Population: 23,331,985 (July 2001 est.)

Languages: Arabic, Kurdish (official in Kurdish regions), Assyrian, Armenian

Background: Formerly part of the Ottoman Empire, Iraq became an independent kingdom in 1932. A "republic" was proclaimed in 1958, but in actuality a series of military strongmen have ruled the country since then, the latest being SADDAM Husayn. Territorial...

Currency: Iraqi dinar (IQD, No information)

Data from CIA World Factbook. Click on CIA link for more. Click on map or flag for larger images.