Iraq (, , or ; ,
Kurdish:
Êraq), officially the
Republic of Iraq (Arabic: ; ), is a country in
Western Asia. The country borders
Turkey to the north,
Iran to the east,
Kuwait to the southeast,
Saudi Arabia to the south,
Jordan to the southwest, and
Syria to the west. The southern part of Iraq is within the
Arabian Peninsula. The capital,
Baghdad, is in the centre of the country and its largest city. The largest ethnic groups in Iraq are
Arabs and
Kurds. Other ethnic groups include
Assyrians,
Turkmen,
Shabakis,
Yazidis,
Armenians,
Mandeans,
Circassians, and
Kawliya. Around 95% of the country's 36 million citizens are Shia or Sunni
Muslims, with
Christianity,
Yarsan,
Yezidism, and
Mandeanism also present.