a republic in SW Asia, on the Persian Gulf: coextensive with ancient Mesopotamia; became a British mandate in 1920, independent in 1932, and a republic in 1958. The Iraqi invasion of Kuwait (1990) led to their defeat in the first Gulf War (1991) by US-led UN forces. The second Gulf War (2003) tookplace when Iraq was invaded by a coalition of US, UK, and other forces; government elected in 2005; the last coalition troops officially left the country in 2011. Civil war between government-led forces and Islamic State insurgents began in 2014. Iraq consists chiefly of the mountains of Kurdistan in the northeast, part of the Syrian Desert, and the lower basin of the Rivers Tigris and Euphrates. Oil is the major export. Official language: Arabic; Kurdish is official in the Kurdish Autonomous Region only. Official religion: Muslim. Currency: dinar. Capital: Baghdad. Pop: 38 274 618 (2017 est). Area: 438 446 sq km (169 284 sq miles)