Iraq — Capital, Flag and Country Facts

Explore Iraq: capital Baghdad, population, flag, geography, languages, history and culture.

Iraq is in Asia. Its capital is Baghdad.

Climate

Hot, arid desert climate; mild to cool winters with dry, hot summers

Broad plains along the Tigris and Euphrates rivers; mountains along borders with Iran and Turkey

Iraq is home to ancient Mesopotamia, the "Cradle of Civilization".

The city of Baghdad was once the largest and most prosperous city in the world during the Islamic Golden Age.

Iraq's marshlands in the south, home to the Marsh Arabs, are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

3500 BC: Sumerians establish one of the earliest civilizations in Mesopotamia

762: Baghdad founded as capital of the Abbasid Caliphate

1534: Ottoman Empire conquers Iraq

1932: Iraq gains independence from British mandate

2003: US-led invasion topples Saddam Hussein's regime

2017: Iraqi forces defeat ISIS and reclaim Mosul