1 January 1960 (from French-administered UN trusteeship)
3 October 1932 (from League of Nations mandate under British administration); note - on 28 June 2004 the Coalition Provisional Authority transferred sovereignty to the Iraqi-controlled Government
Religions
indigenous beliefs 40%, Christian 40%, Muslim 20%
Muslim 97% (Shia 60%-65%, Sunni 32%-37%), Christian or other 3%
Languages
24 major African language groups, English (official), French (official)
Arabic, Kurdish (official in Kurdish regions), Turkoman (a Turkish dialect), Assyrian (Neo-Aramaic), Armenian
crude oil 84%, crude materials excluding fuels 8%, food and live animals 5%
External Debt
$3,147,000,000 $
$50,790,000,000 US
Exchange Rate
Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XAF) per US dollar 438.77 (2008 est.), 493.51 (2007), 522.59 (2006), 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004)
New Iraqi dinars (NID) per US dollar - 1,176 (2008), 1,255 (2007), 1,466 (2006), 1,475 (2005), 1,890 (second half, 2003)
Military Budget as percentage of GDP
1.300%
8.600%
Beijing Olympics Medal Count
1
0
Location
Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Biafra, between Equatorial Guinea and Nigeria
Middle East, bordering the Persian Gulf, between Iran and Kuwait
Area
475,440 km sq
438,317 km sq
Coastline
402 km
58 km
Climate
varies with terrain, from tropical along coast to semiarid and hot in north
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
