POPULATION: 22,017,983 (official estimate 1997).

POPULATION DENSITY: 40.8 per sq km.

CAPITAL: Baghdad. Population: 4,044,000 (1990).

GEOGRAPHY: Iraq shares borders with Turkey, Iran, the Gulf of Oman, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Syria. There is also a neutral zone between Iraq and Saudi Arabia administered jointly by the two countries. Iraq's portion covers 3522 sq km (1360 sq miles). The country's main topographical features are the two rivers, the Tigris and the Euphrates, which flow from the Turkish and Syrian borders in the north to the Gulf in the south. The northeast is mountainous, while in the west the country is arid desert. The land surrounding the two rivers is fertile plain, but the lack of effective irrigation has resulted in flooding and areas of marshland.

LANGUAGE: 80% Arabic, 15% Kurdish.

RELIGION: 45% Sunni Muslim, 50% Shia Muslim, with Druze and Christian minorities.

TIME: GMT + 3 (GMT + 4 from May 1 to September 30).

ELECTRICITY: 220 volts AC, 50Hz. Various 2- and 3-pin plugs are in use.

COMMUNICATIONS: Telephone: IDD service is available. Country code: 964. Outgoing international code: 00. Telegram: There are facilities in Baghdad. Telegrams can be sent from the telegraph office next to the post office in Rashid Street. Services are also available at major hotels. Post: Airmail between Western Europe and Iraq usually takes five to ten days, but can take longer. Avoid using surface mail. Press: Newspapers published in Arabic include Ath-Thawra, Al-Iraq and Ar-Riyadhi. Periodicals are also published. The main English-language daily is the Baghdad Observer.

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