Iraq Facts for Kids

Iraq also known as the Republic of Iraq, the name “Iraq” actually means “deeply rooted, well watered; fertile”. The country is located in western Asia and is bordered by Saudi Arabia in the south, Iran in the east, Syria in the west, turkey in the north, Jordan in the southwest and Kuwait in the southeast.

The country’s total land area is 438,317 sq km (169,235 sq mile) and the capital city of the country is Baghdad which is also the largest city.
The official language of the country is Arabic and Kurdish.
Initial, the country used to be ruled by the Ottoman Empire for centuries and then the country was under the British rule for 17 years.
The country gained its independence from Britain on 3 October 1932.

The national anthem is called Mawtini (My Homeland)
The national animal is the Golden Eagle.
The traditional music of Iraq is “maqam” based on Arabic poetry.
The people of Iraq are called Iraqi with the country’s religion being Islam with the Shiite Muslims being the most dominant.
The currency used is Iraqi Dinar (IQD).
The national resources are natural gas, sulfur, phosphates and petroleum and the major industries are Metal fabrication/processing, leather, chemicals, textiles, construction materials and petroleum.
Iraq has the fifth largest oil reserves in the world with about 150 billion barrels.
Iraq makes $56.74 billion (est. in 2017) on exportation of crude materials, food, live animals and crude oil which accounts for 99% of their export.
The country spends %56.74 billion (est. in 2017) on importation of manufactures, food and medicine.
The Iraq war started on 20th of March 2003, it is called “the Second Persian Gulf War”. The united state, Britain and Australia were major players in the war along with 35 countries, who invaded the country of Iraq
In 2004, there was a political debate about an ex united state president that about Iraq had mass weapons of destruction. President Bush said one of the reasons for going to war with Iraq was that the world’s safety could be jeopardized by the country’s weapon but after the war, they found no weapons in the country.
At the beginning of the war, the greatest threat to the United State forces was Saddam Fidayeen and the Iraqi soldiers didn’t actually resist the coalition forces advancement.
The fifth president of Iraq (Saddam Hussein) had a special bunker made and it had basic amenities like recreation room, swimming pool, well furnished kitchen and nursery for his grandchildren. The bunker also had a war room that had the latest technology that he always used to check on activities above the ground. The company that built the special bunker also had the air raid shelter of Adolf Hitler’s third Reich built.
There was a labyrinth network of underground tunnels in Baghdad the capital city; that was more than 50 kilometers long and it used to be able to contain thousands of people as well as houses, military posts and hospitals.
One of the great earliest works of literature, the Epic of Gilgamesh is known to have originated from ancient Mesopotamia which is Iraq.

Akkadian, Sumerian, Assyrian and Babylonian empire have one time in history called Iraq home.
The city of kufa is said to be the place where prophet Nuh/Noah (P.B.U.H) built the ark of Noah according to Islamic traditions
The desert of Iraq had a river of frozen water stream through, it was brought about by a rare phenomenon of rain and hail storms
The Tigris and Euphrates are Iraq’s two major rivers and the land of Iraq owes its fertility to these rivers. The region between these rivers is called Mesopotamia (it is also known as “the land amidst the rivers”) and one of the cradles of civilization is said to be there.
Before multiple wars destroyed the industry, honey production and trading was major in the country and known to be a miracle cure with the ability to treat headaches, arthritis and many more ailments.
Minerals such as iron, phosphorus, magnesium, zinc, calcium, potassium and sodium are essential found in dates and in the world, Iraq is a top three date producing countries.
As per archaeologist Leonard Woolley, The place of mystical beliefs like “fortune reading in the stars” and “the voodoo of seeing black cat” all originated in Iraq.
All karate films have been banned in Iraq since 1979.