which lasted 8 years. During the war, Iraq lost approx. 200 thousand people and still ok. 300 thousand were injured, and foreign debt amounted to $80 billion.

In August 1990, S. Hussein launched a new war - against Kuwait, declaring it the 19th province of his country. This led to military action by multinational forces of 33 countries against Iraq in January-February 1991. By decision of the UN Security Council, an economic blockade was established against Iraq, which lasted until April 2003. During the blockade, St. died from hunger and disease. 1.5 million Iraqis.

US authorities in recent years demanded that the Iraqi leadership allow UN inspectors expelled from this country in 1998 to check the presence or absence of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) or equipment for their production on Iraqi territory. Iraq has consistently refused these demands. After a series of warnings to Iraq from the United States, on March 18, 2003, US President D. Bush, in the form of an ultimatum, demanded that Saddam Hussein leave Iraq within 48 hours. S. Hussein publicly rejected this demand. On the morning of March 20, 2003, D. Bush announced the start of a military operation against Iraq, called “Shock and Awe.” The Armed Forces of the USA, Great Britain and Australia took part in it. During the operation, which lasted 3 weeks, the number of countries participating in the coalition increased to 45.

China, France, Germany, and India expressed their concern about the start of the war against Iraq. President of the Russian Federation V.V. Putin condemned this military operation. Poland sent troops from European countries to help the American-British coalition. On May 1, 2003, D. Bush announced the end of the war in Iraq. Baghdad was completely captured by US troops on April 9. Iraq's PASV was outlawed.

Before the start of the war, the United States created the Bureau of Reconstruction and humanitarian aid Iraq", transformed into the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq. It included 23 ministries. Each is headed by an American with 4 Iraqi consultants. In May 2003, former US State Department employee Paul Bremer was appointed as the new head of the Provisional Administration. The Iraq Development Fund was established with separate accounts opened at the Central Bank of Iraq. Revenues from the sale of Iraqi oil will have to go to the Fund's accounts and be distributed before the formation of the Iraqi government by the Interim Administration.

The United States plans to transfer power from the Interim Administration to the Iraqi government in 3 stages. Initially, the US military authorities will one by one transfer the cities to the management of the Provisional Administration. At the second stage, power will pass into the hands of the Iraqi Provisional Administration, in which key positions will be occupied by representatives of the Iraqi opposition, but on decisive issues the United States will have the last word. The third stage involves the adoption of a new Constitution, holding elections to the Iraqi parliament and the transfer of all power functions to the Iraqis (except for the ministries of interior and defense - they will be transferred to the Iraqis later).

A temporary division of the country into 3 zones (sectors) of responsibility is planned: the USA, Great Britain and Poland. Peacekeepers from other countries are being assigned to assist the peacekeeping contingents of these three states. It is planned to deploy peacekeepers from 23 countries in the Polish sector (including 1,650 people from Ukraine, sent in July 2003 to the area of ​​Al-Kut, south of Baghdad).

In August 2003, there were 139 thousand US troops in Iraq, 11 thousand from Great Britain and approx. 10 thousand from other 18 states. American military personnel will be present in all zones.

The US Interim Administration has allowed local elections to be held in Iraq. In July 2003, the Provisional Governing Council of Iraq (IGC) was formed in Baghdad, consisting of 25 people representing all major population groups - Shiites, Sunnis, Kurds, and former secular emigrants. On September 1, 2003, the VUS, in agreement with the Provisional Coalition Administration in Iraq, appointed the first cabinet of ministers. The cabinet includes 25 ministers: 13 Shiites, 5 Sunni Arabs, 5 Sunni Kurds, 1 Turkoman and 1 Assyrian Christian. On June 1, 2004, Sunni Ghazi al Yawar, a member of the Supreme Council since July 2003, was appointed to the post of President of Iraq. Shiite member of the Supreme Council Ayad Alawi, who founded the Iraqi National Accord movement in exile in 1991, was appointed Prime Minister.

In August 2003, recruitment of Iraqi citizens into the new national army began. It is expected to increase its number to 40 thousand people. within 3 years. The task is to protect military facilities, power plants, and escort food cargo. The armed units of the two leading Kurdish parties - the KDP and the PUK, which together with the United States participated in the battles against the army of Saddam Hussein, will eventually join the new Iraqi army.

Economy of Iraq

The modern economy of Iraq is a typical example of a national economy existing within the framework of a totalitarian regime and a command-administrative system. As a result of the introduction of sanctions by the UN Security Council, the rate of economic growth has been declining since 1991. If in 1965-73 the average annual growth rate of GDP reached 4.4%, in 1974-80 - 10.4%, then after the introduction of sanctions and the actual cessation of oil exports, GDP production began to decline sharply. The average annual rate of decline in GDP in 1989-93 (in 1980 prices) reached minus 32.3%. Later, according to the UN, growth resumed and the average annual rate was 8.3% in 1995-2003, which was mainly due to the restoration of the oil industry. In 2002, GDP reached (in 1995 prices) 4112 billion US dollars, and GDP per capita (in the same prices) - 165.5 US dollars.

