ESSAY: YEARS OF UN PEACEKEEPING EFFORTS

Population:21.4 million

Government:Republic

Leader:President Saddam Hussein

People

LanguagesArabic, Kurdish (official in Kurdish regions), Assyrian, Armenian

Major Religions Muslim 97% (Shi'a 60%-65%, Sunni 32%-37%), Christian or other 3%

Ethnic groupsArab 75%-80%, Kurdish 15%-20%, Turkoman, Assyrian or other 5%

Growth rate 3.69%

Birth rate43.07 births/1,000

Death rate 6.57 deaths/1,000

Fertility rate6.41 children/woman

Male life expectancy65

Female life expectancy68

Infant mortality rate60 deaths/1,000 live births

Economy

Labor force4.4 million

Unemployment rate N/A

Inflation Rate N/A

Gross domestic product (total value of goods and services produced annually)$41.1 billion (1995 est.)

BudgetN/A

Debt$50.0 billion (1989)

Exports N/A

ImportsN/A

Defense spending N/A

Highways45,554 km (1989)