Basic Country Facts

Transportation Railways: total: 2,032 km standard gauge: 2,032 km 1.435-m gauge Highways: total: 45,554 km paved: 38,402 km (including 976 km of expressways) unpaved: 7,152 km (1989 est.) Waterways: 1,015 km; Shatt al Arab is usually navigable by maritime traffic for about 130 km; channel has been dredged to 3 meters and is in use; Tigris and Euphrates Rivers have navigable sections for shallow-draft watercraft; Shatt al Basrah canal was navigable by shallow-draft craft before closing in 1991 because of the Persian Gulf war Pipelines: crude oil 4,350 km; petroleum products 725 km; natural gas 1,360 km Ports: Umm Qasr, Khawr az Zubayr, and Al Basrah have limited functionality Merchant marine: total: 36 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 795,346 GRT/1,432,292 DWT ships by type: cargo 14, oil tanker 16, passenger 1, passenger-cargo 1, refrigerated cargo 1, roll-on/roll-off cargo 3 (1995 est.) Airports: total: 102 with paved runways over 3 047 m: 21 with paved runways 2 438 to 3 047 m: 34 with paved runways 1 524 to 2 437 m: 8 with paved runways 914 to 1 523 m: 6 with paved runways under 914 m: 16 with unpaved runways over 3 047 m: 2 with unpaved runways 2 438 to 3 047 m: 3 with unpaved runways 1 524 to 2 437 m: 3 with unpaved runways 914 to 1 523 m: 9 (1995 est.) Heliports: 5 (1995 est.)