Seth McDaniel Chelsea Hoffman

The Land Twice the size of Idaho Desert land west of the Euphrates Broad, central valley between Euphrates and Tigris Mountains in the Northeast Bounded east by Iran, north by Turkey, west by Syria and Jordan, and south by Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.

The Land Continued… Lake Razzaza, Lake Tharthar, Lake Habbaniyah, Euphrates River, and Tigris River. Natural resources are petroleum, natural gas, phosphate and sulfur.

Climate/Vegetation Vegetation-wheat, barley, rice, vegetables, dates and poultry. Most of Iraq are desert areas, so vegetation is scarce. Wildlife- fauna(cheetah), gazelle, antelope, lions, hyena, wolves, jackals, wild pig, hare, bats. Numerous birds- Vultures, buzzards, raven, owl, hawks. Lizards and other reptiles are very common.

Government Democracy/Dictatorship Current President: Jalal Talabani (2005) Prime Minister: Nuri al-Maliki (2006) Former Dictator: Saddam Hussein (ended in 2003) Life expectancy: 69.6 Population: 28, 221, 181

History & Current Events Current event: Roadside bombs target Iraqi Shias Eight people killed by bombs triggering the minibuses while returning to Baghdad for a religious festival the monarchy received full independence July 16, 1979 President Bakr was succeeded by Saddam Hussein who developed an international reputation of terrorism.

Economy Monetary unit: U.S. dollar Literacy rate: 74% Unemployment rate: 18%-30% Major exports: Crude oil (83.9%), crude materials excluding fuels (8.0%), and food and live animals (5.0%)

Culture Languages spoken: Arabic (official), Kurdish (official in Kurdish regions), Assyrian, Armenian Religion: Islam 97% (Shiite 60%–65%, Sunni 32%–37%), Christian or other 3% Race: Arab 75%–80%, Kurdish 15%–20%, Turkoman, Assyrian, or other 5% Traditional foods: Kubat Mosul, Guss, Dolma, Tipsi, and Orouq Traditional dress for men is dishdasha, an ankle-length, typically white, loose- fitting, shirtlike garment allowing free air circulation over the body; the aba, a long cloak, tan or neutral in color, for cool weather; the kaffiyeh, a white or checked square scarf folded into a triangle and sometimes worn over a small white cap with the agal, a circular black rope or plaited-cord device to hold the kaffiyeh in place; and sandals Traditional dress for women isdesigned to conceal the woman and achieves this through hijab, or veiling, the practice of covering the woman's hair and body for the sake of modesty and adherence to socioreligious requirements. includes the abayah, a long black cloak worn over a dress and covering the wearer from head to foot; the asha, a black head scarf; the foota, a black chin scarf; sandals or clogs; and gold or silver jewelry (for example, ankle bracelets, earrings, or pendants, valued not only as ornament but as insurance in case a woman's husband dies, leaves, or divorces her). The dress under the abayah is traditionally a black long-sleeved, ankle-length shift or yoke-style, but may be other colors.

Places to visit Baghdad – Graves of four representatives of the 12 th Imam. Masjid Boorasa – a mosque Samarra – Mausoleum Kufa - Masjid Kufa Masjid Sahla

Work cited htmlhttp://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1 144.html(2/16/09) (2/17/09)