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Iraq

or ·

[ ih-rak, ih-rahk ]

noun

  1. a republic in SW Asia, N of Saudi Arabia and W of Iran, centering in the Tigris-Euphrates basin of Mesopotamia. 172,000 sq. mi. (445,480 sq. km). : Baghdad.


Iraq

/ ɪˈɑː /

noun

  1. a republic in SW Asia, on the Persian Gulf: coextensive with ancient Mesopotamia; became a British mandate in 1920, independent in 1932, and a republic in 1958. The Iraqi invasion of Kuwait (1990) led to their defeat in the first Gulf War (1991) by US-led UN forces. The second Gulf War (2003) took place when Iraq was invaded by a coalition of US, UK and other forces; government elected in 2005, although there is continuing violence and resistance to the coalition presence; the last coalition troops left the country in 2011. Iraq consists chiefly of the mountains of Kurdistan in the northeast, part of the Syrian Desert, and the lower basin of the Rivers Tigris and Euphrates. Oil is the major export. Official language: Arabic; Kurdish is official in the Kurdish Autonomous Region only. Official religion: Muslim. Currency: dinar. Capital: Baghdad. Pop: 31 858 481 (2013 est). Area: 438 446 sq km (169 284 sq miles)
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Iraq

  1. Republic in the Middle East , bordered by the Persian Gulf , Kuwait , and Saudi Arabia to the south; Jordan and Syria to the west; Turkey to the north; and Iran to the east. Its capital and largest city is Baghdad .
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Notes

Ruled by Saddam Hussein , a dictator who invaded Iran in 1980 and Kuwait in 1990. ( See also Persian Gulf War .)
The ancient civilization of Mesopotamia emerged in the valley between the Euphrates River and Tigris River in what is now Iraq.
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Other Word Forms

  • ·پ-· adjective
  • adjective
  • ٰԲ-· adjective
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Compare Meanings

How does Iraq compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

When the BBC World Service Eye Investigations team visited the area, Turkish aircraft pummelled the mountains surrounding the village to root out PKK militants, who have long operated from caves and tunnels in northern Iraq.

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The official supporters' group has 400 branches worldwide and Parker said it already had ticket applications from places such as Thailand, Iraq, Australia and the United States for the final.

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At the same funeral in 2005, George Bush was booed by the crowd when his face was displayed on a monitor, an apparent judgement on the US president's war in Iraq.

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Mohammed Sami hails from Baghdad and his work draws on his life and experiences during the Iraq war and as a refugee in Sweden.

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The supreme leader's distrust stems from Trump's withdrawal from the nuclear deal, the "maximum pressure" campaign that followed, and the assassination of General Qassem Soleimani in a US strike in Iraq in 2020.

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IrapuatoIraqi