On April 2, 2015 Baghdad was the site of a world record human mosaic formed by 4,200 participants in a Community Police event. Baghdad’s massive human mosaic convincingly represented the Iraqi flag.
Iraq was among the world’s 50 top exporters in 2016, shipping US$47.8 billion worth of goods around the globe. By far the highest-value Iraqi export is crude oil. Other exports from Iraq include gold, fresh or dried dates, ethylene polymer waste and sheep skins according to the International Trade Centre.
Capital Facts for Baghdad, Iraq: Quick Reference
Geography
Capital landmarks: Abu Hanifa Mosque, Al-Shaab Stadium (The People’s Stadium) and the Al-Aaimmah bridge
Famous People
Below, you will find 10 of the most famous people born in Baghdad, Iraq:
- Omar Borkan Al Gala, model, actor & photographer (born Sep. 23, 1989)
- Bassim Abbas, soccer player/footballer (born Jul. 1, 1982)
- Princess Wijdan Ali, artist, educator & diplomat (born Aug. 29, 1939)
- Mohamed Al-Daradji, film director (born Aug. 6, 1978)
- Nazik Al-Malaika, poet (born Aug. 23, 1923)
- Majid Al Muhandis, singer (born Oct. 25, 1971)
- Sasson Gabai, actor (born Nov. 24, 1947)
- Adil E. Shamoo, biochemist (born Aug. 1, 1941)
- Omar Fakhri, medical scientist (born Oct. 18, 1934)
- Wijdan Ali, artist & educator (born Aug. 29, 1939)
Note: Data for our Famous People tab was sourced from Google searches mostly targeting published Wikipedia articles specific to each person’s name.
Population
Demonym for a Baghdad resident: Baghdadi
Population: 7,180,889 (Baghdad city)
Density: 91,128 people per square mile (35,185 per square kilometer)
Population: 9,500,000 (Baghdad Province)
Density: 5,401 people per square mile (2,085 per square kilometer)
Population: 38,146,025 (Iraq)
Density: 226 people per square mile (87 per square kilometer)
Financial
GDP: US$596.7 billion as of October 2016 (for Iraq, per WorldsRichestCountries.com)
GDP per person: $7,260
Note: The above country-level GDP metrics are on a Purchasing Power Parity basis and are in U.S. dollars. Credible city GDP statistics for Baghdad were unavailable.
Official currency used in Baghdad: Iraqi dinar
Research
Research Sources:
Brookings Institution, Global Metro Monitor Report (includes GDP data). Accessed on November 22, 2016
Central Intelligence Agency, World Factbook, Field Listing: Major Urban Areas. Accessed on November 22, 2016
Central Intelligence Agency, World Factbook, Middle East: Iraq. Accessed on February 1, 2017
CityMetric, Where are largest cities in the world? 2015 edition. Accessed on November 22, 2016
Demographia, World Urban Area, 12th Annual Edition. Accessed on November 22, 2016
Guinness World Records, Largest picture mosaic formed by people. Accessed on February 1, 2017
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on February 1, 2017
Official Government Website, Mayoralty of Baghdad. Accessed on November 22, 2016
Wikimedia Commons, City Flags. Accessed on November 22, 2016
Note: Some city flags were unavailable. If so, attribution belongs to Wikimedia Commons for pertinent country flags.
Wikipedia, Baghdad. Accessed on November 22, 2016
Wikipedia, Baghdad Governorate. Accessed on November 22, 2016
Wikipedia, Capital Districts and Territories. Accessed on November 22, 2016
Wikipedia, Iraq. Accessed on February 1, 2017
Home to 7.2 million people living within 78.8 square miles (204.2 square kilometers), Baghdad is also Iraq’s largest city.
Baghdad Province is alternatively called the Baghdad Governate. Baghdad Province encompasses Iraq’s capital city plus its surrounding metropolitan area, expanding over a total 1,759 square miles (4,556 square kilometers).
At the country level, Iraq’s land area covers 168,868 square miles (437,367 square kilometers). The national population count was 38.1 million inhabitants as of July 2016.
Population density is much higher within Iraq’s capital city with an average 91,100 Baghdadis per square mile (35,200 per square kilometer).
Extending over arid desert land, population density thins out to an average 5,400 people per square mile (2,100 per square kilometer) throughout the more expansive Baghdad Province.
For Iraq overall, population density drops even more dramatically to an average 226 inhabitants per square mile (87 per square kilometer).
The Iraqi government has not declared an official national holiday yet still observes Republic Day each July 14.