Geography Iraq
Location	Middle East, bordering the Arab Gulf, between Iran and Kuwait
Geographic coordinates	33 00 N, 44 00 E
Map references	Middle East
Area	total: 437,072 sq km land: 432,162 sq km water: 4,910 sq km
Land boundaries	total: 3,650 km border countries: Iran 1,458 km, Jordan 181 km, Kuwait 240 km, Saudi Arabia 814 km, Syria 605 km, Turkey 352 km
Coastline	58 km
Maritime claims	territorial sea: 12 nm continental shelf: not specified
Climate	mostly desert; 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
Terrain	mostly broad plains; reedy marshes along Iranian border in south with large flooded areas; mountains along borders with Iran and Turkey
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Arab Gulf 0 m highest point: unnamed peak; 3,611 m; note - this peak is not Gundah Zhur 3,607 m or Kuh-e Hajji-Ebrahim 3,595 m
Natural resources	dust storms, sandstorms, floods
Environment - current issues	government water control projects have drained most of the inhabited marsh areas east of An Nasiriyah by drying up or diverting the feeder streams and rivers; a once sizable population of Marsh Arabs, who inhabited these areas for thousands of years, has been displaced; furthermore, the destruction of the natural habitat poses serious threats to the area's wildlife populations; inadequate supplies of potable water; development of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers system contingent upon agreements with upstream riparian Turkey; air and water pollution; soil degradation (salination) and erosion; desertification
Geography - note	strategic location on Shatt al Arab waterway and at the head of the Arab Gulf

People Iraq
Population	28,221,181 (July 2008 est.)
Age structure	0-14 years: 39.2% (male 5,613,420/female 5,438,770) 15-64 years: 57.9% (male 8,270,573/female 8,057,423) 65 years and over: 3% (male 396,751/female 444,244) (2008 est.)
Median age	total: 20.2 years male: 20.1 years female: 20.2 years (2008 est.)
Population growth rate	2.562% (2008 est.)
Birth rate	30.77 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death rate	5.14 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Net migration rate	NA
Sex ratio	at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.89 male(s)/female total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2008 est.)
Infant mortality rate	total: 45.43 deaths/1,000 live births male: 51.06 deaths/1,000 live births female: 39.53 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
Life expectancy at birth	total population: 69.62 years male: 68.32 years female: 70.99 years (2008 est.)
Total fertility rate	3.97 children born/woman (2008 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate	less than 0.1% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS	NA
Nationality	noun: Iraqi(s) adjective: Iraqi
Ethnic groups	Arab 75%-80%, Kurdish 15%-20%, Turkoman, Assyrian or other 5%
Religions	Muslim 97% (Shi'a 60%-65%, Sunni 32%-37%), Christian or other 3%
Languages	Arabic, Kurdish (official in Kurdish regions), Assyrian, Armenian
Literacy	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 40.4% male: 55.9% female: 24.4% (2003 est.)