37 Facts About Iraq Most People Get Wrong

Iraq is the Cradle of Civilization, Mesopotamia, writing and cities began here.

Iraq has the world's 5th largest proven oil reserves.

Iraq produces 80% of the world's dates.

Modern Iraq sits on the ruins of ancient Babylon, Nineveh and Ur.

Ancient Mesopotamia produced the world's first writing system (cuneiform, around 3200 BCE), the first written laws (Code of Hammurabi), and the first literary epic (Gilgamesh).

The Sumerian city of Uruk, founded around 4500 BCE in what is now southern Iraq, was the world's first true city with a population of up to 80,000 people at its peak.

Baghdad was founded in 762 CE and became the largest city in the world by 900 CE, with a population of over one million.

The Abbasid Golden Age made Baghdad the global center of mathematics, astronomy, medicine, and philosophy; the word algebra comes from a term coined by Baghdad scholar Al-Khwarizmi.

The Mongol sack of Baghdad in 1258 destroyed the House of Wisdom and its irreplaceable library; the Tigris River reportedly ran black with ink from thousands of drowned manuscripts.

The ancient city of Ur, birthplace of the biblical patriarch Abraham, is home to one of the best-preserved ziggurats in existence.

Nineveh, the Assyrian capital near modern Mosul, contained the world's first organized library (the Library of Ashurbanipal) with over 30,000 clay tablets.

Iraq's Mesopotamian Marshes were 90% drained by Saddam Hussein as collective punishment of the Marsh Arabs; they have since been partially restored and became a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Tower of Babel, described in the Bible, is believed to have been a real ziggurat in ancient Babylon called Etemenanki, which once stood 90 meters tall.

Iraq's Samarra spiral minaret, built in 848 CE, was once the tallest structure in the world at 52 meters and is the visual inspiration for the iconic image of the biblical Tower of Babel.

The 2003 US-led invasion toppled Saddam Hussein and triggered a period of conflict that killed an estimated 500,000 people and created millions of refugees.

Iraq's Yazidi people, a religious minority in the Sinjar mountains, practice one of the world's oldest religions; ISIS declared genocide against them in 2014 and enslaved thousands of Yazidi women.

The ancient Assyrian city of Nimrud, founded around 1250 BCE, revealed extraordinary ivory carvings and palaces when excavated; ISIS bulldozed it in 2015.

Iraq has the world's highest date palm density; the country once had 30 million date palms but war and drought reduced that to about 9 million.

The Kurdish region of northern Iraq has operated as a semi-autonomous region since 1991 and is one of the most stable and prosperous areas in the Middle East.

The Mandaeans of southern Iraq are followers of John the Baptist, speak a form of Aramaic, and are one of the world's smallest and oldest living religious communities.

Iraq's Tigris and Euphrates Rivers created the Fertile Crescent, where humanity first domesticated wheat, barley, lentils, and chickpeas, triggering the agricultural revolution.

The ancient city of Ctesiphon near Baghdad, capital of the Sasanian Persian Empire, contains the largest single-span brick arch ever built, the Taq Kasra, still standing after 1,500 years.

Iraq sits on the world's 5th largest proven oil reserves, yet decades of war and mismanagement mean many Iraqis still lack reliable electricity and clean water.

The Ziggurat of Ur, 4,000 years old and remarkably intact, stands in the southern Iraqi desert; Saddam Hussein began clumsy restoration work on it in the 1980s using modern bricks.

Iraq's Kirkuk region contains one of the oldest continuously producing oil fields in the world, discovered in 1927.

The Imam Ali Mosque in Najaf is the third holiest site in Shia Islam and receives millions of pilgrims annually; the surrounding wadi cemetery is one of the largest in the world.

Iraq is located in Middle East, Asia, with its capital city in Baghdad.

The population of Iraq is approximately 41.2M, spread across 438,317 km² of territory.

Iraq has a population density of 94/km²: a moderate density for its region.

Iraq has a coastline of 58 km, giving it access to maritime trade, fishing and coastal tourism.

Iraq shares land borders with 6 countries: Turkey, Syria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iran.

The official languages of Iraq are Arabic / Kurdish.

Iraq uses the Iraqi Dinar (IQD) as its official currency.

Iraq gained independence in 1932, establishing itself as a sovereign nation in Middle East.

The total GDP of Iraq is $264B, with a GDP per capita of $6,408, classifying it as a lower-middle-income economy.

Iraq has a hot desert, extreme summer heat climate, with the best time to visit being October–April.

Iraq is considered a Budget–Mid destination for travellers, with meals averaging $3–8.

🏛️ Ancient Babylon

Ruins of the ancient city of Babylon, home to the legendary Hanging Gardens and Ishtar Gate

🏺 Ziggurat of Ur

A 4,000-year-old stepped pyramid built by the Sumerians, one of the best-preserved ziggurats

🏰 Erbil Citadel

UNESCO continuously inhabited citadel mound for over 6,000 years, the world's oldest city

🕌 Imam Ali Shrine, Najaf

One of Islam's holiest sites, the tomb of Ali ibn Abi Talib, pilgrimaged by millions