Governorates of Iraq المحافظات العراقية (Arabic) پارێزگاکانی عێراق (Kurdish) | |
---|---|
| |
Clickable map of Iraq exhibiting its eighteen governorates, and partially recognized Halabja.
![]() | |
Category | Federated state |
Location | Republic of Iraq |
Number | 19 governorates |
Areas | 204 km2 (78.8 sq mi) (Baghdad) – 138,500 km2 (53,476 sq mi) (Al Anbar) |
Government | |
Subdivisions |
![]() |
---|
|
Constitution |
![]() |
Iraq consists of 19 governorates (Arabic: محافظة, romanized: muḥāfażah; Kurdish: پارێزگا, romanized: parêzgeh), also known as "provinces". Per the Iraqi constitution, governorates can form a federal region.[1] Four governorates, Erbil, Sulaymaniyah, Halabja and Duhok, constitute the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region. Baghdad (which is the most populous) and Basra are the oldest governorates. The second most-populous one, Ninawa (or Nineveh) is in the upland region and has a cooler climate of the north-west.
There have been numerous calls to recognize Halabja Governorate since 1999.[2] It was recognized as an official governorate of the Kurdistan Region in 2014,[3][2] and the Council of Ministers approved a bill twice in 2013,[4][5] and 2023.[6] The Council of Representatives of Iraq officially approved Halabja as Iraq's 19th governorate on 14 April 2025.[7][8] On 27 April 2025, Baghdad Today reported of an ongoing government initiative to convert Tel Afar District in Nineveh Governorate into the 20th governorate of Iraq. The proposed name of the new governorate is Jazira.[9]
© MMXXIII Rich X Search. We shall prevail. All rights reserved. Rich X Search