rian Syria over
Euphrates water rights; potential dispute over water development plans by
Turkey for the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers

_#_Climate: desert; mild to cool winters with dry, hot, cloudless
summers

_#_Terrain: mostly broad plains; reedy marshes in southeast; mountains
along borders with Iran and Turkey

_#_Natural resources: crude oil, natural gas, phosphates, sulfur

_#_Land use: arable land 12%; permanent crops 1%; meadows and pastures
9%; forest and woodland 3%; other 75%; includes irrigated 4%

_#_Environment: development of Tigris-Euphrates river systems
contingent upon agreements with upstream riparians (Syria, Turkey); air
and water pollution; soil degradation (salinization) and erosion;
desertification

_*_People
_#_Population: 19,524,718 (July 1991), growth rate 3.9% (1991)

_#_Birth rate: 46 births/1,000 population (1991)

_#_Death rate: 7 deaths/1,000 population (1991)

_#_Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1991)

_#_Infant mortality rate: 66 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)

_#_Life expectancy at birth: 66 years male, 68 years female (1991)

_#_Total fertility rate: 7.2 children born/woman (1991)

_#_Nationality: noun--Iraqi(s); adjective--Iraqi

_#_Ethnic divisions: Arab 75-80%, Kurdish 15-20%, Turkoman, Assyrian
or other 5%

_#_Religion: Muslim 97%, (Shia 60-65%, Sunni 32-37%), Christian
or other 3%

_#_Language: Arabic (official), Kurdish (official in Kurdish regions),
Assyrian, Armenian

_#_Literacy: 60% (male 70%, female 49%) age 15 and over can
read and write (1990 est.)

_#_Labor force: 4,400,000 (1989); services 48%, agriculture 30%,
industry 22%, severe labor shortage; expatriate labor force about
1,600,000 (July 1990)

_#_Organized labor: less than 10% of the labor force

_*_Government
_#_Long-form name: Republic of Iraq

_#_Type: republic

_#_Capital: Baghdad

_#_Administrative divisions: 18 provinces (muhafazat,
singular--muhafazah); Al Anbar, Al Basrah, Al Muthanna,
Al Qadisiyah, An Najaf, Arbil, As Sulaymaniyah, At
Tamim, Babil, Baghdad, Dahuk, Dhi Qar, Diyala,
Karbala, Maysan, Ninawa, Salah ad Din, Wasit

_#_Independence: 3 October 1932 (from League of Nations mandate under
British administration)

_#_Constitution: 22 September 1968, effective 16 July 1970 (interim
Constitution); new constitution drafted in 1990 but not adopted

_#_Legal system: based on Islamic law in special relig