Iraq

Interesting Facts About Iraq

• Iraq is home to over 46 million people, making it the 31st most populous country in the world.
• Baghdad, the capital, has a population of over 8 million people and is the largest city in the country.
• Iraq's native population is predominantly Arab, but also includes Kurds, Turkmens, Assyrians, Yazidis, Shabaks, Armenians, Mandaeans, Circassians, and Kawliya.
• The main languages spoken in Iraq are Mesopotamian Arabic and Kurdish, with Iraqi Turkmen, Chaldean, and Assyrian also widely used.
• Since 2005, both Arabic and Kurdish have been recognized as official languages of Iraq, with Turkmen, Syriac, and Armenian recognized as minority languages.
• Iraq is made up of three former Ottoman administrative divisions — Mosul, Basra, and Baghdad — each designated as a concentration of different ethnic groups.
• Southern Iraq has a community of Iraqis of African descent, a legacy of slavery practices in the Islamic Caliphate and Basra's historical role as a key port.

View Baghdad guide

Baghdad

Capital of Iraq