[Title in Russian] Iraq

Description

This is a high-quality, medium-format Soviet era map of Iraq under Ba’ath Party rule.

After Faisal II was overthrown in a military coup on 14 July 1958, the newly proclaimed Republic of Iraq led by General Abd al-Karim Qasim re-established relations with the Soviet Union in March 1959, and the Soviet Union began selling arms to Baghdad. The Soviet Union provided significant military hardware to Iraq, such as military aircraft (including MiG fighter jets, tanks, and a surface-to-air missile system), as well as aid in the form of Soviet military and civilian advisers who provided technical assistance.

An inset at upper right maps the various ethnic and religious groups that comprise the varied nation of Iraq. The situation was far from benign; the map was published in the middle of the so-called First Kurdish Iraqi War.

An inset of lower left offers a detailed breakdown of the economy of the country, including of course oil refineries, but also tobacco and date palm fields.