View source for Kurdistan Region

{{Short description|Federal region of the Republic of Iraq}}
{{About|the sub-national federal region in the Republic of Iraq|the wider geographical area in Iraq inhabited by Kurdish people|Iraqi Kurdistan|the entire Middle Eastern region inhabited by Kurdish people|Kurdistan|}}{{pp-extended|small=yes}}
{{cleanup|reason=conflicting description of type of government (parliamentary or presidential)|date=September 2024}}
{{Infobox dependency
| native_name        = {{small|{{ubl|[[Sorani|Sorani Kurdish]]: هەرێمی کوردستان, {{small|romanized:}} ''Herêmî Kurdistan''|[[Kurmanji|Kurmanji Kurdish]]: هەرێما کوردستانێ, {{small|romanized:}} ''Herêma Kurdistanê''|{{langx|ar|إقليم كردستان|Iqlīm Kurdistān}}}}}}
| official_name       = Kurdistan Region
| settlement_type     = [[Federal regions of Iraq|Federal region]]
| image_flag          = Flag of Kurdistan.svg
| flag_size           = 120px
| flag_link           = Flag of Kurdistan
| image_seal          = Coat of arms of Kurdistan Regional Government.svg
| seal_link           = Coat of arms of Kurdistan
| seal_type           = Coat of arms
| seal_size           = 100px
| blank_emblem_size   = 120px
| blank_emblem_type   = Flag
| blank_emblem_link   = Flag of Kurdistan
| anthem              = {{lang|ckb|ئەی ڕەقیب}}<br/>''[[Ey Reqîb]]''<br/>"Oh, enemy!"<br/>
<div style="display:inline-block;margin-top:0.4em;">{{center|[[File:Kurdistan (Instrumental).ogg]]}}</div>
| image_map           = {{Switcher|[[File:Kurdistan Region (orthographic projection).svg|upright=1.15|frameless]]|Territory controlled by the Kurdistan Region shown in dark green|[[Disputed territories of Northern Iraq|Disputed territories]] incorporated into the Kurdistan Region (unrecognised) in crossed out with a red line |default=1}}
| map_caption         = 
| coordinates         = {{Coord|36|04|59|N|44|37|47|E|region:IQ|display=inline,title}}
| established_title1  = Autonomy founded
| established_date1   = 19 May 1992
| established_title2  = Federal region established<ref>{{cite web|url=https://aceproject.org/ero-en/regions/mideast/IQ/Full%20Text%20of%20Iraqi%20Constitution.pdf/at_download/file|title=Constitution of Iraq|publisher=ACE Project}} Article 117, First: “This Constitution, upon coming into force, shall recognize the region of Kurdistan, along with its existing authorities, as a federal region.”</ref>
| established_date2    = 15 October 2005<ref>{{cite book |author1=Joseph R. Rudolph Jr. |title=Encyclopedia of Modern Ethnic Conflicts, 2nd Edition |date=2015 |page=275}}</ref>
| subdivision_type     = Country
| subdivision_name     = {{flagicon|Iraq}} [[Iraq]]
| capital              = [[Erbil]]<ref>{{cite web|url= https://kurdistantribune.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Kurdistan-Draft-Constitution-2009.doc|title=Kurdistan Region Constitution|publisher=Kurdistan Tribune}} ”The city of Erbil (Hewler) shall be the capital of the Kurdistan Region. The parliament may select another city in Kurdistan as the capital.”</ref>
| official_languages   = {{hlist|[[Kurdish languages|Kurdish]]|[[Arabic]]}}<ref>{{cite web|url= https://aceproject.org/ero-en/regions/mideast/IQ/Full%20Text%20of%20Iraqi%20Constitution.pdf/at_download/file|title=Constitution of Iraq|publisher=[[ACE Electoral Knowledge Network|ACE Project]]}} Article 4, First: “The Arabic language and the Kurdish language are the two official languages of Iraq...” Third: “The Federal and official institutions and agencies in the Kurdistan Region shall use both languages.”</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= https://kurdistantribune.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Kurdistan-Draft-Constitution-2009.doc|title=Kurdistan Region Constitution|publisher=Kurdistan Tribune}} Article 14, First: “Kurdish and Arabic shall be the two official languages of the Kurdistan Region…”</ref> 
| languages2_type      = Recognized languages<ref>{{cite web|url= https://kurdistantribune.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Kurdistan-Draft-Constitution-2009.doc|title=Kurdistan Region Constitution|publisher=Kurdistan Tribune}} “Along with Kurdish and Arabic, Turkman and Assyrian shall be official languages in administrative districts that are densely populated by speakers of Turkmen and Assyrian. This shall be regulated by law.”
</ref>
| ethnic_groups         = Predominantly [[Kurds]]<br />Minorities of [[Arabs]], [[Iraqi Turkmen|Iraqi Turkmens]], [[Assyrians]] and [[Armenians]]
