Quick facts
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General features
Location
Iraq is located in the Middle East, bordered by the Persian Gulf, Iran, Turkey, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Kuwait. The total land area of the country is 437,072 km2, of which 4,910 km2 is water bodies. Administratively, the country is divided into 18 governorates (muhafazat).
Population
The total population is about 24 million, of which 41% is less than 14 years old. The population is growing at an annual rate of 2.86. The life expectancy at birth is about 66 years. The infant mortality rate is about 58 child/1,000 live births 1.
Climate
The climate in Iraq is mainly of the continental, subtropical semi-arid type, with the north and north-eastern mountainous regions having a Mediterranean climate. Rainfall is very seasonal and occurs mainly between December and February, except in the northern mountain, where it occurs from November to April. Average annual rainfall is estimated at 154 mm, but ranges from less than 100 mm in the south to 1,200 mm in the north-east.
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Kut Al Amara dam, on the Tigris River.
Extensive damming of the Euphrates and Tigris rivers have led to the loss of the Mesopotamian marshlands. |
Hydrological features
The country has a long history of irrigated agriculture that dates back to the Great Mesopotamian civilization of the Tigris and the Euphrates rivers.
The Shatt Al-Arab basin, which is the only river basin in Iraq, is formed by the confluence downstream of the Euphrates and the Tigris into the Persian Gulf.
Surface water resources: transboundary rivers
Both the Tigris and the Euphrates are transboundary rivers originating their source in Turkey. A Joint Technical Committee on Regional Waters was set up in 1980 by Turkey and Iraq for discussing regional water matters. Furthermore, tensions among the countries regarding water management intensified when Turkey began a major development project called Southeastern Anatolia Project (GAP).
Length of the river reach in the basin by country (in km)
| River |
Turkey |
Syrian Arab Republic |
Iraq |
Iran |
Total |
| Euphrates |
1,230 |
41% |
710 |
24% |
1,060 |
35% |
0 |
0% |
3,000 |
| Tigris |
400 |
22% |
44 |
2% |
1,418 |
76% |
0 |
0% |
1,862 |
Distribution of the Tigris-Euphrates (Shatt Al-Arab) basin area by country (in km2)
| River |
Turkey |
Syrian Arab Republic |
Iraq |
Iran |
Total |
| Euphrates |
124,320 |
28% |
75,480 |
17% |
177,600 |
40% |
0 |
0% |
444,000 |
| Tigris |
46,512 |
12% |
776 |
0,2% |
209,304 |
54% |
131,784 |
34% |
387,600 |
| Total basin |
170,832 |
22% |
76,256 |
10% |
386,904 |
51% |
131,784 |
17% |
765,600 |
[Source: University of Texas.]
Contribution of each country to the overall water potential of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers
| River |
Turkey |
Syrian Arab Republic |
Iraq |
| Euphrates |
88.7% |
11.3% |
0.0% |
| Tigris |
51.9% |
0.0% |
48.1% |
[Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey.]
Groundwater resources
Good quality subterranean water has been found in the foothills of the mountains in the northeast of the country and in the area along the right bank of the Euphrates. But the Global Environment Outlook 2000 reported that the groundwater is rapidly deteriorating in Iraq, because the water volumes withdrawn far exceed natural recharge rates. Consequently, the traditional systems tapping aquifers using gravity-fed underground conduits, called 'Afalaj systems', have heavily suffered.
Water use
According to the World Water Development Report (WWDR), the total renewable water resources available per capita per year in Iraq is 3,287 m3. Compared to other countries in the Arab region, like Jordan, Israel of the Gulf States, this figure shows abundant water resources.
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| Rice planting in Kufa. Agricultural water withdrawals account for about 5o% of total renewable water resources in iraq. |
Water supply and sanitation
The joint WHO-UNICEF Global Water Supply and Sanitation Assessment 2000 Report, reported that in 1995 safe water supplies reached 96% of urban areas and 48% of rural areas. The figures for sanitation suggest that 93% of the urban and 31% of the rural population accessed different form of sanitation (or excreta disposal) facilities.
IRCS (International Red Cross/Crescent Society) and CRF (Christian Relief Fund) have noted that these facilities have been badly damaged in the ongoing war and could trigger massive human misery.
Agriculture
About 11.48 million hectares (ha) of land is cultivable. However, FAO estimates for 1998 reveal that only 5.5 million ha is put under cultivation due to soil salinity, fallow practices and the unstable political situation. 64% of the cultivated land was irrigated 2. Agricultural water withdrawals accounted for 52% of total renewable water resources.