The economically active population was 6 million people in 1997-99. In 1992, 14% were employed in agriculture, 19% in industry, and 67% of the economically active population in the service sector. There is no data on unemployment in Iraq, but since the imposition of UN sanctions, the number of unemployed has increased significantly due to a fall in industrial production, sharp cuts in government spending and inflation. In 1989, inflation in Iraq reached 45%; in 1991 it jumped to approximately 500%. In 1991-95, according to FAO, food prices increased 4,000 times. The resumption of oil exports from Iraq brought inflation down to around 70% in 2000.

Sectoral structure of the economy by the share of industries in GDP (UN estimate, 2002, %, 1995 prices; in brackets - 1989 data in 1980 prices): agriculture, hunting, forestry and fishing - 30.5 (6.9); mining and manufacturing industry - 9.8 (60.8); production of electricity, gas and water supply - 1.0 (1.1); construction - 4.7 (4.8); trade, restaurants and hotels - 16.6 (6.7); transport, communications and warehousing - 19.3 (4.0); finance and insurance - 5.0 (4.1); real estate and business services - 5.2 (2.2), public and personal services - 5.9 (10.0); import duties and other items - 2.1.

In Iraq's industry, the main role belongs to oil production (54.7% of total GDP in 1989), export earnings from which brought up to 95% of all income in foreign currency. The cessation of oil exports by decision of the UN Security Council in August 1990 led to a drop in its production.

Taken in mid. 1970s The course in industry development towards diversification of production and import substitution slowed down in 1980 due to the outbreak of the Iran-Iraq war. During the war years, the state sought to increase production at existing enterprises and reduce imports due to a shortage of foreign currency. Under these conditions, new industries such as mechanical engineering, chemistry and petrochemistry, metallurgy, and paper production developed in Iraq. Those that existed in the beginning also developed on a new technical basis. 1960s industries such as the production of building materials, food, textiles.

After the 1991 war, the electric power industry in Iraq had to be restored almost completely, since the main blow of the multinational forces was aimed at disabling power plants and power lines. The total installed capacity of 30 power plants in the country at the beginning. 1991 amounted to 9552 thousand kW, of which 56% of the capacity was at thermal power plants, approx. 26% - at hydroelectric power stations and 17.6% - at gas turbine stations. During the bombing, 21 power plants were destroyed or damaged. On the line. In 1996, the capacity of operating power plants reached 5,500 thousand kW. Electricity generation reached 30.3 billion kWh in 1998.

Despite the difficulties and obstacles caused by UN sanctions, agriculture in the 1990s. increased its contribution to the creation of GDP. Of approximately 8 million hectares of land suitable for cultivation, 4-5 million hectares are cultivated, approx. 3/4 of the cultivated land is occupied by wheat and barley. The grain deficit, according to FAO estimates, amounted to 5.4 million tons in 1993 and increased in subsequent years. The production of grains and vegetables decreased by 1/3 due to the destruction of irrigation systems, lack of artificial fertilizers, pesticides, agricultural machinery and equipment. In 1996, 1,300 thousand tons of wheat and barley, 797 thousand tons of dates were produced, in 2000 - much less: 384,226 and 400 thousand tons, respectively. At the same time, the volume of livestock production in 1996-2000 increased from 16 thousand tons of sheep and goat meat and 38 thousand tons of poultry meat to 27 thousand and 50 thousand tons, respectively.

Large marine oil terminals Al-Bakr and Khor el-Amaya (Al-Amik) with a design capacity of 1.6 million barrels each. per day, located in the area of ​​the oil export port of Fao, on the coast of the Persian Gulf, servicing oil exports across the southern borders. The main oil pipelines of Iraq: the main “strategic” oil pipeline El Haditha-Ar Rumaila (length - 665 km, throughput- 44 million tons/year in the northern direction and 50 million tons/year in the southern direction) allows oil to be exported both through southern ports and through the ports of Turkey, Syria and Lebanon using the Kirkuk-Keyhan port (Turkey), El Haditha oil pipelines -Baniyas (Syria) and El-Hadita - Tripoli (Lebanon). The Baghdad-Basra oil products pipeline has a length of 545 km (designed to pump 1.5 million tons of oil products per year to the areas of the center and south of the country).

