55 Facts About Iraq

Iraq is a country in Western Asia that is officially known as the Republic of Iraq.

It has a total area of 438,317 square kilometres.

Baghdad is the country's capital and largest city.

Its official languages are Arabic and Kurdish.

The Iraqi dinar is the country's official currency (IQD).

Turkey, Iran, Kuwait, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Syria are its six neighbours.

Iraq means "deeply rooted, well watered; fertile" in Arabic. Since before the sixth century, the name has been in use.

Iraq was ruled by the British for 17 years and the Ottomans for centuries.

On October 3, 1932, it declared independence from the United Kingdom.

The phrase "Allahu Akbar" was added to Iraq's flag in green Arabic script in 1991.

The metric system of weights and measures is the country's legal standard.

Iraq has only won one bronze medal in the Olympic Games since its inception in 1948 (from the 1960 games).

General Saddam Hussein took over as Iraq's dictator in 1979.

In 1980, Saddam Hussein invaded Iran, and in 1990, he invaded Kuwait. However, both invasions were failures, draining Iraq's resources and burdening its economy.

On December 30, 2006, Saddam Hussein was hanged for crimes against humanity.

Saddam Hussein was an ally of the United States during the 1980s Iraq-Iran war.

In Baghdad, the al-Shaheed Monument was built in memory of Iraqi soldiers who died during the Iraq-Iran war.

Since the Gulf War, there has been an increase in the number of women sold into sex slavery.

The underground bunkers built for Saddam Hussein were said to be virtually indestructible, withstanding a direct hit from a 2,000-kilogram TNT bomb. And the bunkers were up to 90 metres underground.

The same company that built Saddam Hussein's bunkers also built air-raid shelters for Adolf Hitler's Third Reich.

The bunker built specifically for Iraq's fifth President (Saddam Hussein) was more than just a place to hide during the war. It also had amenities like a swimming pool, a recreation room, a gourmet kitchen, and a nursery for Saddam Hussein's grandchildren.

The "war room" was another addition to this cutting-edge bunker. The room was outfitted with cutting-edge technology, allowing the dictator to monitor activities above ground.

Yugoslav engineers built the underground tunnels and bunkers for Iraq's dictator between the 1970s and 1980s.

Baghdad had a legendary network of underground tunnels that stretched for kilometres. It was large enough to house thousands of Iraqis, hospitals, and even military command posts.

The bunkers and tunnels were built on General Saddam Hussein's orders to protect him in the event of a war. The cost of constructing these bunkers was paid for with oil.

Iraq also has the world's first writing system and written history.

Iraq has a 58-kilometer-long coastline on the northern Persian Gulf.

Iraq's two major rivers are the Tigris and Euphrates. These rivers significantly contribute to the fertile land of Iraq.

Mesopotamia, the region (roughly equivalent to modern-day Iraq, also known as the "land between the rivers") between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, is regarded as one of the cradles of civilization.

Throughout history, Iraq has been home to indigenous Akkadian, Assyrian, Babylonian, and Sumerian empires.

Iraq has the world's fifth largest oil reserves (approximately 150 billion barrels). Venezuela has the most oil in the world, with 298 billion barrels.

Shia Muslims are the majority in Iraq.

According to Islamic traditions, Noah's ark was built in the Iraqi city of Kufa. Prophet Nuh/Noah built the ark (P.B.U.H).

A rare phenomenon that brought rain and hail storms caused a river of frozen water to flow through Iraq's desert.

The Iraqi Constitution is the country's fundamental law.

During the Islamic Golden Age, Baghdad was the centre of learning and the largest multicultural city in the Middle Ages.

In 1927, the country's first productive oil well was drilled in Baba dome.

Iraqi women are twice as illiterate as Iraqi men.

The Iraq war began on March 20, 2003.

A coalition of 35 countries supported the invasion, with the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia playing key roles.

Initially, several precision bombs were dropped on bunkers where Saddam Hussein was thought to be meeting with senior officials.

US forces took control of Baghdad's international airport on April 4th.

By early 2007, at least 3000 US troops and hundreds of soldiers from other coalition countries had been killed.

The Second Persian Gulf War is another name for the Iraq war.

During the first three to four years of the war, an estimated 151,000 to 600,000 Iraqis were killed.

In December 2003, US forces captured Saddam Hussein. "Operation Red Dawn" was the name of the operation.

Before going to war, President Bush claimed that Iraq was developing weapons of mass destruction that could endanger global security. However, no such evidence of the production of weapons of mass destruction was discovered in Iraq. As a result, the president's claim became a major political talking point in the United States in 2004.

'Maqam' is Iraqi traditional music based on Arabic poetry.

Eating with the left hand is considered offensive in Iraq.

In Iraq, nearly half of all married couples are first or second cousins.

According to archaeologist Leonard Woolley,'reading fortunes in the constellations' and 'the fear of black cats' were all invented in Iraq.

Honey production and trade is a major industry in Iraq. In the country, honey is regarded as a miracle cure, capable of curing headaches, arthritis, and a variety of other ailments.

Iraq is one of the world's top three date-producing countries.

The Epic of Gilgamesh is a poem written in ancient Mesopotamia, Iraq. It is frequently regarded as the first great work of literature to have survived (dating back to circa 2100 BC).

In 1979, Iraq banned karate films.