Topic outline of Iraq

:"For an alphabetical index of this subject, see the List of Iraq-related articles."

Iraq, known officially as the Republic of Iraq (Arabic: Audio|Ar-al Gumhuriyah al Iraqiya.ogg|جمهورية العراق _ar. "Jumhūrīyatu l-‘Irāq"), is a country in the Middle East and Southwest Asia. It spans most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert. [cite web|url=http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/11/20071126-11.html|title=Declaration of Principles for a Long-Term Relationship of Cooperation and Friendship Between the Republic of Iraq and the United States of America] It shares borders with Kuwait and Saudi Arabia to the south, Jordan to the west, Syria to the northwest, Turkey to the north, and Iran to the east. It has a very narrow section of coastline at Umm Qasr on the Persian Gulf. There are two major flowing rivers: the Tigris and the Euphrates. These provide Iraq with agriculturally capable land and contrast with the desert landscape that covers most of Western Asia.

The capital city, Baghdad, is in the center-east. Iraq's rich history dates back to ancient Mesopotamia. The region between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers is identified as the cradle of civilization and the birthplace of writing. During its long history, Iraq has been the center of the Akkadian, Assyrian, Babylonian and Abbasid empires, and part of the Achaemenid, Macedonian, Parthian, Sassanid, Umayyad, Mongol, Ottoman, and British empires. [ [http://www.livescience.com/history/top10_iraq_battles.html Top 10 Battles for the Control of Iraq] ]

Since an invasion in 2003, a multinational coalition of forces, mainly American and British, has occupied Iraq. The invasion has had wide-reaching consequences: increased civil violence, political breakdown, the removal and execution of former authoritarian President Saddam Hussein, and national problems in the development of political balance, economy, infrastructure, and use of the country's huge reserves of oil. According to the 2007 Failed States Index, produced by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace's Foreign Policy magazine and the Fund for Peace, Iraq has recently emerged as the world's second most unstable country, [cite web|url=http://www.foreignpolicy.com/story/cms.php?story_id=3865&page=8|title=Foreign Policy Magazine: The Failed States Index 2007] after Sudan. [cite web|url=http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070618.wfailedstate0618/BNStory/International/home|title=Reuters: Iraq world's No. 2 failed state] Under the control of the U.S. military, Iraq is developing a parliamentary democracy composed of 18 governorates (known as "muhafadhat").

The following topic outline is provided as an overview of and introduction to Iraq:

__TOC__

* Pronunciation:
* International rankings of Iraq
** 58th largest country
** 39th most populous country

Geography of Iraq

: "Main article: Geography of Iraq"

* Iraq is a: Country
* Location:
** Northern Hemisphere and Eastern Hemisphere
** Eurasia
*** Asia
**** Southwest Asia
** Middle East
*** Mesopotamia
** Extreme points of Iraq
* Population of Iraq: 26,783,383 people (July 2006 estimate) - 39th most populous country
* Area of Iraq: unit sqkm|438317|0|lk=on - 58th largest country
*

Environment of Iraq

* Climate of Iraq
* Ecology of Iraq
** Ecoregions in Iraq
** Renewable energy in Iraq
* Geology of Iraq
* Protected areas of Iraq
** Biosphere reserves in Iraq: None
** National parks of Iraq
* Wildlife of Iraq
** Flora of Iraq
** Fauna of Iraq
*** Birds of Iraq
*** Mammals of Iraq

Natural geographic features of Iraq

* Fjords of Iraq: None
* Glaciers of Iraq: None
* Islands of Iraq
* Lakes of Iraq
* Mountains of Iraq
** Volcanoes in Iraq
* Rivers of Iraq
** Waterfalls of Iraq
* Valleys of Iraq
* World Heritage Sites in Iraq

Regions of Iraq

: "Main article: Regions of Iraq"

Ecoregions of Iraq

: "Main article: Ecoregions of Iraq"

Administrative divisions of Iraq

: "Main article: Administrative divisions of Iraq"

* Regions of Iraq
** Provinces of Iraq
*** Districts of Iraq
**** Municipalities of Iraq

Governorates of Iraq

#Baghdad - Arab, Turkman, Kurdish
#Salah ad Din - Arab, Kurdish
#Diyala - Arab, Kurdish
#Wasit - Arab
#Maysan - Arab
#Al Basrah - Arab
#Dhi Qar - Arab
#Al Muthanna - Arab
#Al Qadisyah - Arab
#Babil - Arab
#Al Karbala - Arab
#An Najaf - Arab
#Al Anbar - Arab
#Ninawa - Arab, Assyrian, Kurdish
#Dahuk - Kurdish
#Arbil - Kurdish
#At Ta'mim - Arab, Turkman, Kurdish
#As Sulaymaniyah - Kurdish

The constitutionally recognized Kurdistan Autonomous Region includes parts of a number of northern provinces, and is largely self-governing in internal affairs.

