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Background
Iraq was known in the west as Mesopotamia until the 20th century. Iraq as such never existed before that date(after the end of first world war). The ruins of Ur, Babylon, and other ancient cities are situated in Iraq, as is the legendary location of the Garden of Eden. Almost 75% of Iraq's population lives in the flat, alluvial plain stretching southeast from Baghdad to Basra and the Persian Gulf. The Tigris River and the Euphrates River carry about 70 million cubic meters of silt annually from this plain down to the delta. The water from these two great rivers, and the fertility of the soil in the alluvial plain and the delta, allowed early agriculture to sustain a stable population as far back as the 4th millennium BC.
- Further information: Geography of Iraq
Over its long history, many civilizations grew and flourished in the region. Following the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire, Iraq was formed by the League of Nations from three Ottoman vilayets (regions), gaining independence in 1932.
- Further information: History of Iraq
Ethnic divisions
Iraq is home to several ethnic groups, the most predominant among them being Arabs, followed by Kurds, Iraqi Turkmen and Assyrians. Other distinct groups are Armenians, Persians, Shabaks- a small religious group consider themselves Kurds and Lurs- speak a dialect of Southern kurdish. Arabic is the most commonly spoken language. Kurdish and Syriac are spoken in the north, and English is the most commonly spoken Western language. [1]
Iraqis today are an overall indigenous Mesopotamian people, who are closely related to the indigenous ancient people, much like the case with the people of the Levant. While modern-day Iraqi Arabs form part of the Arab collective by virtue of their modern-day language and bonds to Arab culture and history — they are in fact largely a blend of the various Aramaic speaking groups indigenous to the region, as well as other groups like the Kurds and Turks, and not the direct descendants of the tribes of Arabia. However, during the Arab expansion period, Muslim Arabs from Arabia controlled the area and there was some amount of immigration.
Shia Islam is the predominant religion, followed by Sunni Islam and Christianity. Small communities of Bahá'ís, Mandaeans, and Yezidis also exist. Until 1948, there was also a 150,000 strong community of Jews, but the community has dwindled down to no more than a handful today. Most Kurds are Sunni Muslim, with about 10% being Shi'a Faili Kurds in central Iraq.
Kurds & Assyrians differ from their Arab neighbors in language, dress, and customs.
Population statistics
Population: 26,783,383 (July 2006 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 39.7% (male 5,398,645; female 5,231,760)
15-64 years: 57.3% (male 7,776,257; female 7,576,726)
65 years and over: 3% (male 376,700; female 423,295) (2006 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.66% (2006 est.)
Birth rate: 31.45 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate: 5.37 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.89 male(s)/female
total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 48.64 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 69.01 years
male: 67.76 years
female: 70.31 years (2006 est.)
Total fertility rate: 4.18 children born/woman (2006 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Iraqi(s)
adjective: Iraqi
Ethnic groups: Arabs 75-80%, Kurds 15%-20%, Assyrian, Iraqi Turkmen or other 5-10%
Religions: Muslim 97% (Shi'a 60%-65%, Sunni 32%-37%), Christian 3% down from 7% 50 years ago. According to Minority Rights Group Report (ISBN 1-904584-60-8, www.minorityrights.org), there were 2005 ca 20 Jews in Bagdad, most of them ca 70 years old.
Languages: Arabic, Kurdish,Turkish,Aramaic; Assyrian Neo-Aramaic, Chaldean Neo-Aramaic, and Armenian
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 74.1%
male: 84.1%
female: 64.2% (2000 est.)
Median Age:
Total Population: 19.7 years
Male: 19.6 years
Female: 19.8 years (2006 est.)
See also
- Iraqi people
- Arab Tribes in Iraq
- Minority politics in Iraq
- Iraqi Turkmen
- Assyrian homeland
- History of the Jews in Iraq
- Iraqi diaspora
- Armenians in Iraq
- Palestinians in Iraq
- Refugees of Iraq
References
External links
- Kurdish Institute Kurdish language, history, books and latest news articles.
- Life in Iraq - People
- CIA World Fact Book
- UN press briefing on the demographics of Iraq
- Assimilation, Exodus, Eradication: Iraq’s minority communities since 2003, Report by Minority Rights Group International
- Linguist List partial inventory of languages and dialects of Iraq
- BBC page with population density map, and a religious breakdown map. October 23, 2006 article.
Bibliography
- Nakash, Yitzhak (2003). The Shi'is of Iraq. Princeton University Press. ISBN 0-691-11575-3.
- Jabar, Faleh A. (2004). The Shi'ite Movement in Iraq. Saqi Books. ISBN 0-86356-395-3.
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