Iraq, the land of Hamurabi and Harun al-Rashid, has played a long and unique role in the history of human civilization. The oldest civilization known to man evolved on the shores of its twin rivers, the Tigris and the Euphrates. The great cities of antiquity-Uruk, Ur, Akkad, Babylon, Basra, Mawsil, and Baghdad-were major centers of high culture and political power for much of the course of human history. This reference begins with the earliest civilizations and covers the many periods that followed, ranging from the history of ancient Mesopotamia to the Abbasid Empire to present-day Iraq. Included are a historical overview; a country profile; a review of the economy, oil, fauna, and political institution; coverage of the Iran-Iraq War; and coverage of the Kuwait invasion and the second Gulf War and other conflicts. The major ethnic groups such as the Kurds, the Turkumans and the Assyrians, Islam and Muslim sects, Christianity and Christian sects, as well as other religious...