People
Almost 75% of Iraq's population live in the
flat, alluvial plain stretching southeast toward Baghdad and Basrah to the
Persian Gulf. The Tigris and Euphrates Rivers carry about 70 million cubic
meters of silt annually to the delta. Known in ancient times as
Mesopotamia, the region is the legendary locale of the Garden of Eden. The
ruins of Ur, Babylon, and other ancient cities are here.
Iraq's two largest ethnic groups are Arabs
and Kurds. Other distinct groups are Turkomans, Chaldeans, Assyrians,
Iranians, Lurs, and Armenians. Arabic is the most commonly spoken
language. Kurdish is spoken in the north, and English is the most commonly
spoken Western language.
Most Iraqi Muslims are members of the Shi'a
sect, but there is a large Sunni population as well, made up of both Arabs
and Kurds. Small communities of Christians, Mandaeans, and
Yezidis also exist. Most Kurds are Sunni Muslim but differ from their Arab
neighbors in language, dress, and customs.
Population
24,001,816 (July 2002 est.)
Age structure
0-14 years 41.1% (male 5,003,755; female
4,849,238)
15-64 years 55.9% (male 6,794,265; female 6,624,662)
65 years and over 3% (male 341,520; female 388,376) (2002 est.)
Population growth rate
2.82% (2002 est.)
Birth rate
34.2 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Death rate
6.02 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Net migration rate
0 migrants/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Sex ratio
at birth 1.05 males/female
under 15 years 1.03 males/female
15-64 years 1.03 males/female
65 years and over 0.88 males/female
total population 1.02 males/female (2002 est.)
Infant mortality rate
57.61 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)
Life expectancy at birth
total population 67.38 years
female 68.5 years (2002 est.)
male 66.31 years
Total fertility rate
4.63 children born/woman (2002 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate
less than 0.01% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS NA
