Iraq Permanent Virtual Exhibition and Business Directory

Known in ancient times as Mesopotamia, the Republic of Iraq shares its borders with Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Turkey.

The legendary locale of the Garden of Eden and the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, Iraq slopes from mountains rising 3000 metres along the border with Iran and Turkey to the remains of sea-level marshes in the southeast. The two largest ethnic groups in Iraq are Arabs and Kurds. Arabic is commonly spoken, although the Kurdish language predominates in the north. English is also widely spoken.

Iraq’s natural resources include natural gas, oil, phosphates and sulfur. Agricultural output includes barley, beans, cattle, chickpeas, corn, cotton, dates, poultry, rice, sheep, sunflowers and wheat. Iraqi companies are active in a number of industries, including chemicals, construction materials, fertilizer, food processing, metal fabrication and processing, petroleum and textiles. The country’s key export destinations are the USA, India, Italy, South Korea, Taiwan, China, the Netherlands and Japan.

Oil provides about 90% of Iraq’s foreign exchange earnings – production averages about 2.5 million barrels per day. The government plans to increase production and export capacity through 2020, and is also in the process of restructuring its banks and developing the country’s private sector.