Iraq

Iraq

Introduction to Attractions

Located in the southwestern part of Asia and the northern part of the Arabian Peninsula. It borders Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, Syria and Jordan to the west, and Saudi Arabia and Kuwait to the south, with the Persian Gulf to the southeast. The Euphrates and Tigris rivers flow from the northwest to the southeast across the country. It has a coastline of 60 kilometers. Except for the mountainous areas in the northeast, it has a tropical desert climate. Summer temperatures can exceed 50°C, while winter lows are around 0°C. Annual precipitation ranges from 100 to 500 millimeters from south to north, reaching up to 700 millimeters in the northern mountainous regions.

Iraq has a long history, with city-states emerging as early as 4700 BC. The Kingdom of Babylon was established in 2000 BC, and it is regarded as one of the “Four Great Ancient Civilizations.” Starting in 550 BC, it was invaded and ruled by Persians, the Arab Empire, and the Ottoman Empire in succession. In 1920, it became a British “mandate territory.” It declared independence in August 1921 and gained full independence in 1932.

On July 14, 1958, the Faisal dynasty was overthrown and the Republic of Iraq was established. In July 1968, the Ba'ath Party came to power through a coup and promoted the Arab agenda of “unity, freedom, and socialism.” In 1979, Ba'athist Saddam Hussein became President of Iraq. In 1980, Iraq launched the eight-year Iran-Iraq War due to border disputes with Iran. In 1990, Iraq’s annexation of Kuwait triggered the Gulf War and led to United Nations sanctions.

In the second half of 2002, the United States believed that Iraq supported —, developed weapons of mass destruction, and posed a “potential threat” to U.S. interests in the Middle East. Claiming to have solid evidence of Iraq’s possession of such weapons and losing patience with the Iraqi regime’s repeated concealment and deception of the international community, the U.S. publicly stated its intention to overthrow Saddam Hussein’s regime by force and subsequently deployed troops to the Gulf. On March 20, 2003, the Iraq War broke out.

On April 9, U.S. forces captured Baghdad, and the Saddam Hussein regime was overthrown. On May 1, U.S. President Bush announced the end of major combat operations in Iraq. On the 6th, he appointed former U.S. diplomat L. Paul Bremer as the highest-ranking American civilian administrator in charge of Iraq affairs, responsible for the reconstruction of Iraq.

■ Baghdad, Iraq