The total length of railways with a gauge of 1435 mm was in the end. 1990s OK. 2500 km. Iraq's railway network consists mainly of three lines: Baghdad-Kirkuk-Erbil; Baghdad-Mosul-Yarubiya (Tell Kochek), connecting Iraq with the railway system of Turkey and Syria and having access to railways Europe; Baghda-Basra-Umm Qasr. In 2000, traffic on the Mosul-Aleppo line was resumed.

The length of all highways in the country is about 1990s St. 45 thousand km. The roads are laid mainly in the meridian direction. The best roads lead from Baghdad to the borders of Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Syria and Iran. Main roads: Baghdad Diwaniyah-Basra; Baghdad-Kut-Amara-Basra; Basra Umm Qasr; Basra Safwan (towards the border with Kuwait); Baghdad-Mosul-Tell Kochek - border with Syria; Baghdad-Mosul-Zakho - border with Turkey: Baghdad_Hanekin and Baghdad-Kirkuk-Erbil-Ravanduz - border with Iran. After the introduction of sanctions, the Baghdad-Ramadi-Rutbah highway - the border with Jordan - was called the “road of life”. It was through Amman and this road that cargo from abroad arrived in Iraq, mainly from Europe, America, and the Russian Federation due to the closure of Iraqi airports after the start of sanctions. The Damascus-Abu Kamal-El Haditha-Ramadi-Baghdad highway plays an important role.

The country has four international airports - in Baghdad, Basra, Mosul and Samawah.

Using the Intersat and Arabsat satellite communication systems, Iraq established direct telephone and telex communications with other countries after 1991. In mid. 1990s Telephone communications (55 automatic telephone exchanges) were provided to 4% of the country's residents (in 1989 - 6.5%).

To the beginning 2003 The Central Bank of Iraq acted on behalf of the state by issuing currency, exercising banking control and managing the currency. The main commercial bank, Rafidain Bank, founded in 1941, the largest in the Arab East in terms of deposits and total assets, acted in the interests of the state, performing functions that the central bank does not perform. It had 228 branches in Iraq and 10 branches abroad. In 1988, Rashid Bank was formed to compete with Rafidain Bank. In 1991, during the liberalization of the banking sector, 4 new banks were formed: Al-Ittimad, Baghdad, Iraqi Commercial and Private Banks. There were 4 state specialized banks: agricultural cooperation (founded in 1936, 47 branches) for medium- and long-term lending to agriculture; industrial (founded in 1940, 8 branches) - lending to state and private industrial companies; real estate bank (founded in 1949, 27 branches) for issuing loans for housing and general construction; socialist (1991) - issuing interest-free loans to civil servants and veterans of the war with Iran. Stock Exchange was opened in Baghdad in March 1992 in connection with government plans to privatize state-owned enterprises.

Structure of Iraq's external debt (creditors and amount of debt in billions of US dollars): Russian Federation - 8.0; France - 8.0; Paris Club (without the participation of the Russian Federation and France) - 9.5; Central Europe - 4.0; Gulf countries - 55; commercial creditors - 4.8; international institutions - 1.1; others (unspecified) - 26.1. Total - $116.5 billion.

Science and culture of Iraq

Education in Iraq is structured according to the following system: primary - 6 years, incomplete secondary - 3 years, complete secondary - another 3 years, i.e. only 12 years old. There are also secondary vocational and pedagogical educational institutions. In 1994/95 academic year There were 8,035 primary schools in Iraq, attended by 3 million children. 2,635 junior and senior secondary schools (all data for 1994/95 and do not include data on Iraqi Kurdistan) educated 1.1 million people. 110 thousand people studied in 274 secondary vocational schools and colleges. 189 thousand people studied at 11 state universities and several technical universities, incl. 50.7 thousand studied at the University of Baghdad, and 53.3 thousand people. - in technical universities. In addition, there are three universities in Iraqi Kurdistan: the largest is in Erbil (Salah ad-Din University). In the end 1990s it had 11 faculties and 7050 students. General management of education is carried out by the Ministry of Education and the Ministry higher education and scientific research.

Besides universities, scientific activity carried out by the Organization for Scientific Research, the Atomic Energy Commission, and the Iraqi Academy of Sciences (established in 1940, studies Arab culture - history, literature, language, poetry, folklore).

In Iraq - the country ancient culture- There are rich museums. The most famous of them are located in Baghdad: the Iraqi Museum, where examples of the culture of the peoples and states of Mesopotamia from the Stone Age to the 7th century are exhibited. AD; Museum of Islamic Culture; Museum of Arabic monuments “Khan-Marjan”; weapons museum; Museum of Contemporary Iraqi Art. In Mosul there is a large historical museum rich in monuments (exhibits from Nineveh, Nimrud, El-Hadar). In total, there were 27 museums in the country in 1994.

