Iraq
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Iraq got its independence from the British in 1932 and established a kingdom. Royalty was overthrown, followed by a series of one party dictatorships. Saddam Hussein took power of Iraq in 1979 the the support of the Bath Party, pushing out his uncle who was president at the time.
In 1980, Saddam Hussein attacked Iran in attempt to gain Persian Gulf access. Saddam also waged war against rebellious kurds, using poison gas.
He also built a huge military force, buying weapons woth oil money from all over the world and trying to acquire "Weapons of Mass Destruction" (WMD). Later invaded Kuwait in August,1990.
GEOGRAPHY
- Its is the size of California
- Tigris and Euphrates river valley, good farmland
- Capitol--Baghdad
- Tigris River, 6 million
CULTURE
- Population is 26 million
- 95% Muslim, slight Shi'ite majority
- Mainly herdsmen and farmers, poor and uneducated
- Kurds--19% of population
> Live in far north
> Want their own country
ECOMICS
- Among worlds leading oil exports