With an area of 438,317 square kilometres Iraq has population of 26 million. Baghdad is the capital and largest city.

Iraq has sometimes been called the ‘heart of the Middle East’. It is surrounded by six other nations of the Middle East, the part of the world where Africa and Asia meet. The region has attracted human settlement for thousands of years.

Iraq shares borders with six nations. Iran is to the east, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait are to the south, Jordan and Syria are to the west, and Turkey is to the north. There are three distinct cultural groups. The Shia Muslims dominate in the south, the Sunni Muslims are most significant in central Iraq, and the Kurds hold the majority in the north.

Most of Iraq is relatively low and flat, rarely rising to more than 300 metres above the sea level. In north-eastern Iraq there are rolling hills and mountains. Iraq can be divided into four regions: the desert, highlands, the mountains, and the floodplains of the Tigris and Euphrates.

Approximately one-half of Iraq is covered by an inhospitable desert. Because rainfall is so scarce, there is little natural vegetation. The only human settlements are a few small villages.

For much of the last century, Iraq’s economy has been driven by oil. The oil business in the country has had its ups and downs because of war. Iraq is believed to have the world’s second-largest oil reserves. Current proven oil reserves are more than 110 billion barrels. Most geologists estimate that the reserves will exceed 200 billion barrels.