IraqThe land of modern Iraq (Republic of Iraq), was once the land of Mesopotamia (located north of the tropics). This land gave birth to many ancient civilizations such as the Sumerians, Babylonians and Assyrians. This land was controlled by Greece and Persia as early as the 6th century BC and before the 7th century AD. Subsequently, the land (now called Baghdad) was controlled by the Muslim Empire which eventually decayed. Mongol invaders then conquered Baghdad in the mid-13th century. During the rise of the Ottoman Turkish Empire in the 1500s, Baghdad was under the control of the Ottoman Empire until the empire lost dominance of the region after World War I. The land was not liberated at this time however, as the English and French settled The “mandates” in the Middle East and Iraq became a mandate from Britain through the League of Nations. Iraq finally gained independence in 1932, but under the rule of a foreign power, the Hashemites, a ruling family of Saudi Arabia. The Iraqi people disliked Hashemite rule, and several uprisings, revolts, and revolutions finally succeeded in overthrowing the Hashemite dynasty in 1958. Various political parties fought for control of Iraq. After ten years of clashes between political parties, an Arab nationalist (and socialist) party came to power. This party, known as the Ba'ath Party, remained in power by eliminating any possible opposition. One of the best-known Ba'ath leaders, Saddam Hussein, became president of Iraq from 1979 to 2003. During a territorial dispute, Iraq invaded Iran and caused an eight-year war that claimed hundreds of thousands of lives. human lives and ended without any satisfactory outcome on both sides. The US supported Sadd...half of paper...but most ethnicities are similar castes. Iraq contains a large amount of asphalt roads. Due to the lack of car ownership, most Iraqis in major cities travel by taxi or bus. Both cell phones and landlines are commonplace. Iraq is mostly industrialized, meaning it has much of the same technology as the rest of the world. Most of the sector is oil. Currently, healthcare in Iraq is terrible. Iraqi doctors are rare and hospitals do not have enough staff. Cholera and typhus are widespread. Furthermore, due to food shortages, many Iraqi citizens are suffering. Iraq is closely associated with the rest of the Arab and Islamic world. Iraq's national identity is highly Arab. Iraq and Iran are still in military tension due to the Gulf War. Iraq also considers Turkey, Syria, Al-Qaeda, Shiite extremists and the Ba'ath Party to be political enemies.