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Currency	Iraqi dinar (IQD)

The Republic of Iraq is a Middle Eastern country in southwestern Asia. It shares borders with Saudi Arabia and Kuwait to the south, Turkey to the north, Syria to the north-west, Jordan to the west, and Iran to the east. The capital of Iraq is Baghdad.

From 1979 to 2003, Iraq was run by the Ba'ath Party. Saddam Hussein was the President. In March 2003 an invasion led by American and British forces forced Saddam Hussein and the Ba'ath Party from power. A new temporary government was formed on June 28, 2004, however the coalition forces are still currently in the country. Noor Aldamaki is the President of the new government.

At the moment, there are many US (and North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO)) troops in the country. Also, tensions between religious groups (Shia and Sunni Muslims, as well as Kurds) lead to a great deal of instability in the country. Because of these tensions, some people say there is a civil war in Iraq. At this point in time Iraq may be entering a civil war.

This area lies between two rivers, the Euphrates and the Tigris and is called the Fertile Crescent. Iraq also has a small coastline along the Persian Gulf. The weather is normal for a desert with mild, cool winters and dry, hot summers. This region has fertile land.

Iraq produces a large amount of oil. In the past, Iraq sold much of this oil to other countries. After Iraq invaded Kuwait in August 1990, the United Nations stopped Iraq from selling the oil. The United Nations later allowed Iraq to sell some oil to buy food, clothes, and medicine so the people would not suffer as much. This was called the "Oil-for-Food" program.

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