Iraq otherwise known as Republic of Iraq is the 58th largest country in the world and is bordered by Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Syria, Turkey and Iran.
Iraq gained independence from the Ottoman Empire on 1st October 1919 and the United Kingdom on 3rd October 1932 and the capital city is Baghdad.
Its main export is crude oil and is the home of one of the Seven Wonders of the World, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. The numeral 60 based math system which is the basis of time in the modern world, invention of longitude and latitude in geographical navigation and much more were all founded and developed in Iraq.
There are also many other tourist attractions such as Citys, mosques, palaces, old churches and monasteries i.e Kadhimain Shrine, Church of Meskenta, the Umayyad Mosque and Qara Serai (Black Palace).
Iraq
About Iraq
National Olympic Committee
Sports
Iraq has several sports leagues. Some of them are paid for by sponsors of local industries.
For example, Electric Club is paid for by the Ministry of Electricity and Al Naft is paid for by oil revenues.
Football is the most popular sport in Iraq. Basketball, Swimming, Weightlifting, Bodybuilding, Boxing, Kick Boxing and Tennis are also popular sports.
Climate
The climate in Iraq is mostly desert, with mild and cool winters and dry, hot summers. Iraq has two climatic provinces: the hot lowlands, including the plains and deserts; and the damper northeast, where there are cooler temperatures.
The northern mountainous regions have cold winters with occasional heavy snows, sometimes causing extensive flooding.
In the lowlands there are two seasons, summer and winter, with short transitional periods between them.
Summer, clear skies, extremely high temperatures, and low relative humidity.
Winter Temperatures are generally mild, although extremes of hot and cold, including frosts, can occur.
Religion
Muslim is the main religion comprising of 97%, the other 3% consist of Christian and other religions
Culture
The region of Iraq was historically known as Mesopotamia which is Greek meaning between the rivers.
It was home to the world's first known civilization, the Sumerian culture. Iraq has been made up of five cultural areas: Kurdish in the north, Sunni Islamic Arabs around Baghdad, Shi'a Islamic Arabs in the south, the Assyrians in the north, and the Marsh Arabs on the marshlands.
Markets and bartering are the common form of trade. The Iraqi cuisine is generally a heavy cuisine with more spices than most Arab cuisines.
Iraq's main food crops include wheat, barley, rice, vegetables, and dates. Common meats in Iraq are lamb and beef but fish and poultry are also available.
The Iraqi cuisine is famous for its extremely tender kabab as well as its tikka.