| religion              = Majority: [[Islam]]<br />Large minority: [[Yazidism]], [[Yarsanism]], [[Christianity]]<br />other
| government_type       =  [[parliamentary system|Parliamentary]] semi-autonomous [[Federal regions of Iraq|federal region]] within a [[republic]]
| legislature           = [[Kurdistan Parliament]]
| leader_title1         = [[President of Kurdistan Region|President]]
| leader_name1          = [[Nechirvan Barzani]]
| leader_title2         = [[Prime Minister of Kurdistan Region|Prime Minister]]
| leader_name2          = [[Masrour Barzani]]
| leader_title3         = Deputy Prime Minister
| leader_name3          = [[Qubad Talabani]]
| HDI_year              = 2014<!-- Please use the year to which the data refers, not the publication year-->
| HDI                   = 0.750
| HDI_ref               = <ref name="report14">{{cite web |title=Iraq Human Development Report 2014 |url=https://www.ophi.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/IraqNHDR2014-English.pdf |access-date=30 August 2019 |page=29 |archive-date=10 October 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171010090006/http://www.ophi.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/IraqNHDR2014-English.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>
<!-- square kilometers -->
| Gini                   = 32
| Gini_year              = 2012
| Gini_ref               = <ref name="report14" />
| area_km2               = 46862<ref>{{cite web |title=Kurdistan Region Area |url=https://krso.gov.krd/en/indicator |website=krso.gov.krd |publisher=Kurdistan Region Statistics Office |access-date=31 July 2022 |archive-date=31 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220731173708/https://krso.gov.krd/en/indicator |url-status=live }}</ref>
<!-- hectares -->
| population_estimate     = 6,556,752 (2023)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Population |url=https://krso.gov.krd/en/indicator/population-and-labor-force/population |access-date=2023-09-01 |website=krso.gov.krd}}</ref>
| demonym                 = {{ubl |[[Kurds|Kurd]] |Kurdistani }}
| timezone                = [[Arabia Standard Time|AST]]
| utc_offset              = +3
| date_format             = dd/mm/yyyy
| currency                = [[Iraqi dinar]]
| GDP_PPP_year            = 2022<ref name="data15" >{{cite web|title=Erbil International Fair|url=http://aiti.org.ir/uploads/exhibitionconference/exh-41-3.pdf|website=aiti.org.ir|access-date=30 August 2019|archive-date=31 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190831002818/http://aiti.org.ir/uploads/exhibitionconference/exh-41-3.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="kurdistanchronicle">{{Cite web |last=kurdistanchronicle |title=Invest Kurdistan: An Emerging, Multi-Sector Business Hub |url=https://kurdistanchronicle.com/b/2587 |access-date=2024-02-23 |website=kurdistanchronicle.com}}</ref>
| GDP_PPP                  = $66 billion<ref name="data15" /><ref name="kurdistanchronicle">{{Cite web |last=kurdistanchronicle |title=Invest Kurdistan: An Emerging, Multi-Sector Business Hub |url=https://kurdistanchronicle.com/b/2587 |access-date=2024-02-23 |website=kurdistanchronicle.com}}</ref>
| GDP_PPP_per_capita       = $7,038<ref name="data15" /><ref name="kurdistanchronicle">{{Cite web |last=kurdistanchronicle |title=Invest Kurdistan: An Emerging, Multi-Sector Business Hub |url=https://kurdistanchronicle.com/b/2587 |access-date=2024-02-23 |website=kurdistanchronicle.com}}</ref>
| cctld                    = [[.krd]]
| drives_on                = right
| calling_code             = +964
| iso_code                 = {{hlist|[[ISO 3166-2:IQ|IQ-KR]]}}
|languages2                = {{hlist|[[Armenian language|Armenian]]|[[Suret language|Assyrian]]{{efn|Official in administrative districts with high number of speakers, called ''Syriac'' in constitution.}}|[[Iraqi Turkmen#Language|Turkmen]]{{efn|Official in administrative districts with high number of speakers, the written language of the Iraqi Turkmen is based on [[Turkish language|Istanbul Turkish]] using the modern [[Turkish alphabet]].<ref name="Saatçi 2018 loc=357">{{citation|last=Saatçi|first=Suphi|year=2018|chapter=The Turkman of Iraq|title=Linguistic Minorities in Turkey and Turkic-Speaking Minorities of the Periphery|editor1-last=Bulut|editor1-first=Christiane|page=357|publisher=[[Harrassowitz Verlag]]|isbn=978-3447107235}}</ref>}}}}}}
{{Kurds}}

'''Kurdistan Region''' ('''KRI'''){{efn|{{langx|ckb|هەرێمی کوردستان|Herêmî Kurdistan}}<br />{{langx|kmr|هەرێما کوردستانێ|Herêma Kurdistanê}}<ref>{{cite news |title=Şandeke Herêma Kurdistanê serdana Bexdayê dike |url=https://www.rudaw.net/kurmanci/kurdistan/221120193 |access-date=24 December 2019 |work=Rûdaw |language=ku |archive-date=19 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191219190430/https://www.rudaw.net/kurmanci/kurdistan/221120193 |url-status=live }}</ref><br />{{langx|ar|إقليم كردستان|Iqlīm Kurdistān}}<ref>{{cite web |title=حکومەتی هەرێمی كوردستان |url=https://gov.krd/ |access-date=24 December 2019 |language=ku |archive-date=12 March 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200312045320/https://gov.krd/ |url-status=live }}</ref>}} is a semi-autonomous [[Federal regions of Iraq|federal region]]{{efn|({{langx|ar|اقليم اتحادي|Iqlīm Ittiḥādī}})}} of the [[Iraq|Republic of Iraq]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/iraq|title=Iraq|publisher=CIA.gov}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=2005 |title=Iraq's Constitution of 2005 |url=https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Iraq_2005.pdf?lang=en |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190515162844/https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Iraq_2005.pdf?lang=en |archive-date=15 May 2019 |access-date=31 August 2019}}</ref> It comprises four [[Kurds|Kurdish]]-majority governorates of [[Arabs|Arab]]-majority Iraq: [[Erbil Governorate]], [[Sulaymaniyah Governorate]], [[Duhok Governorate]], and [[Halabja Governorate]]. It is located in northern Iraq, which shares borders with [[Iran]] to the east, [[Turkey]] to the north, and [[Syria]] to the west.

It does not govern all of [[Iraqi Kurdistan]] and lays claim to the [[disputed territories of Northern Iraq|disputed territories of northern Iraq]]; these territories have a predominantly non-Arab population and were subject to the [[Ba'athist Arabization campaigns in northern Iraq|Ba'athist Arabization campaigns]] throughout the late 20th century. Though the KRI's autonomy was realized in 1992, one year after Iraq's defeat in the [[Gulf War]], these northern territories remain contested between the [[Kurdistan Regional Government]] (in [[Erbil]]) and the [[Federal government of Iraq|Government of Iraq]] (in [[Baghdad]]) to the present day. The [[Kurdistan Region Parliament]] is based in Erbil, the capital of KRI.

Throughout the 20th century, [[Kurds in Iraq|Iraqi Kurds]] oscillated between fighting for autonomy and for full independence. Under the [[Ba'athist Iraq|Ba'athist regime]], the Kurds experienced [[Arabization]] and genocidal campaigns at the hands of the federal government in Baghdad.<ref name="Danilovich">{{cite book |author1=Alex Danilovich |title=Iraqi Kurdistan in Middle Eastern politics |date=2016 |isbn=978-1315468402 |page=18|publisher=Taylor & Francis }}</ref> However, when the [[United States]], the [[United Kingdom]], and [[France]] established the [[Iraqi no-fly zones conflict|Iraqi no-fly zones]], which restricted the federal government's power in the country's northern and southern areas following the Gulf War, the Kurds were given a chance to experiment with self-governance and the autonomous region was {{Langx|la|de facto|label=none}} established.<ref>{{cite book |author1=Peter J. Lambert |title=The United States and the Kurds: case studies in United States engagement |date=December 1997 |publisher=Calhoun – Institutional Archive of the Naval Postgraduate School |location=Monterey, California |pages=85–87 |url=https://calhoun.nps.edu/bitstream/handle/10945/9104/unitedstateskurd00lamb.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y |access-date=31 August 2019 |language=en |archive-date=2 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200802231253/https://calhoun.nps.edu/bitstream/handle/10945/9104/unitedstateskurd00lamb.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y |url-status=live }}</ref> The Iraqi government only recognized the Kurdistan Region in 2005 (as a 'federal region'), after the American-led [[2003 invasion of Iraq]] overthrew [[Saddam Hussein]].<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Philip S. Hadji |title=Iraq Timeline: Since the 2003 War |journal=United States Institute of Peace |date=September 2015 |volume=41 |issue=2 |url=https://www.usip.org/publications/2019/07/iraq-timeline-2003-war |access-date=31 August 2019 |archive-date=5 September 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190905231729/https://www.usip.org/publications/2019/07/iraq-timeline-2003-war |url-status=dead }}</ref> In September 2017, the KRI passed a non-binding [[2017 Kurdistan Region independence referendum|independence referendum]], inviting mixed reactions internationally. The KRI largely escaped the privations that afflicted other parts of Iraq in the last years of Saddam Hussein's rule as well as the chaos that followed his ousting during the [[Iraq War|Iraq War (2003–2011)]], and built a parliamentary democracy with a growing economy.<ref>{{cite news |title=Iraqi Kurdistan profile |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-28147263 |access-date=28 August 2020 |date=25 April 2018 |archive-date=25 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200825152111/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-28147263 |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2014, when the [[Syria]]-based [[Islamic State]] began their [[Northern Iraq offensive (June 2014)|Northern Iraq offensive]] and invaded the country, the [[Iraqi Armed Forces]] retreated from most of the disputed territories. The KRI's [[Peshmerga]] then entered and took control of them for the duration of the [[War in Iraq (2013–2017)]]. In October 2017, following the defeat of the Islamic State, the Iraqi Armed Forces attacked the Peshmerga and [[2017 Iraqi–Kurdish conflict|reasserted control]] over the disputed territories.<ref name="BBC2">{{cite news |date=18 October 2017 |title=Iraqi Kurds 'withdraw to 2014 lines' |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-41663350 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201220193003/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-41663350 |archive-date=20 December 2020 |access-date=31 August 2019}}</ref>

