Iraq: A Country Profile

Capital: Baghdad.
Major Cities (in order of population size): Baghdad, Mosul (Al Mawsil), Basra (Al Basrah),
Arbil (Irbil), Kirkuk, and Sulaymaniyah (As Sulaymaniyah).
Independence: October 3, 1932, from the British administration established under a 1920
League of Nations mandate.
Public Holidays: New Year's Day (January 1) and the overthrow of Saddam Hussein (April 9)
are celebrated on fixed dates, although the latter has lacked public support since its declaration
by the interim government in 2003. The following Muslim religious holidays occur on variable
dates according to the Islamic lunar calendar, which is 11 days shorter than the Gregorian
calendar: Eid al Adha (Feast of the Sacrifice), Islamic New Year, Ashoura (the Shia observance
of the martyrdom of Hussein), Mouloud (the birth of Muhammad), Leilat al Meiraj (the
ascension of Muhammad), and Eid al Fitr (the end of Ramadan).