Distribution of Religious and Ethnic Groups in Iraq

Iraq was known in ancient times as Mesopotamia. The ruins of Ur, Babylon, and other ancient cities are here, 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. Image File history File links Iraq_demography. ... Image File history File links Iraq_demography. ... Mesopotamia refers to the region now occupied by modern Iraq, eastern Syria, southeastern Turkey, and Southwest Iran. ... UR, Ur, or ur can refer to several things: The City of Ur Úr (letter) of the Ogham alphabet Ur (rune) ᚢ of the runic alphabets Royal Game of Ur Ur, the first known continent Ur- is a German prefix. ... Babylon was a city in Mesopotamia, the ruins of which can be found in present-day Babil Province, Iraq, about 50 miles south of Baghdad. ... The Fall of Man by Lucas Cranach, a 16th century German depiction of Eden The Garden of Eden (from Hebrew Gan Ä’den, גַּן עֵדֶן) is described in the Book of Genesis as being the place where the first man - Adam - and woman - Eve - lived after they were created by God. ... Baghdad ( translit: ) is the capital of Iraq and of Baghdad Governorate. ... Location of Basra Basra (Arabic: ‎ ; BGN: Al BaÅŸrah) is the second largest city of Iraq with an estimated population of c. ... It has been suggested that Persian Gulf States be merged into this article or section. ... The Tigris (Old Persian: Tigr, Syriac Aramaic: Deqlath, Arabic: دجلة, Dijla, Turkish: Dicle; biblical Hiddekil) is the eastern member of the pair of great rivers that define Mesopotamia, along with the Euphrates, which flows from the mountains of Anatolia through Iraq. ... The Euphrates (the traditional Greek name for the river, which is in Old Persian Ufrat, Aramaic Prâth/Frot, in Arabic الفرات, in Turkish Fırat and in ancient Assyrian language Pu-rat-tu) is the westernmost of the two great rivers that define... (5th millennium BC – 4th millennium BC – 3rd millennium BC - other millennia) // Events Sumerian city of Ur in Mesopotamia (40th century BC); Sumerian hegemony in Mesopotamia, with the invention of writing, base-60 mathematics, astronomy and astrology, civil law, complex hydrology, the sailboat, the wheel, and the potters wheel, 4000...

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. This article or section needs to be updated. ... // Balkan Wars The Ottoman army in the balkans was large and appeared on the surface to be modern. ... The League of Nations was a international organization founded after the Paris Peace Conference, 1919. ... Vilâyet (also eyalet or pashaluk) was the Turkish name for the provinces of the Ottoman Empire. ...

Further information: History of Iraq

Iraq's two largest ethnic groups are Arabs and Kurds. Other distinct groups are Assyrians, Iraqi Turkmen, Armenians, Persians, Shabaks and Lurs. Arabic is the most commonly spoken language. Kurdish is spoken in the north, and English is the most commonly spoken Western language. This article includes an overview from prehistory to the present in the region of the current state of Iraq in Mesopotamia. ... The Arabs (Arabic: عرب) are a heterogeneous ethnic group who are predominantly speakers of the Arabic language, mainly found throughout the Middle East and North Africa. ... The Kurds are an ethnic group who consider themselves to be indigenous to a region often referred to as Kurdistan, an area which includes adjacent parts of Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey. ... Assyrians are Aramaic-speaking Christians who consider themselves to be indigenous inhabitants of Mesopotamia, and inheritors of the ancient culture of Assyria. ... Flag of the Iraqi Turkmen The Iraqi Turkmen (also spelled Turkoman) are a distinct Turkic ethnic group living in northern Iraq, notably in the cities of Arbil, Kirkuk, and Mosul. ... The Persians are an Iranian people who speak the Persian language and share a common culture and history. ... The Shabak people are a minority group of Iraq who live in the province of Nineveh. ... Falak-ol-aflak, built by the Sassanids, is almost 1800 years old. ... The Arabic language ( ), or simply Arabic ( ), is the largest member of the Semitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family (classification: South Central Semitic) and is closely related to Hebrew, Amharic and Aramaic. ... The Kurdish language is an Iranian language spoken in the region called Kurdistan, including Kurdish populations in parts of Iran, Iraq, Syria and Turkey. ...

