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The eagle is a republican emblem

Iraq is a republican country is a country

in Western Asia

-Iraq borders Syria to the northwest, Turkey

to the north, Iran to the east, Jordan to the

southwest and Kuwait and Saudi Arabia

to the south

Iraq site in the Middle East

Iraqi Flag

Red refers to every drop of Iraqi blood shed

on the earth without guilt just to protect the

homeland(Courage) .

Green refers to the green pastures.

White refers to the pure hearts of

Iraqis.

Black refers to the many good things

in Iraq and the large palm forests.

The word in green color indicates to

the god is the greatest.

Geography of Iraq

It is the 58th-largest country in the world. It is comparable in size to the US state of California.

Iraq has a narrow section of coastline measuring 58 km (36 mi) on the northern Arabic Gulf.

The capital city, Baghdad is in the center-east of the country.

Rivers, Tigris and Euphrates, run through the center of Iraq, flowing from northwest to southeast.

These provide Iraq with agriculturally capable land and contrast with the steppe and desert landscape that covers most of Western Asia.

Palm Tree Forest in Iraq

Deserts of Iraq

Mountains in North of Iraq

Republic of Iraq

The federal government of Iraq is defined under the

current Constitution as a democratic, federal parliamentary Islamic

republic.

Elections take place every four years and people will elect members of

parliament .then members will elect a prime minister who has all the

authorities.

The federal government is composed of the executive, legislative,

and judicial branches, as well as small independent commissions.

Aside from the federal government, there are regions called province.

Iraq has eighteen provinces.

History of Iraq

Historically, Iraq was the center of the Abbasid Caliphate.

Iraq has been known to the west by the Greek homonym

'Mesopotamia' (Land between the rivers) and has been home to continuous

successive civilizations since the 6th millennium BC.

The region between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers is often referred to as

the cradle of civilization and the birthplace of writing, law and the wheel.

At different periods in its history, Iraq was the center of the:

indigenous Acadians, Sumerian, Assyrian, Babylonian-Chaldean,

and Abbasid empires.

The Sumerian Culture - The First

Urban Civilization, and they

invented the first wheel .

Stone refers to the history of the

invention of writing in Mesopotamia

This statue indicates to the period

of an obelisk of Hammurabi and his

laws.

Babylon: was an Akkadian city-state (founded in 1894 BC by an Amorite dynasty) of

ancient Mesopotamia, the remains of which are found in present-day Al Hillah, Babylon

Province, Iraq, about 85 kilometers (55 mi) south of Baghdad.

Lion of Babylon

Ishtar Gates leading into ancient city of

Babylon

One of Seven Wonders

Abbasid Empire

The Abbasid Caliphate built the city of Baghdad in the 8th century as their

capital, and it became the leading metropolis of the Arab and Muslim world for

five centuries.

Baghdad was the largest multicultural city of the Middle Ages, peaking at a

population of more than a million, and was the centre of learning during

the Islamic Golden Age.

Minaret Malwiya and Mustansiriya school are one of the landmarks of the

Abbasid Empire as in the pictures below :

Religions Iraq is a Muslim-majority country .

Most sources estimated and according to a 1997 census that 97% of Iraqi population

is Muslim .

About 60–65% of Muslims belong to the Shi'a sect and 32–37% to the Sunni sect.

Sunnis are divided mainly between Arabs and Kurds but include other, smaller groups, such as Azerbaijanis and Turkmen.

About 3% of the population is adherents to Christianity and other religions.

Christians have inhabited what is modern day Iraq for about 2,000 years and they make up Assyrians (also called Syrians and Chaldeans) most of whom are adherents of the Chaldean Catholic Church, Syrian Orthodox Church and the Assyrian Church of the east account for most of Iraq's Christian population. Other religion is Yazid .

Statistics of religions

Shrine of Imam Ali(A.S)

Umm al-Qura mosque

Catholic Church in Basra

Syrian Orthodox Church

Iraqi‟s food

Iraqi food is so strongly influenced by its neighboring countries, Turkey and Iran, it is one of the few nations of the Middle East to lack a unique cuisine. Like the Turks, Iraqis like to stuff vegetables and eat a lot of lamb, rice, and yogurt. Like Iranians, they enjoy cooking fruits with beef and poultry.

There are three main foods and very popular in Iraq such as Biryani , Dolma and Kebabs.

Al Biryani :Vegetable Part(Ingredients) ½ cup pine nuts1 cup raisins1 peeled potato2 large onions3 carrots4- beef or lamb meat

Biryani with carrots

Biryani without carrots

Dolma makes by stuffing rice and tomato inside the eggplant and

chard leaves .

Kebabs with grilled tomatoes and onions.

Entertainment /Recreation

Football “or soccer” is the favorite sport in Iraq.

Outdoor activities are popular; swimming & fishing are favorite recreations in

the Tigris & Euphrates rivers during the summer.

Rural men hunt & fish with friends and shop together for food and drinks at the

market and bazaars of the town.

Rural women visit with each other and talk, cook, or make handicraft.

Almost all the entertainments with the Iraqi people is done in large groups

because Iraqi people are very social and recreation is a way to be social and active.

Iraqi national team

Swimming in Iraq

The Iraqi National Symphony Orchestra

Traditional Iraqi dancing at a wedding

Weddings are the most important festivals – aside from Islamic holy days .

In Iraqi life. relatives and friends hold parties for few days before a wedding, which is

usually short.

The birth of a child is another occasion for a big celebration. Three days after the

birth, family members and friends come to visit and bring gifts for the child .

DancingDancing in Iraq is the same and called lacunar , but it depends on

the culture and the areas.

Kurd dancing performance in the north is different from middle

and south.

Iraqi Arab dancing

I „m strongly recommended for you to see (the Virtual

Museum Of Iraq) . To see more information about the

first civilization in the world.