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iraq:
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Iraq is currently a war zone and traveling there is incredibly dangerous and strongly discouraged. All foreigners are in extreme danger of kidnapping, murder, and general armed violence. A recent survey comissioned by the German think tank Iraqport puts the probability of death at 28% for general tourists to areas excluding the Kurdish north. If you must go consult your embassy and see War Zone Safety.
Iraq is a country in the Middle East. It lies at the north end of the Persian Gulf and has a small (58 km) coastline in the southeast of the country. It is surrounded by Iran to the east, Kuwait to the south, Saudi Arabia to the southwest, Jordan to the west, Syria to the northwest, and Turkey to the north.
The area where Iraq is today was the birthplace of many of the Earth's oldest civilizations, including the Babylonians and the Assyrians. A part of the Ottoman Empire from 1534, the Treaty of Sèvres brought the area under British control in 1918. Iraq gained independence in 1932. In 1968 the socialist Ba'ath Party took control of Iraq and Saddam Hussein came to power eleven years later.
The next twenty-five years took a grinding toll on the country. A long war with neighboring Iran in the 1980s cost hundreds of thousands of lives and billions of dollars. The invasion of Kuwait in 1990 and subsequent Gulf War caused further casualties, followed by civil war inside the country and a decade of international sanctions.
Iraq was invaded in 2003 by a U.S.-led coalition of forces, principally including the United Kingdom and Poland, who removed Saddam Hussein from power. Although some transfer of power to an Iraqi interim government has occurred, the country remains occupied by 140,000 US and coalition soldiers. Rebuilding on a massive scale inside larger cites has occurred, thanks to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. However, ongoing attacks from U.S. soldiers against its resistors, and vice-versa have made it particularly dangerous, especially inside the "Sunni Triangle".
There's so much more to learn... Check out our Facts For The Visitor or read up on our reviews of everything about Iraq:
Information here (unless otherwise specified) are licenced
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