Most Iraqi Muslims are members of the Shiites (Shi'a), but there is a large Sunni Muslim population as well, made up of both Arabs and Kurds. Small communities of Christians, Jews, Bahá'ís, Mandaeans, and Yezidis also exist, although most Jews have fled Iraq over the last century. Most Kurds are Sunni Muslim, with about 10% being Shi'a Faili Kurds. A Muslim (Arabic: مسلم, Turkish: Müslüman, Persian and Urdu: مسلمان, Bosnian: Musliman) is an adherent of Islam. ... Shiʻa Islam (Arabic شيعى follower; English has traditionally used Shiite) makes up the second largest sect of believers in Islam, constituting about 30%–35% of all Muslim. ... Sunni Islam (Arabic سنّة) is the largest denomination of Islam. ... The Arabs (Arabic: عرب) are a heterogeneous ethnic group who are predominantly speakers of the Arabic language, mainly found throughout the Middle East and North Africa. ... Kurds are one of the Iranian peoples and speak Kurdish, a north-Western Iranian language related to Persian. ... Seat of the Universal House of Justice in Haifa, Israel, governing body of the Baháís The Baháí Faith is a religion founded by Baháulláh in 19th century Persia. ... Mandaeanism is a pre-Christian religion which has been classified by scholars as Gnostic. ... The Yezidi or Yazidi (Kurdish; Êzidî) are adherents of a small Middle Eastern religion with ancient origins. ...

Iraqi Kurds differ from their Arab neighbors in language, dress, and customs.

Population: 26,074,906 (July 2005 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 40% (male 5,293,709; female 5,130,826)
15-64 years: 57% (male 7,530,619; female 7,338,109)
65 years and over: 3% (male 367,832; female 413,811) (2005 est.)

Population growth rate: 2.7% (2005 est.)

Birth rate: 32.5 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Death rate: 5.49 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 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 (2005 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 50.25 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 68.7 years
male: 67.49 years
female: 69.97 years (2005 est.)

Total fertility rate: 4.28 children born/woman (2005 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Iraqi(s)
adjective: Iraqi

Ethnic groups: Arabs 75-80%, Kurds 15%-20%, Assyrian, Iraqi Turkmen or other 3%-5% The Kurds are an ethnic group who consider themselves to be indigenous to a region often referred to as Kurdistan, an area which includes adjacent parts of Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey. ... Assyrians are Aramaic-speaking Christians who consider themselves to be indigenous inhabitants of Mesopotamia, and inheritors of the ancient culture of Assyria. ... Flag of the Iraqi Turkmen The Iraqi Turkmen (also spelled Turkoman) are a distinct Turkic ethnic group living in northern Iraq, notably in the cities of Arbil, Kirkuk, and Mosul. ...

Religions: Muslim 97% (Shi'a 60%-65%, Sunni 32%-37%), Christian or other 3%

Languages: Arabic, Kurdish (official in Kurdish regions), Aramaic, Assyrian Neo-Aramaic, Chaldean Neo-Aramaic, and Armenian The Arabic language ( ), or simply Arabic ( ), is the largest member of the Semitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family (classification: South Central Semitic) and is closely related to Hebrew, Amharic and Aramaic. ... The Kurdish language is an Iranian language spoken in the region called Kurdistan, including Kurdish populations in parts of Iran, Iraq, Syria and Turkey. ... Aramaic is a group of Semitic languages with a 3,000-year history. ... Assyrian Neo-Aramaic is a modern Eastern Aramaic or Syriac language. ... Chaldean Neo-Aramaic is a modern Eastern Aramaic or Syriac language. ...

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 40.4%
male: 55.9%
female: 24.4% (2003 est.)

Median Age:
Total Population: 19.43 years
Male: 19.35 years
Female: 19.51 years (2005 est.)

[edit] See also

• Arab Tribes in Iraq
• Assyrian homeland
• Demographics
• Demographics of Iran
• History of the Jews in Iraq
• Iraqi Kurdistan
• Islam in Iraq
• Politics of Iraq
• Religion in Iraq
• Sectarian violence in Iraq

Most Iraqis identify strongly with a tribe (ashira), and nearly half of Iraqis are more loyal to their clans or tribes than to the national government. ... The Assyrian homeland or Assyria refers a name of a geographic and cultural region in the Middle East, inhabited traditionally by the Assyrian people. ... Demographics is a shorthand term for population characteristics. Demographics include race, age, income, mobility (in terms of travel time to work or number of vehicles available), educational attainment, home ownership, employment status, and even location. ... Ethnolinguistic groups in Iran Irans population was estimated to be 68,688,433 in July 2006, with nearly two-fifths of its people being 15 years of age or younger. ... Iraqi Jews constitute one of the worlds oldest, and historically most important, Jewish communities. ... The Kurdistan Region (Kurdish: Herêmî Kurdistan, Arabic: اقلیم کردستان) is an autonomous, federally recognized, political entity located in Iraq, in the north. ... The history of Islam in Iraq goes back several centuries to the lifetime of the Prophet Muhammad (d. ... Politics of Iraq takes place in a framework of a more or less federal parliamentary representative democratic republic, whereby the Prime Minister of Iraq is the head of government, and of a pluriform multi-party system. ... Religion in Iraq is diverse. ... Following the Coalition-led invasion and war of Iraq, there has been an increased level of sectarian violence in Iraq. ...

[edit] 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

[edit] 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.