22 Interesting Facts about Iraq

Iraq was once home to some of the earliest known civilizations (Mesopotamia), but it has been a battlefield for competing forces since the United States declared war on the President of Iraq, Saddam Hussein, in 2003. If we see the other side of the book, Iraq is a beautiful country with a vibrant culture, rich history and is inhabited by strong and resilient people. The nation has arid desert land in the west of the Euphrates, mountains in the northeast, and a broad central valley between the Euphrates and the Tigris.

1. The country has two main rivers flowing from the country: Euphrates (2800 km) and Tigris (1850 km).
2. Iraq shares borders with six countries: Syria, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Iran, Turkey, and Kuwait.
3. During the first world war, the British seized Iraq and ruled the country from the year 1914 to 1932.
4. Football (soccer) is the national sport of Iraq.
5. The official name of the country is the Republic of Iraq. The country name is taken from the Arabic language in the 6th century, meaning fertile, deeply rooted, and well-watered.
6. Saddam Hussian became the dictator of the country in 1979. He attempted to invade Iraq and Kuwait in 1990 but failed on both the invasions. On December 30, 2006, he was hanged after being convicted of crimes against humanity by the Iraqi Special Tribunal for being responsible for killing 148 Iraqi Shi’ites in the town of Dujail in 1982.
7. The first written system was invented in Mesopotamia, Iraq, in 3200 BC, which is known as the cuneiform script.
8. The bunker of Saddam Hussian was built by the grandson of the women who made the bunker for Adolf Hitler.
9. The country has one of the least coastlines in the world, having only 56 km (35 miles) which is known as the Persian Gulf.
10. Iraq has the 5th largest oil reserve in the world, with 143 billion barrels of oil.
11. Iraq has 97% Muslim comprising 64.4% Shia, and 30.9% are Sunni. Over 1.21% of people follow Christianity, and 3.49% are of other religions.
12. It is the 6th largest date-producing country globally, producing about 620 metric tonnes of dates every year.
13. Cheek Dar Mountain is the highest mountain peak in Iraq, with an elevation of 11,834 ft (3,611 meters).
14. The goat is the national animal of Iraq.
15. Total 1.9% or about 825,000 hectares of land of Iraq is covered in forests.
16. In 2013, the first national park was introduced, named Mesopotamia Marshland National Park.
17. Chukar partridge is the national bird of the country.
18. The top 5 exports of the country are Crude Petroleum ($82.1 Billion), Refined Petroleum ($3.38 Billion), Gold ($1.38 Billion), Tropical Fruits ($104 Million), and Petroleum Coke ($65.3 Million).
19. The top 5 imports of Iraq are Broadcasting Equipment ($3.76 Billion), Jewellery ($2.28 Billion), Cars ($1.67 Billion), Rolled Tobacco ($1.66 Billion), and Refined Petroleum ($1.62 Billion).
20. Just 11.52% of the total land of Iraq is arable land.
21. Eridu is one of the oldest permanent settlements in the world. It is about 4500 years old and was in Mesopotamia.
22. Lake Tharthar is the biggest lake in the country and is stretched in 120 kilometers of land.