The most important monuments of Islamic culture, well preserved in Iraq, are mosques (mostly active) and mausoleums - both Shiite and Sunni, for example the Golden Mosque, the mosque-mausoleum of Imam Abu Hanif in Baghdad, mausoleums in Karbala, Najaf, Samarra.

The territory of modern Iraq is one of the centers of civilization. This land has been inhabited since ancient times and is steeped in history: according to legend, the Tigris and Euphrates originate in the Garden of Eden, and the ancient cultures of Mesopotamia, Assyria, Parthia, Sumer, Akkad and Persia originated here.

The Republic of Iraq is located in the Mesopotamian lowland, in the valley of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. It borders Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Syria, Turkey and Iran. It is washed by the waters of the Persian Gulf.
Iraq has large oil and natural gas reserves.

State symbols

Flag- a rectangular panel of three equal horizontal stripes: top red, middle white and bottom black with the inscription green“God is great” (“Allahu Akbar”) on a white stripe. The ratio of the width of the flag to its length is 2:3. The flag was approved on January 22, 2008.

Coat of arms– includes the Eagle of Saladin, associated with 20th-century Pan-Arabism, a shield with the Iraqi flag and below a scroll with the Arabic words الجمهورية العراقية (“Iraqi Republic”).” The coat of arms was approved in 2008.

Modern government system

Form of government- a parliamentary republic based on the consensus of the three main ethno-religious communities of the Iraqi people: Shia Arabs, Sunni Arabs and Kurds. Under Saddam Hussein's regime, Sunnis largely led the country, and after his overthrow they found themselves in opposition.
The country is currently in a state of political instability.
Head of State- President.
Head of Government- Prime Minister.
Capital- Baghdad.
Largest cities– Baghdad, Mosul.
Official languages– Arabic, New Aramaic, Sorani.
Territory– 437,072 km².
Population– 31,858,481 people. Shiites in Iraq represent 65% of the population, Sunnis – 35%. Shiites live in the south, Kurds live in the north, Christians are dispersed. The Yazidis are an ethno-religious group primarily living in northern Iraq. During the reign of Saddam Hussein, the country's Christian population, numbering 1.8 million in 2003, was protected by the authorities. With the beginning of the American occupation and the reign of anarchy and chaos, the country was overwhelmed by a wave of pogroms directed against Christians and Yazidis, which were accompanied by murders and robberies. The attacking side in this case are both Sunnis and Shiites with Kurds. All this led to a significant outflow of Christians from Iraq and a reduction in the country’s Christian population to 600 thousand people
State religion– Islam. Religious affiliation remains the most important factor in self-identification.
Climate– subtropical Mediterranean.
Currency– Iraqi dinar.
Administrative division– 18 governorates (regions).
Sport– the most popular are weightlifting, freestyle and classic wrestling, football, volleyball and basketball. Among the population, the most popular are wrestling, shooting at a target, and running. There are many stadiums in the country.

Education– universal free secular education at all stages – from kindergarten to university. Primary schooling is compulsory for all children from the age of 6 years. It lasts 6 years and ends with exams, based on which students move on to secondary school. Secondary education includes two three-year levels. After graduation high school You can enroll in technological institutes or universities. In higher educational institutions, preference is given to humanities education. Their graduates often go to work in government agencies. Humanities universities also train specialists in creative professions. The language of instruction is Arabic, with the exception of the northern regions, where in the first grades primary school Training is conducted in Kurdish. English is taught from the fifth grade. There are six universities in Iraq: three in Baghdad and one each in Basra, Mosul and Erbil. 19 technological institutes.

Economy. The basis of the economy is oil exports. The economy developed dynamically in the 70s of the 20th century. But due to the Iran-Iraq war, the economy began to deteriorate and quickly fell into disrepair.
Energy is developed. Most agricultural land is occupied by pastures, because... Iraq's soil is arid and saline. The main crops are wheat, barley and rice. Large areas in river valleys are devoted to date palm plantations.
Livestock: raising sheep and goats, and to a lesser extent cattle, mainly in mountainous areas.
Armed forces – ground forces, navy, air force, special operations forces.

Culture

The clothing varies in detail in different regions of the country, but in general is close to the North Arab Bedouin costume. Men wear tapered, usually white trousers and a long, wide shirt (dishdasha), tied with a belt. In cold weather, a swinging raincoat (aba) is put on top. The headdress is a scarf (jasper), held in place by a woolen rope (agal) twisted around the head. Shoes - wooden or leather sandals; wealthier people wear soft shoes. Rice farmers and fishermen in Southern Iraq often wear only a loincloth.

