Iraq
Baghdad · Western Asia
Iraq is a country in Asia. Its capital city is Baghdad, the official currency is the Iraqi Dinar, and the main language is Arabic.
With a population of roughly 45.5 million people spread over 438,317 km², Iraq is the 35th most populous country in the world and the 58th largest by area. That works out at about 104 people per square kilometre.
Iraq shares land borders with Turkey, Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Syria — 6 neighbours in all. Its largest urban centres are Baghdad, Basra and Mosul. The highest point in the country is Cheekha Dar, at 3,611 metres.
For scale, it covers almost exactly the same area as Morocco, while its population is closest to that of Algeria.
- Capital
- Baghdad
- Region
- Western Asia
- Population
- 45,500,000
- Area
- 438,317 km²
- Currency
- Iraqi Dinar
- Main language
- Arabic
- Highest point
- Cheekha Dar
3,611 m - Land borders
- 6
Iraq: things worth knowing
- The land between the Tigris and Euphrates is Mesopotamia, where the earliest known cities and writing systems appeared.
- Iraq holds some of the largest proven oil reserves in the world.
- The Mesopotamian Marshes, drained in the 1990s, have been partially re-flooded and are now a World Heritage Site.
Iraq in context
Asia has 48 sovereign countries in total. Iraq ranks 14th among them by population.
See the full list of Asia countries, or browse all 195 countries.