Districts of Iraq

Municipalities of Iraq

* Capital of Iraq
* Cities of Iraq

Demography of Iraq

: "Main article: Demographics of Iraq"

Government and politics of Iraq

: "Main article: Government of Iraq and Politics of Iraq"

* Form of government:
* Iraqi Interim Government
* Capital of Iraq: Capital of Iraq

* Elections in Iraq
** (specific elections)
* Political parties in Iraq
* Political scandals of Iraq
* Provincial Iraqi Control
* Reconstruction of Iraq
* Taxation in Iraq

Branches of the government of Iraq

Executive branch of the government of Iraq

* Head of state: President of Iraq, Jalal Talabani
* Head of government: Prime Minister of Iraq, Nouri al-Maliki
* Council of Ministers of Iraq

Legislative branch of the government of Iraq

* Council of Representatives of Iraq (unicameral parliament)

Judicial branch of the government of Iraq

* Supreme Court of Iraq
* Central Criminal Court of Iraq

Foreign relations of Iraq

* Diplomatic missions of Iraq
* Iraqi diaspora
* Iraqi security forces
* United States-Iraq relations

International organization membership

Iraq is a member of:
* Arab League
* OPEC
* United Nations

Law and order in Iraq

: "Main article: Law of Iraq"

* Capital punishment in Iraq
* Constitution of Iraq
* Crime in Iraq
* Human rights in Iraq
** LGBT rights in Iraq
** Freedom of religion in Iraq
* Law enforcement in Iraq
** Iraqi Police

Military of Iraq

: "Main article: Military of Iraq"

* Command
** Commander-in-chief:
*** Ministry of Defence of Iraq
* Forces
** Army of Iraq
** Navy of Iraq
** Air Force of Iraq
** Special forces of Iraq
* Military history of Iraq
* Military ranks of Iraq

Local government in Iraq

History of Iraq

: "Main article: History of Iraq, Timeline of the history of Iraq, and

* History by year: 2001 • 2002 • 2003 • 2004 • 2005 • 2006 • 2007 • 2008
* Military history of Iraq
** Iraq and weapons of mass destruction
** Iraq War
*** 2003 invasion of Iraq
*** Occupation of Iraq timeline
*** Casualties of the Iraq War
*** Iraqi insurgency
**** History of Iraqi insurgency
*** Rationale for the Iraq War
*** Terrorist attacks of the Iraq War
*** Timeline of the Iraq War
* Post-invasion Iraq, 2003–present

Culture of Iraq

: "Main article: Culture of Iraq"

* Architecture of Iraq
* Cuisine of Iraq
* Festivals in Iraq
* Humor in Iraq
* Languages of Iraq
* Media in Iraq
* National symbols of Iraq
** Coat of arms of Iraq
** Flag of Iraq
** National anthem of Iraq
* People of Iraq
** Ethnic minorities in Iraq
* Prostitution in Iraq
* Public holidays in Iraq
* Records of Iraq
* Religion in Iraq
** Buddhism in Iraq
** Christianity in Iraq
** Hinduism in Iraq
** Islam in Iraq
** Judaism in Iraq
** Sikhism in Iraq
* World Heritage Sites in Iraq

The Arts in Iraq

* Art in Iraq
* Cinema of Iraq
* Literature of Iraq
* Music of Iraq
* Television in Iraq
* Theatre in Iraq

Sports in Iraq

: "Main article: Sports in Iraq"

* Most popular sport: Football (soccer)
** Iraq Football Association
*** Iraq national football team
*** Iraq Super League

Economy of Iraq

: "Main article: Economy of Iraq"

* Economic rank (by nominal GDP): 63rd (sixty-third)

* Agriculture in Iraq
* Banking in Iraq
** National Bank of Iraq
* Communications in Iraq
* Companies of Iraq
* Currency of Iraq: Iraqi dinar
* Economic history of Iraq
* Energy policy of Iraq
* Mining in Iraq
* Oil industry in Iraq
* Tourism in Iraq
* Transport in Iraq

* Iraq Stock Exchange

Education in Iraq

: "Main article: Education in Iraq"

Infrastructure of Iraq

* Communications in Iraq
** Internet in Iraq
** Television in Iraq
* Energy in Iraq
* Health care in Iraq
* Transportation in Iraq
** Airports in Iraq
** Ports of Iraq
** Rail transport in Iraq
** Roads in Iraq
* Water supply and sanitation in Iraq

See also

* List of basic geography topics
* List of Iraq-related articles (alphabetical index)
* List of international rankings

