• Full name: Republic of Iraq
• Population: 31 million (UN, 2010)
• Area: 438,317 sq km (169,235 sq miles)
• Capital: Baghdad
• Major languages: Arabic, Kurdish
• Major religion: Islam
• Life expectancy: 68 years (men), 73 years (women) (UN)
• Monetary unit: Iraqi dinar
• Main exports: Crude oil
• GNI per capita: US $2,210 (World Bank, 2009)
• Internet domain: .iq
• International dialling code: 964

Leaders

President: Jalal Talabani

Jalal Talabani - a veteran leader of Iraq's minority Kurds - became Iraq's first elected president in more than 50 years in 2005.
Jalal Talabani: The first non-Arab elected to lead an Arab nation
He was selected for a second term in 2006.
And in November 2010 he was picked for another term by members of parliament under a power-sharing deal which followed months of negotiations after inconclusive parliamentary elections in March.
He became a key player in Iraqi national politics following the toppling of Saddam Hussein in the 2003 US-led invasion, with the Kurds forming a powerful voting bloc in the national parliament.
Talabani, who is seen as being close to both the United States and Iran, won praise during the height of Iraq's sectarian war for building bridges between the country's divided factions.

Born in 1933, Mr Talabani rose to a senior position in the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), but split from it in 1974 and helped to form the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan PUK the following year. The KDP and PUK have alternatively been bitter rivals and allies, currently administering the semi-autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan.

Prime minister: Nouri al-Maliki

Nouri al-Maliki, a former rebel who led the first full-time government after the toppling of Saddam Hussein, was picked for a second term as prime minister in November 2010.
He was chosen by parliament under a power-sharing agreement after the inconclusive elections of March 2010.
Mr al-Maliki's State of Law coalition came second in the poll, after the Al-Iraqiya alliance of former premier Iyad Allawi, which however gained insufficient votes to form a government.
Born in 1950, Mr al-Maliki fled a death sentence for his political activism in 1980 and lived in exile in Syria and Iran, working for the opposition Shia Islamic Dawa Party.
He returned to Iraq after the US-led invasion of 2003 and became a member of the de-Baathification commission that removed Saddam supporters from public office.
He was relatively unknown internationally until he was nominated for the premiership in May 2006, after the Sunni Arab and Kurdish parties objected to the reappointment of prime minister Ibrahim Al-Ja'fari.
He struggled to control a fractious government forged of fragile alliances and his first two years in office were marked by rampant bloodshed. He has emerged stronger after sending the army to fight Shia militia and presiding over a sharp fall in overall violence.
Controversially he signed the death warrant for Saddam Hussein during the Muslim religious holiday of Eid at the end of 2006, sparking widespread demonstrations in the Arab world.

Media
Overview Facts Leaders Media
Iraqis can choose from among hundreds of publications and scores of radio and TV stations.
Several large players dominate the market, with a plethora of niche broadcasters catering for diverse views. Many outlets are controlled by political or religious movements.
Freedom of expression is protected by the constitution. However, it has been "seriously impeded by sectarian tensions and fear of violent reprisals", US-based Freedom House found in 2009. Iraq is widely regarded as being the most dangerous place in the world to work as a journalist.
Iraqis get much of their news from television. Radio listening has declined in tandem with the rise of TV. For private media, advertising revenues seldom produce a reliable income.
The Iraqi Media Network (IMN) is a government holding company for outlets including Al-Iraqiya TV and Republic of Iraq Radio. Banned under Saddam, satellite TV has a large following
 
Foreign broadcasters targeting Iraq include the BBC, Paris-based Monte Carlo Doualiya radio, and US-backed Al-Hurra TV, Radio Sawa and Radio Free Iraq. Many of them are available via local relays. The BBC is relayed in Baghdad and Basra.

Satellite TV is watched by around 70% of viewers; the pan-Arab news stations Al-Arabiya and Al-Jazeera are popular. Iran's Al-Alam TV, which broadcasts in Arabic, can be seen in Baghdad without the need for a satellite dish.
In the northern autonomous Kurdish enclaves, rival political factions operate their own media.
Iraq's internet penetration is the lowest in the region, according to OpenNet Initiative. There were 325,000 users by June 2010 (via InternetWorldStats.com). However, internet cafes have contributed to extensive usage among young Iraqis. There is no official national filtering policy.
While few Iraqis have internet access at home, and electricity blackouts are routine, more than 80% have a mobile phone.
Bloggers can provide a closer perspective on day-to-day life, particularly when many foreign news organisations have withdrawn their reporters or restricted them to secure zones in Baghdad.

The Press
• Al-Sabah - sponsored by state-run Iraqi Media Network
• Al-Zaman - private London-based daily, printed in Baghdad and Basra; English-language pages
• Al-Mada - Baghdad, private daily
• Al-Mashriq - Baghdad, private daily
• Al-Dustur - Baghdad, private daily
• Al-Manarah - Basra, private daily

Television
• Al-Iraqiya - state-run public TV
• Al-Sharqiya - private, based in Dubai, broadcasts terrestrially and via satellite
• Al-Sumaria - private, satellite and terrestrial
• Kurdistan Satellite Channel - operated by Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) from autonomous northern enclave
• KurdSat - operated by Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) from autonomous northern enclave

Radio
• Republic of Iraq Radio - national, public
• Radio Basra - public
• Voice of Iraq - private, Baghdad
• Radio Dijla - private speech-based station, Baghdad
News agency/internet

• Voices of Iraq - pooled news service launched by Reuters Foundation and UN Development Programme, English-language pages
• National Iraqi News Agency (Nina) - private, English-language pages

Coat of Arms

Iraq as adapted
to new 2008 form of national flag.