1. Country Information

2. -2009 Estimate -31,234,000 -71.2/km 2 (125th) 184.6/sq mi Map of Iraq and surrounding countries

3.  Cities offering major job listings:  Al Basrah  Baghdad  Arbil  Jobs offered:  IT Specialist  Marketing Manager  Application Manager  Delivery Manager  Business Analyst

4.  Highway distance: 45,550 km  Waterways distance: 1,015 km  Pipelines: Crude Oil - 4,350 km; Petroleum - products 725 km; Natural Gas - 1,360 km  Merchanting Ships: 32 ships A highway in Iraq

5.  Dominates in the oil industry  Economy was damaged in the 1980s due to war  In 2004, Reconstruction of the economy was started  In 2003, many nations have joined together to try and boost Iraq’s standard of living 50 Dinar Bill

6.  Iraq has more water than most of the Middle East countries it is near, and it has led to it being a well-developed nation  Farmland is one of Iraq’s most important assets, as it cultivates the land due to abundant amounts of irrigation and such  Around 1/5 th of Iraq’s land is farmland  Farmland is common in the northeastern part of Iraq where rain and precipitation frequently covers the area A bridge over a river in Iraq

7.  Some organizations constructed several large dams and river control projects, rehabilitated old canals, and built new irrigation systems  Some dams that created large reservoirs were built in the valleys of tributaries of the Tigris, something that prevented spring flooding and evened out the supply of water over the cropping season A river leading into a dam in Iraq’s farmlands

8.  January 1 - New Year's Day  January 6 - Army Day  February - 26 Mouloud (Birth of the Prophet Muhammad)  April 9 - Baghdad Liberation Day  April 17 - FAO Day  May 1 - Labour Day  July 14 - Republic Day  August 8 - Ceasefire Day (End of Iran-Iraq War) New Years Day, Iraq

9.  September 11 - Eid al-Fitr (End of Ramadan)  October 3 - Iraqi Independence Day (National Day)  November 17 - Eid al-Adha (Feast of the Sacrifice)  December 7 - Islamic New Year  December 16 - Ashura Ashura taking place in a household

10.  Before 1991, Iraq had one of the best educational standards in the region  Average spending costs per student: $620  Centralized government-run educational system  Built in primary, secondary, and higher education sections Iraqi girls using laptops

11.  Illiteracy declined to about 10% in the age group of 15-45 before 1991  Gross Enrollment Rates rose to above 100%  Almost complete gender parity in enrollment  Dropout/Repetition rates were the lowest in the Middle East Iraqi girls in class

12.  The federal government of Iraq is described under the current Constitution as an Islamic, democratic, federal parliamentary republic  The federal government is made up of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches and several other groups  Iraq was under Baath Party reign from 1968- 2003  A Constitution was placed into effect in 2005; however, several communities and groups have been against the US’s interence

13.  Lots of minority groups reside within Irag, such as the Kurds, Assyrians, Mandeans, etc  They typically have not had as much rights or equal status as some other ethnic groups  It was reported that in 2008, Iraq was rated as the world’s fifth most politically unstable country  US forces have stayed in Iraq to help maintain security and stability in Iraq

14.  Sports are generally enjoyed in Iraq, football being a popular sport  Basketball and tennis, among others, are also considered to be very enjoyable  Several TV networks and stations are displayed in Arabic, Kurdish, Turkmen, and Assyrian  Some of the more popular TV stations are Al Sharqiya and state-owned Al Iraqiya Football teams arguing

15.  Some characteristic ingredients of Iraqi cuisine include – vegetables such as aborigine, tomato, okra, onion, potato, etc  Bulghur wheat is used in many dishes – having been a must-have ingredient since ancient times  Meals begin with appetizers and salads – known as Mezze Tabbouleh, a popular Levantine salad

16.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iraq  http://www.countryreports.org/Iraq.aspx  https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/th e-world-factbook/geos/iz.html  http://www.travelblog.org/World/iz- geog.html  http://www.1uptravel.com/geography/iraq.h tml  http://geography.about.com/library/cia/blcir aq.htm