also raise sheep and cattle.
History
Iraq’s history reaches back thousands of
years. In about 3300 BC the Sumerians
created one of the world’s first civilizations
in Mesopotamia. People from
Babylonia, Assyria, Persia, Macedonia,
and other nearby areas later ruled the
region.
Arab and Ottoman Rule
Muslims from Arabia conquered the
area in the AD 600s. For a time Baghdad
was the center of the Muslim world.
Many of the greatest Muslim philosophers,
poets, and writers lived there. In
1258 a group called the Mongols conquered
the city. Iraq then became a land
of small kingdoms. The Ottoman Turks
took control in the 1500s. Iraq remained
638 1534 1918 1932 1980 1991 2003
Muslim Arabs
conquer Iraq.
The Ottoman
Empire takes
control of
Baghdad.
Great Britain
occupies Iraq.
Iraq gains
independence.
Iraq invades
Iran.
Foreign troops
defeat Iraq in
the Persian
Gulf War.
U.S.-led forces
invade Iraq.
T I M E L I N E
152 Iraq BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
part of the Ottoman Empire until the
20th century.
The Republic of Iraq
DuringWorldWar I (1914–18) British
troops occupied Baghdad and ended
Ottoman rule. After the war Iraq
remained under British protection. In
1921 Iraq became a monarchy. The
country achieved full independence in
1932. A revolution led by a group of
army officers ended the monarchy in
1958. Iraq then became a republic.
In the 1960s and 1970s the Iraqi government
faced a rebellion by the Kurds.
The rebels wanted self-government. Iran
provided military aid to the Kurds,
which strained relations between Iraq
and Iran. The Kurdish rebellion collapsed
in 1975, but occasional fighting
continued into the 21st century.
The Iran-Iraq and
Persian GulfWars
Saddam Hussein became Iraq’s
president in 1979. A year later Iraq
invaded Iran. The resulting Iran-Iraq
war lasted until 1988. Neither side won
a clear victory.
In 1990 Saddam ordered Iraqi troops to
invade the neighboring country of
Kuwait. Iraq claimed that Kuwait had
been part of its territory since 1871. The
invasion led to the Persian GulfWar of
early 1991. In less than two months, a
group of nations led by the United
States pushed Iraq’s forces out of
Kuwait.
Ongoing Troubles
At the end of the Persian GulfWar,
weapons inspectors from the United
Nations entered Iraq. The inspectors
wanted to make sure that Iraq destroyed
some of its weapons and stopped making
more. Iraq refused to cooperate with
the inspectors.
The United States and Great Britain
feared that Iraq was building illegal
weapons. As a result, U.S. and British
forces invaded the country in March
2003. The foreign troops soon took
control of Iraq and captured Saddam.
The foreign forces and Iraqi leaders then
worked to set up a new government in
Iraq. However, some Iraqis continued to
fight the foreign troops and the new
Iraqi leaders. Violence also broke out
between followers of the Sunnah and
Shi!ah branches of Islam.
..More to explore
Baghdad • Mesopotamia • Persian Gulf
War • Saddam Hussein
A rocket blasted a hole in an archway leading
to the National Museum of Iraq in
Baghdad during a war in 2003. The city
suffered heavy damage during the war.
Facts About
IRAQ
Population
(2008 estimate)
29,492,000
Area
167,618 sq mi
(434,128 sq km)
Capital
Baghdad
Form of
government
Transitional
government
Major cities
Baghdad, Mosul,
Al-Basrah, Irbil,
Kirkuk
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Iraq 153
Ireland
Known as the Emerald Isle, Ireland is
famous for its green countryside.
Throughout much of its history, Ireland
fought against rule by Great Britain.
Most of the island gained independence
in the 1920s. However, Britain continued
to control a section called Northern
Ireland. In the 1990s the independent
republic of Ireland became a successful
member of the European Union. The
capital is Dublin.
Geography
The Republic of Ireland occupies most
of the island of Ireland. Its neighbor,
Northern Ireland, occupies one sixth of
the island. The island lies off the western
coast of Great Britain, from which it is
separated by the Irish Sea. The Atlantic
Ocean borders western Ireland.
A low-lying plain spans most of eastern
and central Ireland. Hills and low
mountains rise mainly in the west.
Carrantuohill, at 3,414 feet (1,041
meters), is the highest point in the
country. The most famous of Ireland’s
rivers is the Shannon. The country has
mild summers and cool winters with
plenty of rain.
Plants and Animals
Grasslands, heather, and pastures cover
most of the country. Mosses and lichens
grow throughout the island. Ireland has
few trees. Most of the original forests
were cut down long ago for lumber and
to clear the land for farming.
Ireland has a wide variety of birds and
fish. Mammals include mice, hares, and
stoats (animals similar to weasels). The
only reptile in Ireland is a type of lizard.
There are no snakes. According to legend,
Saint Patrick chased all the snakes
from the island, but it is unlikely that
Ireland ever had any.
People
Most people in Ireland are ethnic Irish,
whose main ancestors were the ancient
Celts. English people form a small
group. Students learn both Irish (also
called Gaelic) and English in school, but
the everyday language is English. Most
