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Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia and in the geopolitical region known as the Middle East. With a population of over 46 million, it is the 30st-most populous country. It is a federal parliamentary republic that consists of 18 governorates.
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Iraq, country of southwestern Asia.
During ancient times, lands that now constitute Iraq were known as Mesopotamia (“Land Between the Rivers”), a region whose extensive alluvial plains gave rise to some of the world’s earliest civilizations, including those of Sumer, Akkad, Babylon, and Assyria. This wealthy region, comprising much of what is called the Fertile Crescent, later became a valuable part of larger imperial polities, including sundry Persian, Greek, and Roman dynasties, and after the 7th century it became a central and integral part of the Islamic world. Iraq’s capital, Baghdad, became the capital of the Abbasid Caliphate in the 8th century. The modern nation-state of Iraq was created following World War I (1914–18) from the Ottoman provinces of Baghdad, Basra, and Mosul and derives its name from the Arabic term used in the premodern period to describe a region that roughly corresponded to Mesopotamia (ʿIrāq ʿArabī, “Arabian Iraq”) and modern northwestern Iran (ʿIrāq ʿAjamī, “foreign [i.e., Persian] Iraq”).
Iraq is one of the easternmost countries of the Arab world, located at about the same latitude as the southern United States. It is bordered to the north by Turkey, to the east by Iran, to the west by Syria and Jordan, and to the south by Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. Iraq has 36 miles (58 km) of coastline along the northern end of the Persian Gulf, giving it a tiny sliver of territorial sea. Followed by Jordan, it is thus the Middle Eastern state with the least access to the sea and offshore sovereignty.
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Iraq’s topography can be divided into four physiographic regions: the alluvial plains of the central and southeastern parts of the country; Al-Jazīrah (Arabic: “the Island”), an upland region in the north between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers; deserts in the west and south; and the highlands in the northeast. Each of these regions extends into ne...
2 days ago · Iraq War, conflict in Iraq (2003–11) that consisted of two phases: a conventionally fought war in March–April 2003, in which a combined force of troops primarily from the United States and Great Britain invaded Iraq and defeated Iraqi military forces, and a second phase consisting of a U.S.-led occupation of Iraq.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
- U.S. President George W. Bush argued that the vulnerability of the United States following the September 11 attacks of 2001, combined with Iraq’s a...
- The Iraq War, also called the Second Persian Gulf War, began on March 20, 2003.
- U.S. President George W. Bush argued for launching a military attack on Iraq. On March 17, 2003, Bush declared an end to diplomacy and issued an ul...
- The U.S. military formally declared the end of the Iraq War in a ceremony in Baghdad on December 15, 2011, as U.S. troops prepared to withdraw from...
Apr 15, 2024 · President Biden hosted Iraqi Prime Minister al-Sudani at the White House to discuss U.S.-Iraq relations and regional stability. The meeting came after Iran's aerial assault on Israel and U.S. airstrikes on Iran-backed groups in Iraq and Syria.
May 4, 2024 · Stay on top of Iraq latest developments on the ground with Al Jazeera’s fact-based news, exclusive video footage, photos and updated maps.
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BAGHDAD (AP) — It’s been 20 years since the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq began. Here are some key dates from the invasion and following developments. March 20, 2003: The invasion is launched, and Baghdad is attacked with missiles and bombs in an attempt to target Saddam Hussein and bring down the government.
May 22, 2024 · A comprehensive overview of Iraq's geography, people, society, government, economy, and history. Learn about Iraq's location, climate, natural resources, ethnic groups, languages, religions, and more.
