In Biblical times, known as Erech. The name Iraq is a modernized spelling of "Uruk", an ancient city state in ancient Summeria.
After the collapse of the Ottoman (Turkish)empire, Europe carved up international boundaries and in the course of restructuring had created the modern country of "Iraq". Doomed to failure from the start, this artificially-created country was home to many disparate ethnicities and religions. Internal conflict was inevitable.
The rise of the Baath party (and its inevitable fall at the hands of the American-led coalition) was a response to this conflict.
There is no single language spoken in Iraq. Standard Arabic is most commonly used with Kurdish, Turkmen, Assyrian and Farsi spoken by a minority of the population.
"Iraq is considered the birthplace of civilization: Home to first city "Ur" and the birthplace of writing (in the form of clay tablets written in cuneiform.)
Iraq is also the birthplace of many of the ancient middle-eastern civilizations: Sumerian, Babylonian, Assyrian etc.
Correctly:- al Iraq (pronounced al 'Iraaq' - not 'aye-rack'). Formerly a metropolitan jewel of the Middle East with vast natural resources and ancient heritage, Saddam Hussein's ambition, ethnic cleansing and megalomania collapsed the economy, largely due to wars with Iran, Kuwait, and subsequently most of the western world. Not the battleground for the free world, or the subject of a humanitarian regime change, more a former quasi-ally that grew to be a pain in the arse. Also proof that democracy doesn't work too well in a Middle-Eastern country with border drawn by westerners with a ruler and a sense of humour.
Iraq was ok in the 60's, but in the 80's it got quite shitty; we just helped to make it a bit shittier and quite a lot emptier.
IRAQ = OIL = GASOLINE
A country that is literally in the cradle of civilization that happens to sit upon the third largest deposit of oil (fossil fuels) in the world. Further, the oil is very close to the surface of the earth. This means extracting the oil is less costly than anywhere else in the world. Add to this the hydrocarbon laws that are about to be passed by the installed Iraqi government, giving total access to the US and their allies to said fossil fuel and, you have IRAQ. The 51st state of the United States!
Place George Bush decided to attack for several reasons.
1. It's in the Middle East.
2. His dad had already tried and failed to get rid of Saddam.
3. He's a crap president, and war detracts attention from this
Supposedly in posession of super-powerful WoMDs, which as of yet have not been found.
The people of Iraq don't seem too happy about being 'liberated'