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Iraq

or I·rak

[ 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

/ ɪˈrɑːk /

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)


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 Words From

  • an·ti-I·raq adjective
  • pro-I·raq adjective
  • trans-I·raq adjective

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Example Sentences

Iraq may have been an irregular fight, but it had major moments.

The American military may have launched hundreds of airstrikes on Iraq and Syria.

Officials have said the war to reclaim upward of a third of Iraq and a quarter of Syria from ISIS could take years.

The account goes some way in showing just how present the Quds and other forces are in Iraq at this point in time.

“Under Suleimani several military branches have taken shape [in Iraq] which are run by Iran and the Iranian military,” he said.

Simultaneously, Iraq's armed forces would be paralyzed with the neutralization or destruction of its capabilities.

Land forces remaining in southeastern Iraq provided the staying power and control.

Often and with pleasure have we in the Iraq looked back on that summer spent in Picardy.

We have called on the United Nations to fulfill its charter and stand by its demand that Iraq disarm.

Our nation and the world must learn the lessons of the Korean Peninsula and not allow an even greater threat to rise up in Iraq.

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IrapuatoIraqi