Iraqis go to the polls on Sunday the first time after the US-led war ousted Saddam Hussein's government in 2003. Following are basic facts about religions and ethnic groups in the country.

Covering an area of 441,839 square km, Iraq has a population ofabout 26 million, of whom 73 percent are Arabs, 21 percent Kurds, and the remaining Turks, Armenians, Assyrians, Jews and Persians.

The official languages are Arabic and Kurdish.

Iraq is predominantly an Islamic country. About 96 percent of the population are Muslims, 60 percent of whom belong to the Shiite sect and 40 percent Sunni. The Kurds in northern Iraq, who believe in Islam, are mainly of the Sunni sect. There are also Jews and Christian communities.

The Shiite and Sunni Muslims and the Kurds are three major forces in Iraq's politics.

Shiite Muslim Arabs make up a majority in Iraq, but historically their numbers have not been matched by political power, with the Sunni Muslim Arab minority dominant.

Sunni Muslim Arabs have traditionally ruled Iraq since 1920. Their domination dated from the time when Sunni Ottomas took control of the region in the 16th century.

Kurds are descendants of ancient Indo-European tribes who livedin parts of modern Iraq. Iraqi Kurds have fought for self-rule fordecades.

Christians form up to 3 percent of the population. Assyrian Christians, mostly Chaldean Catholics, are the biggest group. Others are Syrian Orthodox or Protestant.

Turkmens, predominantly Muslim Turkmens, settled in Mesopotamiain the 11th century and have close cultural and linguistic ties with Turkey.