| Geography | Iraq |
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Location:
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Middle East, bordering the Persian Gulf, between Iran and Kuwait |
Geographic coordinates:
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33 00 N, 44 00 E |
Map references:
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Middle East |
Area:
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total: 437,072 sq km
land: 432,162 sq km
water: 4,910 sq km |
Area - comparative:
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slightly more than twice the size of Idaho |
Land boundaries:
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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:
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58 km |
Maritime claims:
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territorial sea: 12 nm
continental shelf: not specified |
Climate:
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mostly desert; mild to cool winters with dry, hot, cloudless summers; northern mountainous regions along Iranian and Turkish borders experience cold winters with occasionally heavy snows that melt in early spring, sometimes causing extensive flooding in central and southern Iraq |
Terrain:
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mostly broad plains; reedy marshes along Iranian border in south with large flooded areas; mountains along borders with Iran and Turkey |
Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m
highest point: unnamed peak; 3,611 m; note - this peak is neither Gundah Zhur 3,607 m nor Kuh-e Hajji-Ebrahim 3,595 m |
Natural resources:
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petroleum, natural gas, phosphates, sulfur |
Land use:
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arable land: 13.12%
permanent crops: 0.61%
other: 86.27% (2005) |
Irrigated land:
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35,250 sq km (2003) |
Total renewable water resources:
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96.4 cu km (1997) |
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
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Total: 42.7 cu km/yr (3%/5%/92%)
Per capita: 1,482 cu m/yr (2000) |
Natural hazards:
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dust storms, sandstorms, floods |
Environment - current issues:
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government water control projects have drained most of the inhabited marsh areas east of An Nasiriyah by drying up or diverting the feeder streams and rivers; a once sizable population of Marsh Arabs, who inhabited these areas for thousands of years, has been displaced; furthermore, the destruction of the natural habitat poses serious threats to the area's wildlife populations; inadequate supplies of potable water; development of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers system contingent upon agreements with upstream riparian Turkey; air and water pollution; soil degradation (salination) and erosion; desertification |
Environment - international agreements:
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party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Law of the Sea
signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification |
Geography - note:
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strategic location on Shatt al Arab waterway and at the head of the Persian Gulf |
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