References

External links

Government
*Iraqi Presidency Website http://www.iraqipresidency.net
*Iraqi Government Website http://www.cabinet.iq
*Iraqi Parliament Website http://www.parliament.iq
*Ministry of Foreign Affairs http://www.mofa.gov.iq
*Ministry of Defense http://www.iraqmod.org
*Ministry of Oil http://www.oil.gov.iq
*Ministry of Trade http://www.mot.gov.iq
*Ministry of Industry http://www.industry.gov.iq
*Ministry of Higher Education http://www.mohesr.gov.iq
* [http://www.krg.org/ Kurdistan Regional Government]
* [http://dev.epic-usa.org/files/EPIC/IRAQ_Government.pdf New Iraqi government structure (PDF)] (As of July 17 2006)

Overviews
* [http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761567303/Iraq.html "Encarta Encyclopedia"]
* [http://www.HilalPlaza.com/baghdad-Iraq-civilization.html Baghdad's Golden Period]
* [http://www.al-bab.com/Arab/countries/Iraq.htm al-Bab - "Iraq"]
* [http://www.britannica.com/nations/Iraq Encyclopaedia Britannica "Iraq" Country Page]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/country_profiles/791014.stm BBC News Country Profile - "Iraq"]
* [https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/iz.html CIA World Factbook - "Iraq"]
* [http://www.state.gov/p/nea/ci/c3212.htm US State Department - "Iraq"] includes Background Notes, Country Study and major reports
* [http://digital.library.unt.edu/govdocs/crs/search.tkl?q=Iraq&search_crit=subject&search=Search&date1=Anytime&date2=Anytime&type=form Read Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports regarding Iraq]
* [http://www.alertnet.org/thefacts/countryprofiles/216595.htm Iraq Country Profile] from Reuters AlertNet
* [http://www.economist.com/countries/Iraq/ Country Briefing: Iraq] from The Economist

News
* [http://www.khaleejtimes.com/SectionHomeL.asp?section=middleeast Focus on Iraq] Daily News on Iraq
* [http://electroniciraq.net Iraq News and Iraqi views] from Electronic Iraq
* [http://news.ft.com/indepth/Iraq News in Depth] from the Financial Times
* [http://diplomacymonitor.com/stu/dm.nsf/issued?openform&cat=Iraq Diplomacy Monitor-Iraq]
* [http://www.ipsnews.net/new_focus/Iraq/index.asp IPS Inter Press Service] Independent news about Iraq
* [http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/11/05/dujail.saddam/index.html Iraqis react with joy, anger to Hussein death sentence] CNN story on Hussein's death sentence
* [http://www.hometownbaghdad.com Hometown Baghdad] Documentary series shot by an all-Iraqi crew. Tells the stories of three young people trying to survive in Baghdad.

Other
* [http://www.operationiraqichildren.org/ Operation Iraqi Children]
* [http://www.iraqimage.com Iraq Image] , a cultural resource on Iraq cities and locations
* [http://www.iraqitruthproject.com/ Iraqi Truth Project]
* [http://www.juancole.com Juan Cole] , a leading scholar and public intellectual
* [http://www.epic-usa.org/Default.aspx?tabid=2218 The Ground Truth Project] -- A series of exclusive interviews and other resources capturing the voices of Iraqis, aid workers, military personnel and others who have spent significant time on-the-ground in Iraq.
*wikitravel
* [http://wiqipedia.org/wiki/Iraq Alternate wiki article about Iraq]
* [http://www.wmf.org/iraq.html The World Monuments Fund's Iraq Cultural Heritage Conservation Initiative]
* [http://www.epic-usa.org/ Education for Peace in Iraq Center (EPIC)] -- A Washington DC-based nonprofit organization promoting a free and secure Iraq
* [http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/engMDE140082001?OpenDocument&of=COUNTRIESIRAQ Amnesty International Report on Iraq]
* [http://www.internal-displacement.org/countries/iraq Internal Displacement in Iraq] - Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre
* [http://www.cpa-Iraq.org/ Coalition Provisional Authority] Now-defunct occupation authority; site is archived
* [http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/world/Iraq.htm Iraq Law] from the University of Pittsburgh’s Jurist project
* [http://www.libcom.org/history/articles/Iraq-1900-2000/ 1900–2000 a history of Iraq]
* [http://baghdad.usembassy.gov/ US Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq]
* [http://fieldsupport.lingnet.org/Iraqi/fam_ir_slide/Iraq.pdf Iraqi Familiarization Guide] - "(546 kilobyte PDF file)"
* [http://www.lonesentry.com/iraq/iraq.html Short Guide to Iraq] (WWII U.S. Military Guide)
* [http://www.uwt.org/Countries/Iraq_Charity.asp Charity Helping the People of Iraq]