World Enivironmental Issues Brief

  • LARGE AREAS SUBJECT TO OVERPOPULATION
  • INDUSTRIAL DISASTERS
  • POLLUTION (air, water, acid rain, toxic substances)
  • LOSS OF VEGETATION (overgrazing, deforestation, desertification)
  • LOSS OF WILDLIFE
  • SOIL DEGRADATION
  • SOIL DEPLETION
  • EROSION
  • GLOBAL WARMING

Pinkham.com - 8

Global Issues Snapshots

Error message

  • Notice: A non well formed numeric value encountered in number_field_formatter_view() (line 283 of /var/www/html/8/modules/field/modules/number/number.module).
  • Warning: number_format() expects parameter 1 to be double, string given in number_field_formatter_view() (line 283 of /var/www/html/8/modules/field/modules/number/number.module).

Iraq

— Current Environmental Issues —
government water control projects have drained most of the inhabited marsh areas east of An Nasiriyah by drying up or diverting the feeder streams and rivers; a once sizable population of Marsh Arabs, who inhabited these areas for thousands of years, has been displaced; furthermore, the destruction of the natural habitat poses serious threats to the areas wildlife populations; inadequate supplies of potable water; development of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers system contingent upon agreements with upstream riparian Turkey; air and water pollution; soil degradation (salination) and erosion; desertification

— Health Indicators —
HIV / AIDS prevalancy rate: 0.0
Fertility Rate: 4.1
Infant Mortality Rate: 47.0
Life Expectancy at Birth: Male: 68.0
Life Expectancy at Birth: Female: 71.0
Life Expectancy at Birth: Total Population: 69.3

— Population —
Population Total: 27,499,638
Population Growth Rate: 2.6

— Economic Indicators —
GDP Real Growth Rate: 2.4
Military Expendatures Percent of GDP: 7.5
Unemployment Rate: 25.0
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 64.8
GDP Per Capita PPP: 2,900
Population Below Poverty Line: N/R
    (Definitions of poverty vary considerably among nations.)

— Education and Communications —
Global Issues Snapshots
Global Issues Snapshots
Bordering country: Iran
Bordering country: Jordan
Bordering country: Kuwait
Bordering country: Saudi Arabia
Bordering country: Syria
Bordering country: Turkey

— Background —
Formerly part of the Ottoman Empire, Iraq was occupied by Britain during the course of World War I; in 1920, it was declared a League of Nations mandate under UK administration. In stages over the next dozen years, Iraq attained its independence as a kingdom in 1932. A "republic" was proclaimed in 1958, but in actuality a series of military strongmen ruled the country until 2003, the last was SADDAM Husayn. Territorial disputes with Iran led to an inconclusive and costly eight-year war (1980-88). In August 1990, Iraq seized Kuwait, but was expelled by US-led, UN coalition forces during the Gulf War of January-February 1991. Following Kuwaits liberation, the UN Security Council (UNSC) required Iraq to scrap all weapons of mass destruction and long-range missiles and to allow UN verification inspections. Continued Iraqi noncompliance with UNSC resolutions over a period of 12 years led to the US-led invasion of Iraq in March 2003 and the ouster of the SADDAM Husayn regime. Coalition forces remain in Iraq under a UNSC mandate, helping to provide security and to support the freely elected government. The Coalition Provisional Authority, which temporarily administered Iraq after the invasion, transferred full governmental authority on 28 June 2004 to the Iraqi Interim Government, which governed under the Transitional Administrative Law for Iraq (TAL). Under the TAL, elections for a 275-member Transitional National Assembly (TNA) were held in Iraq on 30 January 2005. Following these elections, the Iraqi Transitional Government (ITG) assumed office. The TNA was charged with drafting Iraqs permanent constitution, which was approved in a 15 October 2005 constitutional referendum. An election under the constitution for a 275-member Council of Representatives (CoR) was held on 15 December 2005. The CoR approval in the selection of most of the cabinet ministers on 20 May 2006 marked the transition from the ITG to Iraqs first constitutional government in nearly a half-century.