Overview of Iraq

Iraq is rich in history, culture and people. The land that now encompasses modern Iraq is known as the "Cradle of Civilization." Around 4000 BC the ancient Sumerian culture flourished here, originating land cultivation, irrigation, urban society and the first written alphabet.

Known in ancient times as Mesopotamia, the land of Iraq figures prominently in the Bible. This is where the garden of Eden is depicted, where the tower of Babel was constructed, where Abram was first called by God to leave home and kin, and where the Hebrews were exiled following the destruction of the temple by King Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon.

Traversed by the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, Iraq is mostly desert, with mountains in the northern regions and fertile plains in the far south. It is surrounded by Kuwait and Saudi Arabia to the south, Jordan to the west, Syria and Turkey to the north and Iran to the east. A narrow strip in the far south borders on the Persian Gulf.

Iraq is known for its oil, having the second largest reserves in the world. Revenues from oil sales in the 1970s and 1980s enabled the country to make great strides in education, health care and basic infrastructure. Till 1990, Iraq was known as one of the most highly developed countries in the Middle East.

Some 22 million people call Iraq home. Seventy-five percent or more are Arabs, 15-20 percent are Kurdish and the remainder are Turkoman, Assyrian, or another ethnic group. The vast majority - 97 percent - is Muslim, and the remaining three percent is Christian.

Over the millennia, the people of this land have seen many empires come and go. Most recently, Iraq was part of the Ottoman Empire, from the 15th century until 1918, after which it was placed under British "protection." It gained its independence in 1932 and became a republic in 1958. Since that time it has been ruled by a series of military leaders. The current president, Saddam Hussein, came to power in 1978.

The last twenty-five years have been difficult ones for the people of Iraq. Between 1980 and 1988, Iraq engaged in an inconclusive and costly war with Iran over border disputes. It is estimated that over a million Iraqi lives were lost during those eight years.

Then in August 1990 Iraq invaded nearby Kuwait. Urged by the United States, the United Nations imposed a comprehensive regime of sanctions against Iraq. When Iraq failed to withdraw, Operation Desert Storm was undertaken. Led by the U.S., this coalition of forces carried out six weeks of intense bombing throughout the country. Approximately 100,000 Iraqi soldiers and civilians were killed.

Iraq eventually withdrew from Kuwait, but the sanctions remain in place to this day, if in modified form. The impact of the sanctions has been devastating. Twelve years after they were first imposed, they are responsible for the deaths of more than 500,000 children, ongoing scarcity of food, medicine and other necessities, chronic failure in the country's basic infrastructure, and devastation of the local economy.