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Compare Western Sahara (2005) - Iraq (2003)

Compare Western Sahara (2005) z Iraq (2003)

 Western Sahara (2005)Iraq (2003)
 Western SaharaIraq
Administrative divisions none (under de facto control of Morocco) 18 governorates (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah); Al Anbar, Al Basrah, Al Muthanna, Al Qadisiyah, An Najaf, Arbil, As Sulaymaniyah, At Ta'mim, Babil, Baghdad, Dahuk, Dhi Qar, Diyala, Karbala', Maysan, Ninawa, Salah ad Din, Wasit
Age structure 0-14 years: NA


15-64 years: NA


65 years and over: NA
0-14 years: 40.7% (male 5,103,669; female 4,946,443)


15-64 years: 56.3% (male 7,033,268; female 6,855,644)


65 years and over: 3% (male 348,790; female 395,499) (2003 est.)
Agriculture - products fruits and vegetables (grown in the few oases); camels, sheep, goats (kept by nomads) wheat, barley, rice, vegetables, dates, cotton; cattle, sheep
Airports 11 (2004 est.) 150 (2002); note - unknown number were damaged during the March-April 2003 war
Airports - with paved runways total: 3


2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 (2004 est.)
total: 77


over 3,047 m: 21


2,438 to 3,047 m: 36


1,524 to 2,437 m: 5


914 to 1,523 m: 6


under 914 m: 9 (2002)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 8


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 4


under 914 m: 3 (2004 est.)
total: 73


over 3,047 m: 5


2,438 to 3,047 m: 5


1,524 to 2,437 m: 24


914 to 1,523 m: 28


under 914 m: 11 (2002)
Area total: 266,000 sq km


land: 266,000 sq km


water: 0 sq km
total: 437,072 sq km


land: 432,162 sq km


water: 4,910 sq km
Area - comparative about the size of Colorado slightly more than twice the size of Idaho
Background Morocco virtually annexed the northern two-thirds of Western Sahara (formerly Spanish Sahara) in 1976, and the rest of the territory in 1979, following Mauritania's withdrawal. A guerrilla war with the Polisario Front contesting Rabat's sovereignty ended in a 1991 UN-brokered cease-fire; a UN-organized referendum on final status has been repeatedly postponed. 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 have ruled the country since then, the latest being 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 Kuwait's 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 resulted in the US-led invasion of Iraq in March 2003 and the ouster of the SADDAM Husayn regime. Coalition forces remain in Iraq, helping to restore degraded infrastructure and facilitating the establishment of a freely elected government.
Birth rate NA births/1,000 population 33.66 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Budget revenues: NA


expenditures: NA, including capital expenditures of NA
revenues: $NA


expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA
Capital none Baghdad
Climate hot, dry desert; rain is rare; cold offshore air currents produce fog and heavy dew 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
Coastline 1,110 km 58 km
Constitution - in transition following April 2003 defeat of SADDAM Husayn regime by US-led coalition
Country name conventional long form: none