==History==
{{main|Iraqi Kurdistan#History}}

===Early struggle for independence (1923–1975)===
Before Iraq became an independent state in 1923, the [[Iraqi Kurds]] had already begun their independence struggle from the British [[Mandatory Iraq]] with the [[Mahmud Barzanji revolts]], which were subsequently crushed by the [[United Kingdom]] after a bombing campaign against Kurdish civilians by the [[Royal Air Force]].<ref>{{cite book |author1=Mari R. Rostami |title=Kurdish Nationalism on Stage: Performance, Politics and Resistance in Iraq |date=2019 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |isbn=978-1788318709 |page=67}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author1=E. O'Ballance |title=The Kurdish Struggle, 1920-94 |date=1995 |publisher=Palgrave |page=20}}</ref> Nonetheless, the Kurdish struggle persisted and the [[Barzani Kurds|Barzani]] tribe had by the early 1920s gained momentum for the [[Kurdish nationalism|Kurdish nationalist]] cause and would become pivotal in the [[Iraqi–Kurdish conflict|Kurdish-Iraqi wars]] throughout the 20th century. In 1943, the Barzani chief [[Mustafa Barzani]] began<ref>{{cite book |author1=Tareq Y. Ismael, Jacqueline S. Ismael |title=Iraq in the Twenty-First Century: Regime Change and the Making of a Failed State |date=2005 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=1317567595 |page=28}}</ref> raiding Iraqi police stations in [[Kurdistan]], which led the Baghdad government to deploy 30,000 troops to the region. The Iraqi Kurdish leadership fled to [[Iran]] in 1945. There, Mustafa Barzani founded the [[Kurdistan Democratic Party]], and Iran and the [[Soviet Union]] began assisting the Kurdish rebels with arms.<ref>{{cite book |author1=Gordon W. Rudd |title=Humanitarian Intervention – Assisting the Iraqi Kurds in Operation PROVIDE COMFORT, 1991 |date=2004 |publisher=[[Department of the Army]] |location=Washington, D.C. |page=12}}</ref> [[Israel]] began assisting the Kurdish rebels in the early 1960s.<ref>{{cite book |author1=Arash Reisinezhad |title=The Shah of Iran, the Iraqi Kurds, and the Lebanese Shia |date=2018 |isbn=978-3319899473 |page=126|publisher=Springer }}</ref>

From 1961 to 1970, the Kurds fought the Iraqi government in the [[First Iraqi–Kurdish War]], which resulted in the [[Iraqi–Kurdish Autonomy Agreement of 1970|Iraqi–Kurdish Autonomy Agreement]]. But simultaneously with its promise of Kurdish autonomy, the Iraqi government began [[ethnic cleansing]] Kurdish-populated areas, to reduce the size of the autonomous entity which a [[census]] would determine.<ref name="Danilovich" /> This mistrust provoked the [[Second Iraqi–Kurdish War]] between 1974 and 1975, which resulted in a serious defeat for the Iraqi Kurds (see [[1975 Algiers Agreement|Algiers Accord]]) and forced all of the rebels to flee once more to Iran.

[[File:Iraq kurdish areas 2003 vector.svg|thumb|The Kurdistan Region became politically divided with two administrations (the 50:50 system) with KDP controlling the Erbil and Duhok Governorates, while PUK took control of Sulaymaniyah Governorate to the east.]]
[[File:Defense.gov News Photo 110408-F-DQ383-019 - Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates talks with Kurdistan Regional Government President Barzani after arriving in Irbil Iraq during a trip on.jpg|thumb|The region uses the [[Iraqi flag]] in official ceremonies alongside the Flag of Kurdistan despite reluctance.<ref name="Rafaat">{{cite book |last1=Rafaat |first1=Aram |title=Kurdistan in Iraq: The Evolution of a Quasi-State |date=2018 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=9781351188814 |page=170}}</ref><ref>Multiple sources:
*{{cite news |last1=Howard |first1=Michael |title=New Iraqi flag hailed as symbolic break with past |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/feb/06/iraq.international |access-date=20 September 2019 |work=The Guardian |date=6 February 2008 |archive-date=20 September 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190920145912/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/feb/06/iraq.international |url-status=live }}
*{{cite news |title=Absence of Iraqi flag on Talabani's casket in ceremony was unintentional: PUK official |url=https://www.kurdistan24.net/en/news/560c6130-e23a-45e7-8491-73a93a892ad4 |access-date=20 September 2019 |work=Kurdistan24 |language=en |archive-date=20 September 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190920145913/https://www.kurdistan24.net/en/news/560c6130-e23a-45e7-8491-73a93a892ad4 |url-status=live }}
*{{cite news |title=Foreign Ministry of Jordan: put the flag of the Kurdistan region instead of the Iraqi flag during the reception of Barzani error protocol |url=http://www.ina.iq/eng/4282/foreign-ministry-of-jordan-put-the-flag-of-the-kurdistan-region-instead-of-the-iraqi-flag-during-the-reception-of-barzani-error-protocol |access-date=20 September 2019 |work=Iraqi News Agency |language=ar |archive-date=20 September 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190920145911/http://www.ina.iq/eng/4282/foreign-ministry-of-jordan-put-the-flag-of-the-kurdistan-region-instead-of-the-iraqi-flag-during-the-reception-of-barzani-error-protocol |url-status=live }}</ref>]]

