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Iraq FAQs:

 

Capital: Baghdad

Official languages: Arabic, Kurdish

Spoken languages: Assyrian Neo-Aramaic, South Azeri (locally called "Turkmen")

Government: Parliamentary republic

Independence from France:
»from the Ottoman Empire
1 October 1919
»from the United Kingdom
3 October 1932
»Republic
14 July 1958
»current constitution
15 October 2005

Population: 31,234,000

Ethnic groups:
75%–80% - Arab
Kurds - 15%–20%
Assyrians, Iraqi Turkmen and others -5%
Religions: Shia Islam -65%
Sunni Islam -32%
Other -3%

Currency: Iraqi dinar (IQD)
Time zone: GMT+3 (UTC+3)
- Summer (DST) EEST (UTC+3)
Drives: on the right
Internet TLD: .iq

Area: 168,754 sq mi, it is the 58th-largest country in the world. It is comparable in size to the US state of California
Climate: The local climate is mostly desert, with mild to cool winters and dry, hot, cloudless summers
Terrain: Iraq mainly consists of desert, but near the two major rivers (Euphrates and Tigris) are fertile alluvial plains. The north of the country is mostly composed of mountains. Iraq has a small coastline measuring 58 km (36 mi) along the Persian Gulf.
Natural resources:With its 115 billion barrels of proved oil reserves, Iraq ranks fourth in the world behind Saudi Arabia, Canada, and Iran in the amount of Oil reserves; yet the United States Department of Energy estimates that up to 90% of the country remains unexplored.


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Program for Iraq

 

The Landmine Problem

  • Lebanon is mine contaminated as a result of civil war and Israeli occupation.

  • The 2006 war between Israel and Lebanon added considerable contamination to Southern Lebanon.

  • Affected areas include substantial pieces of land used for agriculture, homes, and commercial businesses.


 

Humanitarian Demining Programs

MLI provided an initial six-pack of MDDs (mine-detection dogs) to Lebanon in 2001, with sponsorship from individual donors. As these dogs approached retirement age, the current President of Lebanon specially requested that MLI, with funding from private donors and in collaboration with the U.S. Department of State, send 12 replacement MDDs to Lebanon in 2008. These 12 dogs have now allowed for the original dogs to retire to loving homes.

 

MLI also launched CHAMPS International Lebanon in 2008. This program links schools in the United States with schools in Lebanon to promote goodwill, foster global citizenship, raise awareness about the landmine problem in Lebanon, and raise money to provide rehabilitation to young Lebanese landmine survivors.


** Sources of Additional Information
• Landmine Monitor Report 2008, Human Rights Watch/International Campaign to Ban Landmines