istration. In stages over the next
dozen years, Iraq attained its independence as a kingdom in 1932. A
"republic" was proclaimed in 1958, but in actuality a series of
military strongmen ruled the country until 2003, the last was SADDAM
Husayn. Territorial disputes with Iran led to an inconclusive and
costly eight-year war (1980-88). In August 1990, Iraq seized Kuwait,
but was expelled by US-led, UN coalition forces during the Gulf War
of January-February 1991. Following Kuwait's liberation, the UN
Security Council (UNSC) required Iraq to scrap all weapons of mass
destruction and long-range missiles and to allow UN verification
inspections. Continued Iraqi noncompliance with UNSC resolutions
over a period of 12 years led to the US-led invasion of Iraq in
March 2003 and the ouster of the SADDAM Husayn regime. Coalition
forces remain in Iraq under a UNSC mandate, helping to provide
security and to support the freely elected government. The Coalition
Provisional Authority, which temporarily administered Iraq after the
invasion, transferred full governmental authority on 28 June 2004 to
the Iraqi Interim Government, which governed under the Transitional
Administrative Law for Iraq (TAL). Under the TAL, elections for a
275-member Transitional National Assembly (TNA) were held in Iraq on
30 January 2005. Following these elections, the Iraqi Transitional
Government (ITG) assumed office. The TNA was charged with drafting
Iraq's permanent constitution, which was approved in a 15 October
2005 constitutional referendum. An election under the constitution
for a 275-member Council of Representatives (CoR) was held on 15
December 2005. The CoR approval in the selection of most of the
cabinet ministers on 20 May 2006 marked the transition from the ITG
to Iraq's first constitutional government in nearly a half-century.

Geography Iraq

Location:
Middle East, bordering the Persian Gulf, between Iran and Kuwait

Geographic coordinates:
33 00 N, 44 00 E

Map references:
Middle East

Area:
total: 437,072 sq km
land: 432,162 sq km
water: 4,910 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly more than twice the size of Idaho

Land boundaries:
total: 3,650 km
border countries: Iran 1,458 km, Jordan 181 km, Kuwait 240 km, Saudi
Arabia 814 km, Syria 605 km, Turkey 352 km

Coastline:
58 km

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
continental shelf: not spec