World Factbook
Iraq
Jumhuriyat al-Iraq/Komar-i Eraq
Last updated: 2026-03-28 (today)
Area
land
437,367 sq km
water
950 sq km
total
438,317 sq km
Climate
mostly desert; mild to cool winters with dry, hot, cloudless summers; northern mountainous regions along Iranian and Turkish borders experience cold winters with occasionally heavy snows that melt in early spring, sometimes causing extensive flooding in central and southern Iraq
Terrain
mostly broad plains; reedy marshes along Iranian border in south with large flooded areas; mountains along borders with Iran and Turkey
Land use
other
76.5% (2023 est.)
forest
1.6% (2023 est.)
agricultural land
21.8% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: arable land
arable land: 11.4% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent crops
permanent crops: 1.2% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent pasture
permanent pasture: 9.2% (2023 est.)
Location
Middle East, bordering the Persian Gulf, between Iran and Kuwait
Coastline
58 km
Elevation
lowest point
Persian Gulf 0 m
highest point
Cheekha Dar (Kurdish for "Black Tent") 3,611 m
mean elevation
312 m
Irrigated land
35,250 sq km (2012)
Major aquifers
Arabian Aquifer System
Map references
Middle East
Land boundaries
total
3,809 km
border countries
Iran 1,599 km; Jordan 179 km; Kuwait 254 km; Saudi Arabia 811 km; Syria 599 km; Turkey 367 km
Maritime claims
territorial sea
12 nm
continental shelf
not specified
Natural hazards
dust storms; sandstorms; floods
Geography - note
strategic location on Shatt al Arab waterway and at the head of the Persian Gulf
Natural resources
petroleum, natural gas, phosphates, sulfur
Area - comparative
slightly more than three times the size of New York State
Geographic coordinates
33 00 N, 44 00 E
Population distribution
population is concentrated in the north, center, and eastern parts of the country, with many of the larger urban agglomerations found along extensive parts of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers; much of the western and southern areas are either lightly populated or uninhabited
Major lakes (area sq km)
fresh water lake(s)
Lake Hammar - 1,940 sq km
Major watersheds (area sq km)
Indian Ocean drainage
(Persian Gulf) Tigris and Euphrates (918,044 sq km)
Major rivers (by length in km)
Euphrates river mouth (shared with Turkey[s], Syria, and Iran) - 3,596 km; Tigris river mouth (shared with Turkey[s], Syria, and Iran) - 1,950 km; the Tigris and Euphrates join to form the Shatt al Arab note: [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth