The area where Iraq is today was the birthplace of many of the Earth's oldest civilizations, including the Babylonians and the Assyrians. A part of the Ottoman Empire from 1534, the Treaty of Sèvres brought the area under British control in 1918. Iraq gained independence in 1932. In 1968 the socialist Ba'ath Party took control of Iraq and Saddam Hussein came to power eleven years later.

The next twenty-five years took a grinding toll on the country. A long war with neighboring Iran in the 1980s cost hundreds of thousands of lives and billions of dollars. The invasion of Kuwait in 1990 and subsequent Gulf War caused further casualties, followed by civil war inside the country and a decade of international sanctions.

New Image of IRAQ

New Iraqi Flag Flew first time in Tuesday Morning, Which was raised by Prime Minister Maliki, New flag doesnt carry any signs of Old Regime of Saddam Hussein which represent 3 stars of it's Baath party.

But the latest change - passed by 110 votes to 50 - is only temporary, as a design for a new flag will be sought after one year