conventional short form: Western Sahara


former: Spanish Sahara
conventional long form: Republic of Iraq


conventional short form: Iraq


local long form: Al Jumhuriyah al Iraqiyah


local short form: Al Iraq
Currency - Iraqi dinar (IQD)
Death rate NA deaths/1,000 population 5.84 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Debt - external NA $120 billion (2002 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US none in transition following April 2003 defeat of SADDAM Husayn regime by US-led coalition
Diplomatic representation in the US none in transition following April 2003 defeat of SADDAM Husayn regime by US-led coalition
Disputes - international Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, whose sovereignty remains unresolved - UN-administered cease-fire has remained in effect since September 1991, administered by the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), but attempts to hold a referendum have failed and parties thus far have rejected all brokered proposals despite restored diplomatic relations in 1990, disputes with Iran over maritime and land boundaries, navigation channel, and other issues from eight-year war persist; land and Shatt al Arab boundary demarcation put an end to claims to Kuwait and to Bubiyan and Warbah islands, but no maritime boundary exists with Kuwait in the Persian Gulf; Iraq protests Turkey's hydrological projects to regulate the Tigris and Euphrates rivers upstream
Economic aid - recipient NA $327.5 million (1995)
Economy - overview Western Sahara depends on pastoral nomadism, fishing, and phosphate mining as the principal sources of income for the population. The territory lacks sufficient rainfall for sustainable agricultural production, and most of the food for the urban population must be imported. All trade and other economic activities are controlled by the Moroccan Government. Moroccan energy interests in 2001 signed contracts to explore for oil off the coast of Western Sahara, which has angered the Polisario. Incomes and standards of living in Western Sahara are substantially below the Moroccan level. Iraq's economy is dominated by the oil sector, which has traditionally provided about 95% of foreign exchange earnings. In the 1980s financial problems caused by massive expenditures in the eight-year war with Iran and damage to oil export facilities by Iran led the government to implement austerity measures, borrow heavily, and later reschedule foreign debt payments; Iraq suffered economic losses from the war of at least $100 billion. After hostilities ended in 1988, oil exports gradually increased with the construction of new pipelines and restoration of damaged facilities. Iraq's seizure of Kuwait in August 1990, subsequent international economic sanctions, and damage from military action by an international coalition beginning in January 1991 drastically reduced economic activity. Although government policies supporting large military and internal security forces and allocating resources to key supporters of the regime have hurt the economy, implementation of the UN's oil-for-food program beginning in December 1996 helped improve conditions for the average Iraqi citizen. Iraq was allowed to export limited amounts of oil in exchange for food, medicine, and some infrastructure spare parts. In December 1999 the UN Security Council authorized Iraq to export under the program as much oil as required to meet humanitarian needs. Oil exports have recently been more than three-quarters prewar level. However, 28% of Iraq's export revenues under the program have been deducted to meet UN Compensation Fund and UN administrative expenses. The drop in GDP in 2001-02 was largely the result of the global economic slowdown and lower oil prices. Per capita food imports increased significantly, while medical supplies and health care services steadily improved. Per capita output and living standards were still well below the prewar level, but any estimates have a wide range of error. The military victory of the US-led coalition in March-April 2003 resulted in the shutdown of much of the central economic administrative structure and the loss of a comparatively small amount of capital plant.
Electricity - consumption 83.7 million kWh (2002) 33.49 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2002) 0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (2002) 0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - production 90 million kWh (2002) 36.01 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - production by source - fossil fuel: 98.4%


hydro: 1.6%


nuclear: 0%


other: 0% (2001)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Sebjet Tah -55 m


highest point: unnamed location 463 m
lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m


highest point: unamed peak 3,611 m; note - this peak is not Gundah Zhur 3,607 m or Kuh-e Hajji-Ebrahim 3,595 m
Environment - current issues sparse water and lack of arable land 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 area's 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
Environment - international agreements party to: none of the selected agreements


signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
party to: Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban


signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification
Ethnic groups Arab, Berber Arab 75%-80%, Kurdish 15%-20%, Turkoman, Assyrian or other 5%
Exchange rates Moroccan dirhams per US dollar - 8.868 (2004), 9.5744 (2003), 11.0206 (2002), 11.303 (2001), 10.6256 (2000) Iraqi dinars per US dollar - 0.31 (2002), 0.31 (2001), 0.31 (2000), 0.31 (1999), 0.31 (1998), note: fixed official rate since 1982; market rate subject to wide fluctuations
Executive branch none chief of state: in transition following April 2003 defeat of SADDAM Husayn regime by US-led coalition
Exports NA NA (2001)
Exports - commodities phosphates 62% crude oil
Exports - partners Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts US 40.9%, Canada 8.2%, France 8.2%, Jordan 7.5%, Netherlands 6.4%, Italy 5.4%, Morocco 4.7%, Spain 4.4% (2002)
Fiscal year calendar year calendar year
Flag description - three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black with three green five-pointed stars in a horizontal line centered in the white band; the phrase ALLAHU AKBAR (God is Great) in green Arabic script - Allahu to the right of the middle star and Akbar to the left of the middle star - was added in January 1991 during the Persian Gulf crisis; similar to the flag of Syria which has two stars but no script and the flag of Yemen, which has a plain white band; also similar to the flag of Egypt which has a symbolic eagle centered in the white band
GDP - purchasing power parity - $58 billion (2002 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: NA


