The most interesting facts about Iraq, from the Hanging Gardens of Babylon to the world’s oldest form of writing.
Fast facts
Official name: Republic of Iraq
Population: 42 million
Area: 438,317 sq km
Capital city: Baghdad
Major languages: Arabic, Kurdish, Turkmen, Syriac
Major religions: Islam
Time zone: UTC+3 (Arabia Standard Time)
Interesting facts about Iraq
1. Iraq is a country in the Middle East, a region of Western Asia, bordering Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Turkey.
2. During ancient times, Iraq was known as Mesopotamia, meaning the “Land Between the Rivers,” due to its location in the fertile valleys between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.
3. For nearly 400 years, from 1534 to 1918, Iraq was part of the Ottoman Empire until Britain seized control during the First World War.
4. In 1932, Iraq gained independence. However, Britain re-occupied Iraq during the Second World War.
5. The Iraqi flag is made up of three horizontal stripes of red, white and black with a green inscription reading “Allahu Akbar” (“God is Greater”).
See how Iraq’s flag compares to other Asian flags.
6. The earliest form of writing appeared in Mesopotamia almost 5,500 years ago. The Cuneiform tablets are the world’s oldest existing evidence of written texts.
7. Iraq is part of an area known as the Fertile Crescent, also known as the “Cradle of Civilization”. The Fertile Crescent covers a roughly crescent-shaped area of fertile land that incorporates parts of present-day Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Israel, Syria, Turkey, Iran, Iraq and Cyprus.
8. The ancient city of Babylon, which was the capital of the Neo-Babylonian Empire between 626 and 539 BC, is located in Iraq. Babylon was home to the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.
9. For decades, Iraq has been rocked by conflict. A series of coups led to Saddam Hussein gaining power in 1979. In 1980, the Iran-Iraq War broke out and lasted until 1988. It’s thought that as many as 250,000 Iraqis lost their lives during the war.
10. In 1990, Iraq invaded Kuwait, prompting the First Gulf War and a US-led military response.
11. Some of Iraq’s most recognizable landmarks commemorate the Iran-Iraq War. The distinctive split dome of Martyr’s Monument and the crossed swords of the Victory Arch (both in Baghdad) are two of the most famous.
12. In 2003, a US-led coalition invaded Iraq in what would become a protracted and highly contentious conflict lasting until 2011. The conflict led to nearly half a million Iraqi dead and years of instability in the region.
13. Iraq’s largest and capital city, Baghdad probably takes its name from the Persian words, “bagh” and “dad” meaning “god” and “given”. This can be interpreted as “bestowed by God”.
14. The historic Silk Road, the ancient trading route that connected China with Europe and the Middle East, ran through Iraq. Baghdad was an important trading center and crossroad on the Silk Road network thanks to its strategic geographical position.
15. Nadia Murad is Iraq’s only Nobel Prize winner. She co-won the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize for her “efforts to end the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war and armed conflict.”
16. Iraq is one of the world’s largest oil producers. It has the world’s fifth-biggest oil reserves – over 145 billion barrels in 2023.
17. The UNESCO-listed Samarra Archaeological City in Iraq is home to two of the largest mosques and the most unusual minarets, as well as the largest palaces in the Islamic world. The ancient capital of Samarra dates from 836-892 AD.
18. In total, Iraq has six UNESCO sites, including the ancient sites of Ashur, Babylon, Hatra, and Samarra Archaeological City, along with the Erbil Citadel and the mixed site of Ahwar of Southern Iraq.
19. The Epic of Gilgamesh is an epic poem from ancient Mesopotamia, written between c. 2150 and 1400 BC. It is widely regarded to be the world’s oldest long poem.
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Caitriona Maria is an education writer and owner of The Facts Institute. With seven years of teaching experience and a background in educational content, she specialises in creating clear reference resources about countries, geography and global topics.