===Insurgency and first elections (1975–1992)===
The [[Patriotic Union of Kurdistan]] (PUK) was founded in 1975 by [[Jalal Talabani]] while the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) was slowly recovering from their defeat. The PUK was more popular among left-wing [[Sorani]] speakers, while the KDP was more popular among right-wing [[Kurmanji]] speakers. The PUK leadership adhered to the [[Qadiriyya|Qadiri]] sect while the KDP leadership adhered to the [[Naqshbandi]].<ref>Oil and Gas in the Disputed Kurdish Territories: Jurisprudence, Regional Minorities and Natural Resources in a Federal System, Rex J. Zedalis, 2012, pp. 12</ref> The Kurdish insurgency became entangled in the [[Iran–Iraq War]] from 1980 onwards. During the first years of the war in the early 1980s, the Iraqi government tried to accommodate the Kurds in order to focus on the war against Iran. In 1983, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan agreed to cooperate with Baghdad, but the Kurdistan Democratic Party remained opposed.<ref name="katzman">{{cite book|url=https://fas.org/sgp/crs/mideast/RS22079.pdf|title=The Kurds in Post-Saddam Iraq|page=2|date=1 October 2010|access-date=2 August 2011|publisher=Congressional Research Service|author=Katzman, Kenneth|archive-date=15 August 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110815173718/http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/mideast/RS22079.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> In 1983, [[Saddam Hussein]] signed an autonomy agreement with [[Jalal Talabani]] of the PUK, though Saddam later reneged on the agreement.

By 1985, the PUK and KDP had joined forces, and Iraqi Kurdistan saw widespread guerrilla warfare up to the end of the war.<ref name="Karsh">{{cite book |author1=Efraim Karsh |title=The Iran-Iraq War, 1980–1988 |date=2002 |publisher=Osprey Pub |isbn=978-1-84176-371-2}}</ref> On 15 March 1988, PUK forces captured the town of [[Halabja]] near the Iranian border and inflicted heavy losses among Iraqi soldiers. The Iraqis retaliated the following day by [[Halabja chemical attack|chemically bombing the town]], killing about 5,000 civilians.<ref>{{cite book |author1=David McDowall |title=A modern history of the Kurds |url=https://archive.org/details/modernhistorykur00mcdo |url-access=limited |date=2004 |publisher=I.B. Tauris |isbn=9781850434160 |page=[https://archive.org/details/modernhistorykur00mcdo/page/n373 357] |edition=3rd}}</ref> This led the Americans and the Europeans to implement the [[Iraqi no-fly zones conflict|Iraqi no-fly zones]] in March 1991 to protect the Kurds, thereby facilitating Kurdish autonomy amid the vacuum and the first Kurdish elections were consequently held in May 1992, wherein the Kurdistan Democratic Party secured 45.3% of the vote and a majority of seats.