industry: NA


services: 40% (1996 est.)
agriculture: 6%


industry: 13%


services: 81% (1993 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - NA purchasing power parity - $2,400 (2002 est.)
GDP - real growth rate NA -3% (2002 est.)
Geographic coordinates 24 30 N, 13 00 W 33 00 N, 44 00 E
Geography - note the waters off the coast are particularly rich fishing areas strategic location on Shatt al Arab waterway and at the head of the Persian Gulf
Heliports - 5 (2002)
Highways total: 6,200 km


paved: 1,350 km


unpaved: 4,850 km (1991 est)
total: 45,550 km


paved: 38,399 km


unpaved: 7,151 km (2000 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: NA


highest 10%: NA
lowest 10%: NA%


highest 10%: NA%
Imports NA NA (2001)
Imports - commodities fuel for fishing fleet, foodstuffs food, medicine, manufactures
Imports - partners Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts Jordan 11%, France 8.8%, China 8.4%, Germany 7.6%, Russia 7.3%, Australia 7.2%, Vietnam 6.6%, Italy 6.4%, Japan 5.6% (2002)
Independence - 3 October 1932 (from League of Nations mandate under British administration)
Industrial production growth rate NA NA%
Industries phosphate mining, handicrafts petroleum, chemicals, textiles, construction materials, food processing
Infant mortality rate total: NA


male: NA


female: NA
total: 55.16 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 61.09 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 48.95 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) NA 70% (2002 est.)
International organization participation none ABEDA, ACC, AFESD, AL, AMF, CAEU, EAPC, ESCWA, FAO, G-19, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPEC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) - 1 (2000)
Irrigated land NA sq km 35,250 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch - in transition following April 2003 defeat of SADDAM Husayn regime by US-led coalition
Labor force 12,000 6.5 million (2002 est.)
Labor force - by occupation animal husbandry and subsistence farming 50% agriculture NA%, industry NA%, services NA%
Land boundaries total: 2,046 km


border countries: Algeria 42 km, Mauritania 1,561 km, Morocco 443 km
total: 3,650 km


border countries: Iran 1,458 km, Jordan 181 km, Kuwait 240 km, Saudi Arabia 814 km, Syria 605 km, Turkey 352 km
Land use arable land: 0.02%


permanent crops: 0%


other: 99.98% (2001)
arable land: 11.89%


permanent crops: 0.78%


other: 87.33% (1998 est.)
Languages Hassaniya Arabic, Moroccan Arabic Arabic, Kurdish (official in Kurdish regions), Assyrian, Armenian
Legal system - in transition following April 2003 defeat of SADDAM Husayn regime by US-led coalition
Legislative branch - in transition following April 2003 defeat of SADDAM Husayn regime by US-led coalition
Life expectancy at birth total population: NA years


male: NA years


female: NA years
total population: 67.81 years


male: 66.7 years


female: 68.99 years (2003 est.)
Literacy definition: NA


total population: NA%


male: NA%


female: NA%
definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 40.4%


male: 55.9%


female: 24.4% (2003 est.)
Location Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Mauritania and Morocco Middle East, bordering the Persian Gulf, between Iran and Kuwait
Map references Africa Middle East
Maritime claims contingent upon resolution of sovereignty issue continental shelf: not specified


territorial sea: 12 NM
Merchant marine - total: 18 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 119,433 GRT/170,221 DWT


