The Natural History Museum was opened in 1973 at the University of Baghdad. Its opening constituted an important scientific starting point for the country. It is in this place that scientific research is established in the topics of life sciences and geology, as well as the collection, classification, preservation and maintenance of animal, plant and geological groups. Today, the museum includes several important sections, including the Department of Vertebrates, the Department of Insects and Invertebrates, the Department of Plants and the Environment, and the Department of Fish.