Iraq Capitals

Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, and it is located in the center of the country with the Tigris River flowing through the middle of the city. The city is built on a flat, broad desert plain. Baghdad is genuinely an ancient city with roots tracing back as far as 762 AD, shortly after becoming an established city, Baghdad became a hub of the region for Islamic culture as well as commercial trading and education. Baghdad was the world's largest city for five centuries during the Middle Ages with a population of over one million people. Baghdad has been a significant city throughout history for the entire region.

The city of Baghdad has a population of approximately 8.8 million people making it the largest city in the country. Historically, the city has had a predominantly Sunni population, but in recent years many Iraqi Shia has moved to Baghdad. Municipally, Baghdad is divided into nine different sectors, and they are Adhamiyah, Karkh, Karrada, Kadhimiya, Mansour, Thawra, Al Rashid, Rusafa, and Tisaa Nissan.

Although tourists are somewhat discouraged to go to many areas of the country, Iraq can offer a great cultural experience for those who visit. An ancient city such as Baghdad houses many artefacts from a time when Baghdad was a world leader regarding education and culture. This city also has many remnants of the Ottoman Empire as well as British Mesopotamia. Museums, cultural installations, and mosques are just some of the ancient treasures that await visitors.

The climate of Baghdad is classified as a subtropical desert climate which means high temperatures, very low incidents of rain, and warm soil. The temperature ranges significantly from summer to winter in Baghdad with average lows in January reaching 15.5 degrees Celsius (59.9 degrees Fahrenheit) and average highs in July reaching as high as 44 degrees Celsius (111 degrees Fahrenheit)! The highest temperature ever recorded in Baghdad was a scorching 51 degrees Celsius (124 degrees Fahrenheit) which occurred in July of 2015. Although Baghdad is classified as a hot desert, on 11 January 2008 snow fell in the city for the first time in memory.

This page was last modified on May 1st, 2018

More on Graphicmaps

Published on 2019-11-06


Capital	Baghdad
Languages	Arabic (official), Kurdish (official), Turkmen (a Turkish dialect), Syriac (Neo-Aramaic), and Armenian are official in areas where native speakers of these languages constitute a majority of the population)
Ethnic Groups	Arab 75%-80%, Kurdish 15%-20%, Turkmen, Assyrian, Shabak, Yazidi, other 5%
Religion	Muslim (official) 99% (Shia 55-60%, Sunni 40%), Christian <.1%, Yazidi <.1%, Sabean Mandaean <.1%, Baha'i <.1%, Zoroastrian <.1%, Hindu <0.1%, Buddhist <0.1%, Jewish <0.1%, folk religion <0.1, unafilliated 0.1%, other <0.1%
Government	Federal parliamentary republic
Independance	3 October 1932 (from League of Nations mandate under British administration); note - on 28 June 2004 the Coalition Provisional Authority transferred sovereignty to the Iraqi Interim Government
Area	438,317.00 km²
Water Area	950.00 km²
Land Area	437,367.00 km²
Population	38,146,025.00 Population is concentrated in the north, center, and eastern parts of the country, with many of the larger agglomerations found along extensive parts of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers; much of the western and southern areas are either lightly populated or uninhabited
Location	Middle East, bordering the Persian Gulf, between Iran and Kuwait
No. Bordering Countries	6
Bordering Countries	Iran 1,599 km, Jordan 179 km, Kuwait 254 km, Saudi Arabia 811 km, Syria 599 km, Turkey 367 km
GDP(PPP)	$597,000,000,000.00 (USD)
GDP (Per Capita)	$16,500.00 (USD)
Export Partners	Its major export partners are China, India, and South Korea.
Export Commodities	Its main exports are crude oil and crude materials.
Import Partners	Its major import partners are Turkey, Syria, and China.
Import Commodities	Its major imports include food, medicine, and manufactures.
Climate	Mostly desert; mild to cool winters with dry, hot, cloudless summers; northern mountainous regions along Iranian and Turkish borders experience cold winters with occasionally heavy snows that melt in early spring, sometimes causing extensive flooding in central and southern Iraq
Terrain	Mostly broad plains; reedy marshes along Iranian border in south with large flooded areas; mountains along borders with Iran and Turkey
Learn More	Iraq

Iraq Capitals

More on Graphicmaps

What is a Trade Embargo?

Which Two Countries Used to Have the Same Flag?

What Is the Only Two-Sided State Flag?

Which Country Flag Looks Like the Texas Flag?

Flags That Resemble the US Flag

What is Demography?