ships by type: cargo 9, passenger 1, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 6, roll on/roll off 1 (2002 est.)
Military branches - Army, Republican Guard, Navy, Air Force, Air Defense Force, Border Guard Force, Fedayeen Saddam; note - with the defeat of Saddam Hussein's regime in 2003, the data listed in the following entries for Iraq is invalid, but is retained here for historical purposes and until replaced by valid information related to the future Iraqi Government (April 2003)
Military expenditures - dollar figure - $1.3 billion (FY00)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP - NA%
Military manpower - availability - males age 15-49: 6,339,458 (2003 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service - males age 15-49: 3,541,467 (2003 est.)
Military manpower - military age - 18 years of age (2003 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually - males: 292,930 (2003 est.)
National holiday - Revolution Day, 17 July (1968)
Nationality noun: Sahrawi(s), Sahraoui(s)


adjective: Sahrawi, Sahrawian, Sahraouian
noun: Iraqi(s)


adjective: Iraqi
Natural hazards hot, dry, dust/sand-laden sirocco wind can occur during winter and spring; widespread harmattan haze exists 60% of time, often severely restricting visibility dust storms, sandstorms, floods
Natural resources phosphates, iron ore petroleum, natural gas, phosphates, sulfur
Net migration rate - 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Pipelines - gas 1,739 km; oil 5,418 km; refined products 1,343 km (2003)
Political parties and leaders - in transition following April 2003 defeat of SADDAM Husayn regime by US-led coalition
Political pressure groups and leaders none in transition following April 2003 defeat of SADDAM Husayn regime by US-led coalition
Population 273,008 (July 2005 est.) 24,683,313 (July 2003 est.)
Population below poverty line NA NA
Population growth rate NA 2.78% (2003 est.)
Ports and harbors Ad Dakhla, Cabo Bojador, Laayoune (El Aaiun) Umm Qasr, Khawr az Zubayr, and Al Basrah have limited functionality
Radio broadcast stations AM 2, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1998) AM 19 (5 are inactive), FM 51, shortwave 4 (1998)
Railways - total: 1,963 km


standard gauge: 1,963 km 1.435-m gauge (2003)
Religions Muslim Muslim 97% (Shi'a 60%-65%, Sunni 32%-37%), Christian or other 3%
Sex ratio NA at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.88 male(s)/female


total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2003 est.)
Suffrage none; a UN-sponsored voter identification campaign not yet completed formerly 18 years of age; universal; note - in transition following April 2003 defeat of SADDAM Husayn regime by US-led coalition
Telephone system general assessment: sparse and limited system


domestic: NA


international: country code - 212; tied into Morocco's system by microwave radio relay, tropospheric scatter, and satellite; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) linked to Rabat, Morocco
general assessment: an unknown number of telecommunication facilities were damaged during the March-April 2003 war


domestic: the network consists of coaxial cables and microwave radio relay links


international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region), and 1 Arabsat (inoperative); coaxial cable and microwave radio relay to Jordan, Kuwait, Syria, and Turkey; Kuwait line is probably nonoperational
Telephones - main lines in use about 2,000 (1999 est.) 675,000 (1997); note - an unknown number of telephone lines were damaged or destroyed during the March-April war
Telephones - mobile cellular 0 (1999) NA; service available in northern Iraq (2001)
Television broadcast stations NA 13 (1997); note - unknown number were destroyed during the March-April 2003 war
Terrain mostly low, flat desert with large areas of rocky or sandy surfaces rising to small mountains in south and northeast mostly broad plains; reedy marshes along Iranian border in south with large flooded areas; mountains along borders with Iran and Turkey
Total fertility rate NA children born/woman 4.52 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Unemployment rate NA NA%
Waterways - 1,015 km


note: Shatt al Arab is usually navigable by maritime traffic for about 130 km; channel has been dredged to 3 m and is in use; Tigris and Euphrates Rivers have navigable sections for shallow-draft boats; Shatt al Basrah canal was navigable by shallow-draft craft before closing in 1991 because of the Gulf war
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