The Republic of Iraq, a country about the size of California, is located in the Middle East and shares borders with Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Turkey. Iraq is in the area of the world that was home to the earliest civilizations. In 1932 the country became an independent kingdom, and then a republic in 1958. The current government is a transitional democracy.
The U.S. invaded Iraq on March 20, 2003, at the start
of a war to remove Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.
In June, 2009, US troops handed over security to Iraqi forces. US-led combat
operations are scheduled to end by September 2010, with a withdrawal of all troops
from Iraq by the end of 2011.
The Iraqi population, estimated in 2007 at about 27.5 million people, includes Arab, Kurd, Turcoman, Chaldean, Assyrian ethnic groups. The languages spoken are Arabic, Kurdish, Assyrian and Armenian. Ninety-seven percent of the population is Muslim, divided between Shi'a (60-65 percent) and Sunni (32-37 percent).
Iraq's terrain is mostly desert. The northern parts of the country are mountainous, and along the southern borders with Iran there are reedy marshes. The primary natural resource and economic product is petroleum.
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