Basra
ٱلْبَصْرَة | |
---|---|
Nickname: Venice of the East[1] | |
Coordinates: 30°30′54″N 47°48′36″E / 30.51500°N 47.81000°E | |
Country | Iraq |
Governorate | Basra Governorate |
Founded | 636 AD |
Government | |
• Type | Mayor–council |
• Mayor | Asaad Al Eidani |
Area | |
• City | 50−75 km2 (21 sq mi) |
• Metro | 181 km2 (70 sq mi) |
Elevation | 5 m (16 ft) |
Population (2024) | |
• City | 1,485,000 |
Time zone | UTC+3 (AST) |
Area code | (+964) 40 |
Website | www |
[2] Basra (Arabic: ٱلْبَصْرَة, romanized: al-Baṣrah) is a city in southern Iraq located on the Shatt al-Arab.The city is a part of the Basra Governorate and is its capital. Basra is located on the Arabian Peninsula, alongside the Shatt al-Arab and Persian Gulf, which borders the Indian Ocean and is located near the Iran–Iraq border. The city's majority of population is of Shia Arab Muslims. Basra is consistently one of the hottest cities in Iraq, with summer temperatures regularly exceeding 50 °C (122 °F).The hottest recorded temperature in Basra is 53.9 °C.
Historically, the city is one of the ports from which the fictional Sinbad the Sailor journeyed. The city was built in 636 and played an important role in the Islamic Golden Age. It was occupied by the Safavid. During the first world war, British captured Basra and incorporated into Mandate for Mesopotamia and later Mandatory Iraq. Basra became part of independent Kingdom of Iraq in 1932. During the Ba'athist period, Basra suffered great loses during the Iran–Iraq War and the Gulf War. The city was damaged heavily during 2003–2011 Iraq war, which overthrew the government of Saddam Hussein.
It is also Iraq's main port, although it does not have deep water access, which is handled at the port of Umm Qasr. However, there is ongoing construction of Grand Faw Port on the coast of Basra, which is considered a national project for Iraq and will become one of the largest ports in the world and the largest in the Middle East, in addition, the port will strengthen Iraq's geopolitical position in the region and the world.[3][4][5][6] Furthermore, Iraq is planning to establish a large naval base in the Faw peninsula.[7] In April 2017, the Iraqi Parliament recognized Basra as Iraq's economic capital.[8] Basra have emerged as an important commercial and industrial center for the country, as the city is home to a large number of manufacturing industries ranging from petrochemical to water treatment.
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