Women's clothing: pants, long dress(atag) bright colors for young women and dark colors for older women and a silk or woolen cloak (aba). The head is covered with a dark scarf, tied over the forehead with a strip of fabric (chardag). Another scarf (futa) descends from the chin to the chest; women who make pilgrimages to holy places wear a white futa. There is a variety of jewelry and amulets: rings, bracelets, necklaces, pendants, earrings, nose rings and brooches, made from a wide variety of materials.
The food is dominated by dates, barley and wheat cakes, rice, sour milk, and vegetables. Favorite drinks are tea, coffee, fruit sorbets, lemonade - hamoud, sour milk diluted with water and salt.

Musician

Iraqi folk music, known as the music of Mesopotamia, belongs to the music of the Arab world, but contains elements of Turkish, Persian and Indian musical cultures. Songs in colloquial Arabic are popular among mass audiences. Jalil Bashir and some other composers write music for traditional Arabic instruments: udd (lute) and qanun (zither).

Poetry is the most popular genre of literature. fine arts less popular. The country's painters and sculptors work in forms that best reflect the traditions and culture of Iraq. The art of ornamentation and calligraphy is especially developed. Many modern artists create in the style of abstractionism, surrealism, cubism, and symbolism, although their works are not without national features. One of the most famous innovative artists of recent times is Javad Salim, whose work has received international recognition.

Javad Salim (1919-1961)

The largest Iraqi artist, sculptor and graphic artist of the 20th century. One of the creators of modern national art of Iraq. He studied sculpture in Paris, Rome, and studied in London. At the end of the 1940s he finally returned to his homeland.
He is the founder of the Baghdad Association of Contemporary Art. He was one of the initiators of the creation of the Institute of Fine Arts in Baghdad. His most famous work is the “Freedom Monument” (1960), erected in Baghdad in honor of the 1958 revolution.

Painting by D. Salim

All major cities in Iraq have libraries. The largest collection is in the Public Library in Baghdad. There are also public rural libraries.
Baghdad publishes 7 daily newspapers in Arabic or English. A number of state and public organizations have their own press organs.
There is state radio broadcasting, television and cinema. Iraq's film industry is underdeveloped; On average, one full-length film is produced per year. Egyptian, Indian, American and Italian films are popular among viewers.

Nature

Flora

In the western, southwestern and southern regions, the most common subtropical steppe and semi-desert vegetation is wormwood, solyanka, camel thorn, juzgun, and astragalus. In Al Jazeera and the northeast, mixed-herb vegetation predominates. Above 2500 m there are summer pastures. In the mountains in the north and northeast of the country, mountain oak forests have been preserved: oaks, tamaricus, pine, wild pear, pistachio, juniper, etc. At the foot of the mountain ranges, thorny bushes are common.

wild pear

In the floodplain of the Euphrates, Tigris and its tributaries, tugai forest vegetation with shrubby undergrowth, including poplars, willows, and comb grass, is common. In the southeast, large swampy areas are occupied by reed-reed thickets and salt marsh vegetation. In the river valleys of central and southern Iraq, large areas are devoted to date palm plantations.

Fauna

The fauna of Iraq is not very poor. In the steppes and semi-deserts there are gazelle, jackal, striped hyena. Rodents and reptiles are common (monitor lizards and poisonous snake cobra).

Many waterfowl (flamingos, pelicans, ducks, geese, swans, herons, etc.) live along the river banks. There is a lot of fish in the rivers and lakes: carp, carp, catfish, etc. In the Persian Gulf they catch horse mackerel, mackerel, barracuda, and shrimp. There are many insects in Iraq that spread malaria and other diseases, especially mosquitoes and mosquitoes.

UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Iraq

Hatra

A destroyed ancient city as part of the Parthian kingdom, founded BC. e., its heyday occurred in the 1st-2nd centuries, and its destruction occurred in 257. Its ruins are located in Northern Iraq, in the province of Ninewa. The total area of ​​the city was approximately 320 hectares; the city plan was shaped like an oval. It is of historical value, combining Hellenistic and Roman architecture with Arabic decor.

Ashur (city)

The capital of ancient Assyria, the first city built by the Assyrians and named after the Assyrian Supreme God Ashura.
Deterioration of climate on the Arabian Peninsula in the second half of the 3rd millennium BC. e. caused the resettlement of Semitic tribes from there to the middle reaches of the Euphrates and beyond. The northern group of these Semitic settlers were the Assyrians, closely related in origin and language to the tribes settled in that part of Mesopotamia where the Euphrates approaches the Tigris and who received the name Akkadians.

Sanbenito

A city on the eastern bank of the Tigris River, 125 km north of Baghdad. Instead of walls, the city is protected from the north, east and south by ancient irrigation canals. Samarra's name comes from the Arabic phrase "pleasure to the beholder." Some buildings in the city date back to the 5th century. BC
Samarra is considered the holy city of the Shiites, because... The remains of two Askari imams rest in the golden-domed Askari Mosque.

