Above: An Iraqi soldier directs Shi'ite pilgrims A suicide bomber kills at least 40 people at a Shi'ite rest stop outside the Hateen Apartments in Iskandiriyah City, Iraq. 25 out of the 60 more that were hurt are critically injured in the attack. The bombing vistims include women and children. According to a United States military official, 42,000 pilgrims are gathered in the vicinity – all are walking towards Karbala City to attend the Arba’een ceremony of this Sunday. Arba’een is a Shi'a religious ... Read More

Above: Iraq Ethnicity Map Ethnic groups: Arab 75%-80%, Kurdish 15%-20%, Turkoman, Assyrian, or other 5% Religions: Muslim 97% (Shi'a 60%-65%, Sunni 32%-37%), Christian or other 3% Population: 27,499,638 (July 2007 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 39.4% (male 5,509,736/female 5,338,722) 15-64 years: 57.6% (male 8,018,841/female 7,812,611) 65 years and over: 3% (male 386,321/female 433,407) (2007 est.) Median age: total: 20 years male: 19.9 years female: 20 years (2007 est.) Population growth rate: 2.618% (2007 est.) Birth rate: 31.44 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) Death rate: 5.26 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 ... Read More