Iraq Kuwait map (Chinese and foreign comparison)

Author: Zhou Min, Editor-in-Chief
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2002-01-01
Features: Natural Geography of Iraq: Located in southwestern Asia and northeastern Arabia. It covers an area of 441,839 square kilometers (including 924 square kilometers of water and the Iraqi part of the Iraq-Saudi Neutral Zone, which is 3,522 square kilometers). It borders Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, Syria and Jordan to the west, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait to the south, and the Persian Gulf to the southeast. The coastline is 60 kilometers long. The territorial sea width is 12 nautical miles. To the southwest is part of the Arabian Plateau, which slopes downward to the eastern plains; the northeastern part has Kurdish mountains, the western part is a desert area, and the Mesopotamian Plain, which covers most of the country, lies between the plateau and the mountains, with most areas less than 100 meters above sea level. The Tigris and Euphrates rivers flow from northwest to southeast across the country, merging into the Shatt al-Arab River near Kurna and emptying into the Persian Gulf. The northeastern mountainous region has a Mediterranean climate, while the rest of the country has a tropical desert climate. Summer temperatures can reach over 50°C, and winter temperatures are around 0°C. Rainfall is low, with an average annual precipitation ranging from 100 to 500 millimeters from south to north, reaching 700 millimeters in the northern mountainous areas. Population: Approximately 23.58 million (IMF's mid-2001 estimate), of which Arabs account for about 73% of the total population, Kurds for about 21%, and the rest are Turks, Armenians, Assyrians, Jews, and Iranians, among others. The official language is Arabic, while Kurdish is the official language in the northern Kurdish regions. Some tribes in the eastern regions speak Persian. English is widely used. Iraq is an Islamic country with Islam as the state religion. 95% of the population adheres to Islam, of whom 54.5% are Shia Muslims and 40.5% are Sunni Muslims. The Kurds in the north also practice Islam, mostly Sunni, with only a small number adhering to Christianity or Judaism.