Iraq Travel Overview
Important facts
Capital: Baghdad (See more on ITYPEMBA.COM)
Official language: Arabic
Currency: dinar
Continent: West Asia
The Mesopotamia
The land between the Euphrates and Tigris was not always so barren. It was considered the cradle of Babylonian culture.
Location
According to Countryaah, Iraq is in the Middle East and still at war. Travel to Iraq is not recommended. However, the travel warning for the federal region of Kurdistan-Iraq is restricted.
Travel in Iraq
There are many historical buildings to be seen in Iraq, but it is not clear that many of them were destroyed or looted in the recent fighting. The only halfway safe place to travel is the Kurdish autonomous region in the north. The UN has had a protection zone north of the 36th parallel since the second Gulf War. The most interesting town in this area is Kirkuk (or: Kerkuk). It was part of the ancient Assyrian Empire of Mittani. This stretched from the Persian Gulf to the Mediterranean Sea and was in turn part of the ancient Northern Syrian Empire. Especially those interested in adventure and cultural travelers get their money’s worth in Iraq. Because between desert, stone and ruins are traces of ancient cultures, the imprints of which extend to the present day.
Currency
Currency (sub-unit)
Dinar (1000 fils)
ISO 4217 code
IQD / 368
Geography
Continent: Asia
Region: west
Geo coordinates: N 33 ° 13 ‘23.5 ” E 43 ° 40’ 45.4″
Highest mountain: Haji Ibrahim (3,600 m)
Total area: 437,072 km²
Mainland: 432,162 km²
National border: 3,650 km
Coastline: 58 km
Politics
Dependency: Great Britain until 1932
UN member since: 1945
Other political affiliation: Arab League
Form of government: People’s Democrat. republic
Economy
Export goods: Petroleum, dates, wool, cement
GDP: $ 34,089,500,000
GDP purchasing power parity: $ 98.8 billion
GDP share of agriculture: 6.6%
GDP share of industry: 68.2%
GDP share of services: 25.2%
Inflation rate: 37%
Unemployment: 26%
State budget revenue: $ 4294967295
State budget expenditure: $ 4294967295
Foreign debt: $ 79 billion
Gold and currency reserves: $ 10,073,000,000
Electricity consumption: 34,000 million KWh
Gas reserves: 3,115,000 million m³
Gas production: 2,890 million m³
Gas consumption: 2,890 million m³
Oil reserves: 112,500 million m³
Oil production: 2,148,000 million m³
Oil consumption: 342,000 million m³
Cultivation area: 13.68%
Bovine: 1,560,000 pieces
Sheep: 6,100,000 pieces
Fishing: 21,000 t
Demographic data
Residents: 26,783,400
Residents in cities: 17,833,000
Average age: 19.7 years
0-14 years: 39.7%
15-64 years: 57.3%
> 65 years: 3%
Population growth: 2.66%
Birth rate: 31.98 / 1,000 residents
Death rate: 5.37 / 1,000 residents
Ratio men / women: 1.02
Fertility: 4.18 children / woman
Infant mortality: 48.64 ‰
Life expectancy men: 67.76 years
Life expectancy women: 70.31 years
Country codes and abbreviations
ISO 3166 Alpha 2: IQ
ISO 3166 Alpha 3: IRQ
ISO 3166 numeric: 368
Top Level Domain: iq
IOC country code: IRQ
UN / LOCODE: IQ
Source: Abbreviationfinder
Communication
Telephone connections: 690,000
Cell Phones: 78,000
Radios: 5,740,000
TV: 2,094,000
Computer: 390,000
Internet users: 134,000
Transportation
Railway lines: 2,271 km
Paved roads: 41,492 km
Cars: 1,082,000
Merchant fleet (ships over 1,000 GRT): 13
Pipelines: 8,500
Health
Number of doctors: 12,700
Daily food intake: 2.180 kcal / resident
HIV- infected people: 600
Education
Illiteracy: 58%
History
Foundation: 3000 BC Chr.
Last sovereign since: -1932 BC Chr.
Religion
Main religious group: Muslims
Defense Spending: $ 1,340,000,000
GETTING THERE
Arriving by plane
Iraq’s national airline is called Iraqi Airways (IA) (Internet: www.iraqiairways.co.uk).
There are connections with Austrian Airlines (OS) from Vienna directly to Erbil. From London there is a direct connection to Sulaimaniyya.
Lufthansa (LH) currently operates the Frankfurt-Erbil and Frankfurt-Baghdad routes.
Air Berlin (AB) flies regularly to Erbil and Sulaimaniyya from Munich.
Air passes
With the Visit Middle East Pass from Allianz Oneworld, travelers can book any number of flights (at least 3 flights) with the participating airlines British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Qatar Airways and Royal Jordanian and travel to the following 12 countries: Egypt, Bahrain, Iran, Iraq Yemen, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and United Arab Emirates.
Arrival by car
The embassy can provide information about which border crossings are currently open. Trips are organized from Amman to Baghdad.
Arriving by train
The rail connections are in a catastrophic condition and are not recommended for foreign travelers.
Arrival by ship
There are ports in Basra, Khor az-Zubayr and Umm Qasr. Larger ships can currently only dock in Basra. No passenger traffic.
ON THE GO
Overview
Note
No current information is currently available in this category.
Traveling by plane
Civil air traffic between Erbil, Baghdad, Basra, Mosul and Sulaimaniya is developing slowly and is constantly being expanded.
On the way by car / bus
Warnings are given against traveling by car. Roadblocks and mines must be expected. There is right-hand traffic.
Rental cars: are possibly available at the airport.
Documentation: international driver’s license and liability insurance.
Traveling in the city
In the larger cities there are minibuses and shared taxis. It is uncertain whether there are bus connections from Baghdad to other cities.
On the go by train
Rail travel in the country is strongly discouraged. Only the Baghdad-Basra line is in operation, but it is very irregular.