Gross enrolment ratios in Iraq
| Sex |
Pre-primary
(4-5) |
Primary
(6-11) |
Secondary
(12-17) |
Tertiary
(18-22) |
| 1970 |
| MF |
2 |
69 |
24 |
5 |
| M |
2 |
95 |
34 |
7 |
| F |
2 |
41 |
14 |
2 |
| 1980 |
| MF |
9 |
113 |
57 |
9 |
| M |
9 |
119 |
76 |
12 |
| F |
9 |
107 |
38 |
7 |
| 1990 |
| MF |
7 |
85 |
42 |
NA |
| M |
7 |
92 |
51 |
NA |
| F |
7 |
78 |
32 |
NA |
[Source: UNESCO Statistical Yearbook 1999.]
Resources on the web
You'll find below a list of interesting websites and publications available online and produced by the WWAP UN partners.
Meeting the basic needs : water and health/access to water supply and sanitation
- World Health Organization (WHO): Country information focusing on health
- WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply and Sanitation Coverage Estimates 1980-2000. Access to Improved Drinking Water Sources. Iraq. September 2001. [in PDF]
Securing the food supply
The Food and Agriculture Programme (FAO) is responsible for the Oil-for-Food Programme's agricultural component.
- FAO, AQUASTAT database, information on water and agriculture in Iraq
- Read also the article: 'Iraq conflict could be devastating for rural economy' (3 April 2003)
Protecting ecosystems
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| Marsh region in 1971. The Marshlands of Mesopotamia, considered by some to be the Biblical location of the Garden of Eden, are disappearing at an alarming rate. |
- 'The demise of Mesopotamian marshlands'. An article of the UN Chronicle which highlights the role of the massive drainage work implemented in Southern iraq in the 1990s on the marshlands loss.
- United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP): website dedicated to 'Conflict and the Environment in West Asia' (Iraq, Kuwait and the region), with sections on biodiversity and protected areas.
- GRID/UNEP: The Mesopotamian Marshlands of the Tigris-Euphrates Delta. A document urging for including the marshlands of Mesopotamia in the post-war rehabilitation for the sake of people and wildlife.
Water and energy
- The Southeastern Anatolia Project (GAP) of Turkey is a multi-sector, integrated regional development effort. One dimension of it includes the construction of 22 dams and 19 hydraulic power plants, which has raised tensions over the utilization of water resources with the riparian states, including Iraq. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey has set a webpage on the issue.
Sharing water
- From Potential Conflict to Cooperation Potential (PCCP), a UNESCO contribution to the WWAP, has been designed with the overall purpose of promoting peace and cooperation over shared water resources. It just released a CDRom available online, including the following publication:
F. Lorenz. The protection of water facilities during armed conflicts.
- Transboundary Freshwater Dispute Database : this website provides the history of the freshwater international agreements.
Participate to a database of water resources experts for Iraq :The International Association for Environmental Hydrology (IAEH) is assembling a database of Iraq water resources experts. It is particularly interested in those with knowledge of groundwater resources in the more arid
regions of the country, where the need is greatest. Experts in the improvement of the quality of surface water and sustainable management strategies are also needed. The database is made available to international organizations and others that will be working to improve the life of the people of Iraq by providing abundant clean water. Go to the IAEH discussion group to participate.
Iraq and the Millennium Development Goals
What progress has been made toward the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in Iraq? The Human Development Report, published by UNDP in 2002, gives a ranking of the world countries regarding their attainment of the MDGs, showed below:
- 'Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger'
Iraq is considered 'slipping back'. Between 1990 and 1992, 1,2 million people (7% of the population) were suffering from undernourishment in the country. Between 1997 and 1999, this figure has raised to 3 million people (14% of the population) 3.
- 'Achieve universal primary education'
No data. Recent UNESCO statistics reveals that only 58% of the population can read and write. The table on 'Gross enrolment ratios in Iraq' shows important decreases between 1980 and 1995.
- 'Promote gender equality and empower women'
Iraq is considered far behind from the target. According to a document published by UNESCO 4, the gap between male and female gross enrolment ratio in Iraq went up between 1990 and 1998.
- in 1990: 14% more males (97%) had access to basic education than females (83%)
- in 1998: 16% more males (96%) had access to basic education than females (80%)
- 'Reduce child mortality'
Iraq is considered slipping back. The heat in southern Iraq since the beginning of the actual war has taken a toll on children, with more and more diarrohea cases.
- 'Ensure environmental sustainability'
No data. During the last three decades, 90% of the lakes and marshlands in the lower Tigris-Euphrates have been lost.
1 Source: The World Factbook 2002, http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/iz.html
2 Quoted in the World Water Development Report (WWDR)
3 FAO estimates, quoted in the World Water Development Report (WWDR)
4 The challenge of achieving gender parity in basic education, a statistical review, UNESCO Education Sector 2002
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