Natural hazards: dust storms, sandstorms, floods
Environment—current issues: government water control projects have drained most of the inhabited marsh areas east of An Nasiriyah by drying up or diverting the feeder streams and rivers; a once sizable population of Shi'a Muslims, who have inhabited these areas for thousands of years, has been displaced; furthermore, the destruction of the natural habitat poses serious threats to the area's wildlife populations; inadequate supplies of potable water; development of Tigris-Euphrates Rivers system contingent upon agreements with upstream riparian Turkey; air and water pollution; soil degradation (salination) and erosion; desertification
Environment—international agreements: party to: Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification
People
Population: 22,427,150 (July 1999 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 44% (male 4,982,510; female 4,825,129)
15-64 years: 53% (male 6,030,417; female 5,889,543)
65 years and over: 3% (male 326,223; female 373,328) (1999 est.)
Population growth rate: 3.19% (1999 est.)
Birth rate: 38.42 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Death rate: 6.56 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)