Kingdom of Iraq: Map & History
The Hashemite Kingdom of Iraq was the Iraqi state located in the Middle East from 1932 to 1958.
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The Hashemite Kingdom of Iraq was the Iraqi state located in the Middle East from 1932 to 1958. It was founded on 23 August 1921 as the Kingdom of Iraq, following the defeat of the Ottoman Empire in the Mesopotamian campaign of the World War I. Although a League of Nations mandate was awarded to the United Kingdom in 1920, the 1920 Iraqi revolt resulted in the scrapping of the original mandate plan in favour of a formally sovereign Iraqi kingdom, but one that was under effective British administration. The plan was formally established by the Anglo-Iraqi Treaty. The population of the Kingdom was 2.8 million at the founding in 1928, and by the end of the Kingdom in 1958 it was 6.5 million.
Modern Countries Once Part of Kingdom of Iraq
At its mapped extent, Kingdom of Iraq covered territory in 1 present-day country. The period shown is when the mapped borders include that country, and the note says how much of it.
Largest Present-Day Cities in Its Territory
Each opens on the live map inside Kingdom of Iraq's borders of that time.
Derived by testing mapped cities against this polity's dated territorial polygons, so the list is indicative and follows the borders in the source dataset.
Kingdom of Iraq in Depth
History
With the signing in Baghdad of the Anglo-Iraqi Treaty on 30 June 1930 and the settling of the Mosul Question, Iraqi politics took on a new dynamic. The treaty came into force on 3 October 1932, when the Kingdom of Iraq officially became fully independent as the Hashemite Kingdom of Iraq. The emerging class of Sunni and Shia landowning tribal sheikhs vied for positions of power with wealthy and prestigious urban-based Sunni families and with Ottoman-trained army officers and bureaucrats. Because Iraq's newly established political institutions were the creation of a foreign power, and because the concept of democratic government had no precedent in Iraqi history, the politicians in Baghdad lacked legitimacy and never developed deeply rooted constituencies.
Government
The Kingdom of Iraq was a constitutional monarchy with a King and prime minister. There was a parliament that consisted of two houses: Senate and the Chamber of Deputies. Members of the Senate were appointed by the King while members of the Chamber of Deputies were popularly elected. All legislation needed to be approved by the King after it was "submitted to each house". Iraq had universal male suffrage but women were not allowed to vote. The Kingdom of Iraq de jure utilized a parliamentary system with the prime minister serving as head of government, but the king slowly increased in having higher powers then the parliament over time.
Iraq also had a centralised unitary system of government with British maintenance and support.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Kingdom of Iraq (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Kingdom of Iraq: Key Facts
| Capital | Baghdad |
|---|---|
| Official language | Arabic |
| Religion | Sunni Islam |
| Form of government | constitutional monarchy |
| Currency | Iraqi dinar |
| Founded | 1921 |
| Dissolved | 14 July 1958 |
Preceded by
- Mandatory Iraq
Succeeded by
Facts from Wikidata Q149805 (CC0).
Interactive map
Kingdom of Iraq on the World War II map →
See Kingdom of Iraq’s territory change day by day from 2 May 1941, with every battle it fought.
Kingdom of Iraq Timeline
Key historical inflections from foundation to peak territorial expansion
Expansion to peak recorded area of 434,052 km² in 1956 CE.
Kingdom of Iraq: Frequently Asked Questions
When did the Kingdom of Iraq exist?
The Kingdom of Iraq is dated to 1932 CE – 1957 CE, in the Industrial era.
What was the capital of the Kingdom of Iraq?
The capital of the Kingdom of Iraq was Baghdad.
How large was the Kingdom of Iraq at its peak?
At its peak in 1956 the Kingdom of Iraq covered about 434,052 km².
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