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Iraqi Kurdistan

Kurdistan Region
هه‌رێمی کوردستان
إقليم كردستان
Flag of Iraqi Kurdistan
Coat of arms of Iraqi Kurdistan
Flag Coat of arms
Anthem: Ey Reqîb
"Oh Enemy"

  Official territory of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region   Territory controlled by Iraqi Kurdistan   Territory claimed by Iraqi Kurdistan   Rest of Iraq
  Official territory of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region
  Territory controlled by Iraqi Kurdistan
  Territory claimed by Iraqi Kurdistan
  Rest of Iraq
Location of Iraqi Kurdistan
Status Autonomous region
Capital
and largest city
Erbil (Hewlêr)
36°11′N 44°00′E / 36.183°N 44.000°E / 36.183; 44.000
Official languages Central Kurdish, Arabic
Religion Islam (mostly Sunni), Christianity, Yazdanism
Demonym Kurd
Kurdistani
Government Parliamentary democracy
• President
Masoud Barzani
Nechervan Barzani
Legislature Parliament
Establishment
• Accord signed
March 11, 1970
• De facto autonomy
October, 1991
• Regional government established
July 4, 1992
January 30, 2005
Area
• Total
78,736 km2 (30,400 sq mi) (including disputed territories)
Population
• Estimate
5.5 million (2015)
GDP (nominal) 2016 estimate
• Total
$23.6  bn
• Per capita
$ 4,452
Currency Iraqi dinar (IQD)
Time zone GMT (UTC+3)
• Summer (DST)
not observed (UTC+3)
Drives on the right
Calling code +964
Internet TLD .krd

Iraqi Kurdistan, officially called the Kurdistan Region (Central Kurdish: هه‌رێمی کوردستان‎, translit. Herêmî Kurdistan, Arabic: إقليم كردستان‎, translit. Iqlīm Kurdistān‎) by the Iraqi constitution, is located in the north of Iraq and constitutes the country's only autonomous region. It is frequently referred to as Southern Kurdistan (Central Kurdish: باشووری کوردستان‎; Northern Kurdish: Başûrê Kurdistanê), as Kurds generally consider it to be one of the four parts of Kurdistan, which also includes parts of southeastern Turkey (Northern Kurdistan), northern Syria (Rojava or Western Kurdistan), and northwestern Iran (Eastern Kurdistan).

The region is officially governed by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), with the capital being Erbil. Kurdistan is a parliamentary democracy with its own regional Parliament that consists of 111 seats.Masoud Barzani, who was initially elected as president in 2005, was re-elected in 2009. In August 2013 the parliament extended his presidency for another two years. His presidency concluded on 19 August 2015 after the political parties failed to reach an agreement over extending his presidency term. The new Constitution of Iraq defines the Kurdistan Region as a federal entity of Iraq, and establishes Kurdish and Arabic as Iraq's joint official languages. The four governorates of Duhok, Hawler, Silemani, and Halabja comprise around 41,710 square kilometres (16,100 sq mi) and have a population of 5.5 million (2015) (2015 estimate). In 2014, during the 2014 Iraq Crisis, Iraqi Kurdistan's forces also took over much of the disputed territories of Northern Iraq.


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