Sights of Iraq

Hanging Gardens of Babylon

The Hanging Gardens of Babylon are one of the Seven Wonders of the World. They were created at the beginning of the 7th century. BC for the wife of the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar II. Presumably they were located in the ancient state of Babylon, near the modern city of Hilla (a city in central Iraq).
Dusty and noisy Babylon, located on a bare sandy plain, did not please the queen, who grew up in mountainous and green Media. To console her, Nebuchadnezzar ordered the construction hanging gardens. But in historical science, the name of the gardens was mistakenly assigned to the Assyrian queen Semiramis, who lived two centuries earlier. Nebuchadnezzar's wife's name was Amitis (or Amanis).

Ziggurat at Ur

The best preserved temple complex of Ancient Mesopotamia. Built in the 21st century. BC e. (c. 2047 BC) in the city of Ur by the local kings Ur-Nammu and Shulgi, as well as the Ekishnugal sanctuary, in honor of the lunar deity Nanna. Subsequently, it was rebuilt more than once and was significantly expanded by the Neo-Babylonian king Nabonidus. Base temple complex– 64x46 m, height – up to 30 m.

Imam Hussein Shrine

One of the oldest mosques in the world and a holy place for Shiites in the city of Karbala. It stands on the site of the tomb of Hussein ibn Ali, the second grandson of Muhammad, near the place where he was killed during the Battle of Karbala in 680 AD. The Tomb of Hussein ibn Ali is one of the holiest sites for Shiites outside of Mecca and Medina, and many make a pilgrimage to the site every year.

National Museum of Iraq (Baghdad)

Al-Shahid Monument (Baghdad)

Also known as the Martyr's Memorial. Dedicated to Iraqi soldiers who died in the Iran-Iraq War. The monument was opened in 1983. The authors are Iraqi architect Saman Kamal and Iraqi sculptor and artist Ismail Fattah al-Turk.

The monument consists of a circular platform 190 m in diameter in the center of an artificial lake. On the platform there is a huge 40-meter turquoise dome. The two halves of the split dome are shifted, in the middle of them is an eternal flame.
The rest of the monument area consists of a park, playground, parking lot, sidewalks, bridge and lake.
The museum, library, cafeteria, lecture hall and exhibition gallery are located on two levels under the domes.

Baghdad Zoo

Opened in 1971. During the Gulf War it was badly damaged, but was not closed and continued to operate until 2002, when Saddam Hussein closed it for reconstruction. During the invasion of coalition forces in 2003, the zoo suffered severe destruction, and zoo staff abandoned it, leaving the animals behind. During the Battle of Baghdad, out of about 700 animals living in the zoo at that time, only 35 survived. The zoo suffered greatly from looters. After the zoo was restored with the support of US Army engineers, it opened on July 20 of that year. At the time of opening, the zoo had 86 animals, including 19 surviving lions. Now the number of animals is more than a thousand.

Story

Iraq in ancient times

In the region of Mesopotamia, in the valley of the Tigris and Euphrates, several ancient civilizations arose (Akkad, Babylonia and Assyria). This was due to the fertility of the local soils. The first states on these lands appeared in the 4th millennium BC. e. The territory of modern Iraq was part of Persia and the Seleucid state.
The Arabs conquered Mesopotamia in 636, and they brought Islam with them.
In 762, Baghdad became the center of the Arab Caliphate and remained so until the Mongol invasion in 1258 - Baghdad was destroyed and the Caliph was killed.

Iraq under the Ottoman Empire

In 1534, the territory of Mesopotamia was conquered by the Ottoman Turks and became part of the Ottoman Empire as a province called Ottoman Iraq. The province existed until 1918.
British troops invaded southern Iraq in 1914 and by 1918 had taken control of almost all of Iraq.
In 1921, the Kingdom of Iraq was proclaimed, which existed until 1932.

Iraqi independence

In 1932, Iraq declared its independence, but real power largely remained with Great Britain; the oil fields were under the concession of the Turkish Petroleum consortium.
In 1948, according to the Portsmouth Treaty imposed by the British government, Great Britain received the right to occupy the country in the event of a military threat. In 1955, Iraq signed the Baghdad Pact (a military-political grouping in the Near and Middle East, created on the initiative of Great Britain, the USA and Turkey, which existed in 1955-1979)
In 1958, Iraq formed a single Arab Federation with the Kingdom of Jordan. As a result of a conspiracy of officers and a revolution in July of the same year, the king, regent and prime minister of the country were killed, the monarchy was destroyed, and Iraq was proclaimed a republic.

Abdel Kerim Qassem

The head of the new regime was the commander of the Iraqi army brigade, Abdel Kerim Qassem. The Arab Federation collapsed. In 1961, Iraq withdrew from the Baghdad Pact, British military bases in the country were closed. But the rule of General Kassem develops into a dictatorship and politically moves closer to the communists.
On September 11, 1961, the Kurdish uprising began under the leadership of Mustafa Barzani. Free Kurdistan arose and existed until March 1975.

