Abacus - Iraq

The Tigris and Euphrates River pass through Iraq in close proximity before emptying into the Persian Gulf. The fertile soils of the Mesopotamia region provided the early inhabitants of Iraq with conditions similar to those of the Egyptians in regards to the Nile River. These rivers helped to build and sustain powerful empires.

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There was a time when written numbers did not exist. As trade and commerce grew, a need for adding and subtracting numbers became evident. The Sumerians were the first to use counting boards, the forerunner of the abacus. The first abacus, developed in 2300 to 2700 BC, was a complex device. As it spread and evolved from nation to nation, each contributed changes to improve the device. It is now possible to perform complex calculations on a modern abacus, allowing it to go far beyond adding and subtracting.

Opium Poppy - Iraq

Papaver somniferum - Opium is derived from the opium poppy and used by the medical industry for making several narcotics. The poppy seeds can also be made into poppy seed oil. It is the only member of the papaver family to be cultivated on a large scale. Opium is collected from the green seed pods of the plant after incisions are made into the skin. A milky latex begins to seep from the pods and is then collected, dried, and processed into codeine, morphine, and several other medicinal drugs.

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The British were granted a League of Nations mandate over Iraq in 1920; Iraq had been under the control of the Ottoman Empire. The British established an Iraqi monarchy and installed Faisal I as king. The constant threat of rebellion against British rule and the financial burden prompted Great Britain to grant independence to Iraq in 1932, but it did retain a military presence in the country until 1954. In 1958, the monarchy was overthrown and replaced with a republican form of government.