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
@Iraq:People
Population: 22,675,617 (July 2000 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 42% (male 4,860,795; female 4,708,453) 15-64 years: 55% (male 6,272,842; female 6,123,188) 65 years and over: 3% (male 331,840; female 378,499) (2000 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.86% (2000 est.)
Birth rate: 35.04 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Death rate: 6.4 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.)