Republic of Iraq
Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia and a core country in the geopolitical region known as the Middle East. With a population exceeding 46 million, Iraq ranks as the 35th-most populous country in the world. The country is divided into 18 governorates and is bordered by Turkey to the north, Saudi Arabia to the south, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and Kuwait to the southeast, Jordan to the southwest, and Syria to the west. Baghdad, the capital and largest city, serves as the nation’s political, cultural, and economic hub. Iraqi society is ethnically and religiously diverse, with Arabs forming the majority, alongside Kurds, Turkmen, Yazidis, Assyrians, Armenians, Mandaeans, Persians, and Shabakis. The country’s geography and wildlife reflect this diversity, while its population is predominantly Muslim, with minority faiths including Christianity, Yazidism, Zoroastrianism, Mandaeism, Yarsanism, and Judaism. Arabic and Kurdish are the official languages, with Assyrian, Turkish, and Armenian also recognized in specific regions.
Age of Consent
As of November 2024 proposed legislation in Iraq would reduce the age of consent for girls to nine.[1][2]
As with other problems facing women and girls outside of the developed world the response from feminists has been muted. As of November 2024 there are no references to this issue on the website of the National Organization for Women.[3]
Weapons of Mass Destruction
Between 2004 and 2011, approximately 5,000 chemical weapon warheads were discovered in Iraq. These findings led to injuries among both U.S. and Iraqi personnel due to exposure or mishandling of the weapons. However, two key caveats have been noted:
(1) The weapons were in a poor state of repair, likely rendering them non-deployable. (2) Credible evidence suggests the Iraqi government had lost track of these weapons and may have genuinely believed they had fully surrendered all chemical arms during previous disarmament efforts.
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