Mustafa Barzani

In 1963, a coup took place and the Arab Socialist Renaissance Party (BAath) came to power. Qassem was executed, and mass repressions against the communists began. Saddam Hussein, who returned from exile from Cairo, condemned the then Ba'ath leadership for these repressions.
In November 1963, a military junta led by Abdel Salam Aref came to power. Many Ba'ath leaders were executed, and Saddam Hussein was arrested and tortured in prison.
In 1968, the Baath Party regained power and entered into an alliance with the Iraqi Communist Party.
On March 11, 1970, the Kurdish-Iraqi agreement was concluded on the formation of an autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan. In March 1974, Baghdad, without the consent of the Kurds, published its version of the autonomy law. In response, Barzani raises a new uprising.
In March 1975, in Algeria, Saddam Hussein and the Shah of Iran entered into an agreement, and after that the Shah stopped supporting Barzani. The Kurdish uprising failed and Free Kurdistan was liquidated.
On July 11, 1979, a palace coup took place in Baghdad with the resignation of President al-Bakr, and the presidency was held by Saddam Hussein until 2003.
In 1979, the Iraqi Communist Party went underground and began a guerrilla war in the mountains of Iraqi Kurdistan, in which Kurdish nationalists gradually began to participate.

Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988)

Reasons: ethnic and religious, political and economic, ideological and personal. The struggle for dominance in the region, the fragility of national cohesion and the arbitrary approach to the creation of “states” and the determination of their borders on the map of the Ottoman Empire, which ceased to exist after the First World War. Geography was at the center of the conflict.

On the streets of Baghdad

The war began on September 22, 1980, with the Iraqi army's invasion of the Iranian province of Khuzestan. By the summer of 1982, Iran had returned the territories occupied by Iraq, after which the sides began a war of attrition. The truce that ended the war was signed on August 20, 1988 and restored the pre-war situation.
In terms of duration, resources involved and human casualties, the Iran-Iraq War is one of the largest military conflicts since World War II. During the war it was actively used chemical weapons.
June 7, 1981 14 Israeli fighter-bombers destroy two Iraqi nuclear reactor(Operation Opera), operational and under construction, as well as associated research laboratories. The reactors were created with the help of France.
In 1987-1989 the Iraqi army fought against partisan detachments Iraqi communists and Kurds fought the Anfal military campaign, which involved the use of chemical weapons. Between 100,000 and 180,000 civilians were killed during the operation.
On August 2, 1990, the Iraqi army invaded Kuwait, which was occupied and annexed by Iraq.
February 28, 1991 after 5 weeks aerial bombings and 4 days of ground war, Kuwait was liberated by the forces of an international coalition led by the United States.
After the events in New York on September 11, 2001, US President George W. Bush accused Iraq, among other “rogue countries,” of supporting international terrorism and attempting to develop weapons of mass destruction. In a private conversation, George W. Bush said: “God directed me to strike Saddam.” Thus began the Iraq War.

Iraq War

This is a military conflict that began with the invasion of Iraq by US forces and its allies to overthrow the regime of Saddam Hussein.
The invasion took place on March 20, 2003 (main participants US and UK) to overthrow Saddam Hussein and to destroy weapons of mass destruction that were never discovered. On May 1, George W. Bush aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln proclaimed, “The tyrant has fallen, Iraq is free!” and declared the war won. The American Jay Garner became the head of the provisional administration of Iraq, then Paul Bremer.

Destroyed Iraqi T-72 tank

Shiite extremist groups and the Iraqi Communist Party emerged from the underground. The Baath Party went underground and organized a guerrilla war.
The Americans killed Saddam's two sons and his 14-year-old grandson, first in a firefight and then by air bombing the house where they were hiding.
Started in the summer of 2003 guerrilla warfare, which reached its maximum by the summer of 2007.
December 30, 2006 former president Iraq's Saddam Hussein was executed by hanging.

Saddam Hussein (1937-2006)

Saddam Hussein is one of the most controversial figures of the 20th century. In Iraq he was hated, feared and idolized. During the 1970s, he was the most popular figure in Iraq. Under him, the standard of living of Iraqis increased sharply, which was associated with the nationalization of Iraqi oil wealth. The Iraqi government invested huge revenues from oil exports into economic and social development.
But, having become president of the country, he plunged the country into a war with Iran, this war destroyed the Iraqi economy. He occupied neighboring Kuwait and became worst enemy represented by the West and the USA. Sanctions were imposed on Iraq, which worsened the standard of living of Iraqis, and this changed the opinion of the president.
He suppressed all dissent, carried out repressions against his enemies: he brutally suppressed the uprisings of Shiites and Kurds in 1991, dealt blows to the Kurdish resistance in 1987-1988, with the help of dexterity and intrigue he got rid of real and potential enemies, etc.
Saddam Hussein said about himself: “I don’t care what they say about me now. I care what they will say about me four to five hundred centuries after my death.”
5 years after the fall of Saddam Hussein, violence in the country does not subside, his times are remembered.
The winning parties in the 2010 elections were mired in endless squabbles. On December 18, 2011, the last US forces withdrew from Iraq. The remaining military personnel, as well as Iraqi army officers, guard the US Embassy.

