Governorates of Iraq
| Iraqi Governorates المحافظات العراقية (Arabic) پارێزگاکانی عێراق (Kurdish) | |
|---|---|
| |
 | |
| Category | Federated state |
| Location | Republic of Iraq |
| Number | 19 governorates |
| Populations | 220,000 (Halabja) – 7,055,200 (Baghdad) |
| Areas | 529 km2 (204.2 sq mi) (Baghdad) – 138,500 km2 (53,476 sq mi) (Al Anbar) |
| Government | |
| Subdivisions | |
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| Constitution |
 Iraq portal |
Iraq presently consists of 19 governorates (muḥāfażah in Arabic, parêzga in Kurdish), also known as "provinces". As per the Iraqi constitution, three or more governorates can join to form an autonomous region. Baghdad and Basra are the oldest standing administrative regions of Iraq while In 2014 the decision was made to create the Halabja Governorate out of the Halabja District of Sulaymaniyah Governorate.[1][2]
On 21 January 2014, the Council of Ministers of the Government of Iraq approved in principle proposals to create more governorates.[3] The Council announced that two new governorates Tal Afar and Tuz Khurmatu would be formed from the current Nineveh Governorate and Saladin Governorate, respectively.[4] It was also announced that the city of Fallujah of the Al Anbar Governorate would become a separate governorate,[3] which was announced in response to a Sunni Islamist uprising in the city.
Governorates
| Governorate | Postal code | ISO code | Total area in miles2 |
Total area in km2 |
Population 7 January 2011 |
Capital |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Al Anbar | 31 | AN | 53,476 | 138,501 | 1,561,400 | Ramadi |
| Babil | 51 | BB | 1,976 | 5,603 | 1,820,700 | Hillah |
| Baghdad | 10 | BG | 78.84 | 204.2 | 7,055,200 | Baghdad |
| Basra | 61 | BA | 7,360 | 19,070 | 2,532,000 | Basra |
| Dhi Qar | 64 | DQ | 5,000 | 12,900 | 1,836,200 | Nasiriyah |
| Al-Qādisiyyah | 58 | QA | 3,148 | 8,153 | 1,134,300 | Al Diwaniyah |
| Diyala | 32 | DI | 6,828 | 17,685 | 1,443,200 | Baqubah |
| Dohuk | 42 | DA | 2,530 | 6,553 | 1,128,700 | Dohuk |
| Erbil | 44 | AR | 5,820 | 15,074 | 1,612,700 | Erbil |
| Halabja | 46 | — | 1,180 | 3,060 | 337,000 | Halabja |
| Karbala | 56 | KA | 1,944 | 5,034 | 1,066,600 | Karbala |
| Kirkuk | 36 | KI | 3,737 | 9,679 | 1,395,600 | Kirkuk |
| Maysan | 62 | MA | 6,205 | 16,072 | 971,400 | Amarah |
| Muthanna | 66 | MU | 19,980 | 51,740 | 719,100 | Samawah |
| Najaf | 54 | NA | 11,129 | 28,824 | 1,285,500 | Najaf |
| Nineveh | 41 | NI | 14,410 | 37,323 | 3,270,400 | Mosul |
| Saladin | 34 | SD | 9,556 | 24,751 | 1,408,200 | Tikrit |
| Sulaymaniyah | 46 | SU | 6,573 | 17,023 | 1,878,800 | Sulaymaniyah |
| Wasit | 52 | WA | 6,623 | 17,153 | 1,210,600 | Kut |
Previous governorates
| Governorate | Now part of |
|---|---|
| Mosul | Nineveh Governorate Dohuk Governorate |
| Diwaniya | Al-Qādisiyyah Governorate Muthanna Governorate Najaf Governorate |
| Dulaim (–1962) Ramadi (1962–1976) |
Al Anbar Governorate |
| Muntafiq (–1976) | Dhi Qar Governorate |
| Amara (–1976) | Maysan Governorate |
| Kut (–1976) | Wasit Governorate |
| Baghdad | Baghdad Governorate Saladin Governorate |
| Kikuk (–1976) At-Ta'mim (1976–2006) |
Kirkuk Governorate |
Formerly claimed governorates
- Kuwait Governorate (1990–1991)
See also
References
- ^ "KRG order turning Halabja into province sets off street celebrations". Rudaw. 14 March 2014. Retrieved 13 August 2016.
- ^ "Kurdistan Region President signs Halabja province directive". Kurdistan Region Presidency. 16 March 2014. Retrieved 13 August 2016.
- ^ a b "Resolutions of Council of Ministers For Session No. 3 on 21/1/2014". 21 January 2014. Retrieved 13 August 2016.
- ^ "Iraqi Council of Ministers approved new provinces of Tuz Khurmatu and Tal Afar". Kurd Net. 21 January 2014. Retrieved 23 August 2014.