Iraq

Prepared by:

Kozachenkov Andrey

Business Card

official name- Republic of Iraq

S- 437,072 km²

Population- 31 858 48

Form of government– Parliamentary republic

Capital– Baghdad

Economic – Geographical position of Iraq

A state in the Middle East, in the Mesopotamian lowland, in the valley of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. It borders on the southeast with Kuwait, on the south with Saudi Arabia, on the west on Jordan and Syria, on the north on Turkey and on the east on Iran. The territory of Iraq is washed by the waters of the Persian Gulf in the southeast of the country. It has a very favorable economic and geographical position. The neighboring countries are rich and moderately developed. Iraq and its neighbors are members of OPEC.

Climate and Relief of Iraq

Relief

Most of Iraq is located within the Mesopotamian Lowland, which is a foredeep that separates the Precambrian Arabian Platform and the young highlands of the Alpine-Himalayan Mobile Belt. The northern part of the Mesopotamian Lowland is a denudation-accumulative plain with a height of 200-500 m, complicated by individual remnant massifs up to 1460 m high (the Sinjar Mountains), the southern part of Mesopotamia is a swampy alluvial lowland with a height of no more than 100 m. The edge of the Arabian Platform, entering Iraq from southwest, located within the Syrian-Arabian plateau with a height of up to 900 m, occupied by the Syrian Desert and the Al-Hijjar Desert. In the north of Iraq stretch the low ridges of the Armenian Highlands, passing in the northeast of the country into the medium-high ridges of the Iranian Highlands with the highest point of Iraq - Mount Haji Ibrahim (3587 m). These mountainous areas are characterized by increased seismicity.

Climate

The climate in Iraq is continental, with dry and exceptionally hot summers and relatively rainy, cool winters, subtropical in the north, tropical in the south. Average January temperatures increase from north to south from 7 to 12 °C (there is snow in the mountains), average July temperatures are 34 °C everywhere (on some days they can reach 48 °C). Annual precipitation is 50-150 mm on the plains and up to 1500 mm in the mountains. Dust storms are common in the south in summer.

Minerals

The main mineral resources of Iraq are oil and gas, the deposits of which stretch from the northwest to the southeast of the country along the Mesopotamian foredeep and belong to the oil and gas basin of the Persian Gulf. In the Syrian Desert, phosphorite deposits belonging to the East Mediterranean phosphorite basin are industrially significant. The country also has deposits of sulfur, gypsum, talc, asbestos, table salt, clay, limestone, chromite, iron, lead-zinc, copper, nickel ores and other minerals.

Population of Iraq

Ethno-religious groups of Iraq Shiite Arabs

Sunni Arabs

Assyrians

Turkomans

According to 2009 estimates, Iraq has approximately 31 million inhabitants.

According to some sources, Shiites in Iraq represent 65% of the population, Sunnis - 35% (obviously, this means only the Muslim population). According to other sources (1997 census, the results of which were transferred to the UN), in the country, on the contrary, there are 66% Sunnis and 34% Shiites

During the reign of Saddam Hussein, the country's Christian population, numbering 1.8 million in 2003, was protected by the authorities. With the beginning of the American occupation and the reign of anarchy and chaos, the country was overwhelmed by a wave of pogroms directed against Christians and Yazidis, which were accompanied by murders and robberies. The attacking side in this case are both Sunnis and Shiites with Kurds.

E.p. = 24.49 ‰

The balance of migration is positive

Population density - 69.4 people / km 2

Urbanization - 66%

Economy of Iraq

Industry:

The main sectors of the public sector in Iraq are: metalworking, electricity, gas, cement, textile, electrical and food industries. The country is also involved in the production of synthetic fibers and the assembly of trucks, buses and engines.

Agriculture in Iraq

The area of ​​land suitable for agriculture is about 5,450 thousand hectares (1/8 of the territory of Iraq). About 4,000 thousand hectares are pastures. The remaining lands are unsuitable for agriculture. This is due to their aridity and salinity.

Crop production: wheat, barley and rice.

Livestock: breeding sheep and goats, as well as cattle. It is developed mainly in the mountainous regions of the country.