===Nascent autonomy, war and political turmoil (1992–2009)===
{{main|Iraqi Kurdish Civil War}}
The two parties agreed to form the first Kurdish cabinet led by [[Patriotic Union of Kurdistan|PUK]] politician [[Fuad Masum]] as Prime Minister in July 1992 and the main focus of the new cabinet was to mitigate the effect of the American-led sanctions on Iraq and to prevent internal Kurdish skirmishes. Nonetheless, the cabinet broke down due to plagues of embattlement and [[technocracy]] which disenfranchised the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan and a new more partisan cabinet was formed and led by PUK politician [[Kosrat Rasul Ali]] in April 1993.<ref>{{cite book |author1=Gareth R. V. Stansfield |title=Iraqi Kurdistan – Political development and emergent democracy |isbn=0-415-30278-1|year= 2003|pages=146–152 |publisher=RoutledgeCurzon |citeseerx=10.1.1.465.8736 }}</ref> The KDP-PUK relations quickly deteriorated and the first clashes in the civil war took place in May 1994 when PUK captured the towns of [[Shaqlawa]] and [[Chamchamal]] from KDP, which in turn pushed PUK out of Salahaddin (near Erbil). In September 1998, the [[United States]] mediated a ceasefire and the two warring parties signed the Washington Agreement deal, where in it was stipulated that the two parties would agree on revenue-sharing, power-sharing and security arrangements.<ref>{{cite web |author1=Alan Makovsky |title=Kurdish Agreement Signals New U.S. Commitment |url=https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/view/kurdish-agreement-signals-new-u.s.-commitment |publisher=Washington Institute |access-date=31 August 2019 |date=29 September 1998 |archive-date=11 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191211080251/https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/view/kurdish-agreement-signals-new-u.s.-commitment |url-status=live }}</ref>

The anarchy in Kurdistan during the war created an opportunity for the [[Kurdistan Workers' Party]] (PKK), which created bases in the northern mountainous areas of the Kurdistan Region,<ref>{{cite book |author1=Robert W. Olson |title=The Kurdish nationalist movement in the 1990s: its impact on Turkey and the Middle East |url=https://archive.org/details/kurdishnationali00olso |url-access=registration |date=1996 |page=[https://archive.org/details/kurdishnationali00olso/page/56 56]}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author1=Kanan Makiya |title=Republic of Fear: The Politics of Modern Iraq, Updated Edition |url=https://archive.org/details/republicoffearpo00maki |url-access=registration |date=1998 |publisher=University of California Press |isbn=0520921240 |page=[https://archive.org/details/republicoffearpo00maki/page/321 321]}}</ref> which still operates in the Region in the 2010s with frequent calls for withdrawal.<ref>{{cite web |title=Barzani: PKK Rebels Should Leave Northern Iraq |url=https://www.rferl.org/a/iraqi-kurds-call-on-turkey-make-peace-with-kurdish-rebels/27164016.html |publisher=RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty |date=1 August 2015 |access-date=31 August 2019 |language=en |archive-date=31 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190831142456/https://www.rferl.org/a/iraqi-kurds-call-on-turkey-make-peace-with-kurdish-rebels/27164016.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

In advance of the [[Iraq war]] in 2003, the two parties united in the negotiations with the Arab opposition to [[Saddam Hussein]] and succeeded in harvesting political, economic, and security gains and the Arab opposition agreed to recognize Kurdish autonomy in the case that Saddam Hussein was removed from power.<ref name="Ahmed">{{cite book |title=Iraqi Kurds and nation-building |date=2012 |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |isbn=9781137034076  |author=Mohammed M. A. Ahmed|edition=1st}}</ref> America and Kurdistan also jointly rooted out the Islamist [[Ansar al-Islam in Kurdistan|Ansar al-Islam]] group in Halabja area as Kurdistan hosted thousands of soldiers.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Krajeski |first1=Jenna |title=The Iraq War Was a Good Idea, If You Ask the Kurds |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2013/03/the-iraq-war-was-a-good-idea-if-you-ask-the-kurds/274196/ |access-date=31 August 2019 |work=The Atlantic |date=20 March 2013 |archive-date=9 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109035543/https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2013/03/the-iraq-war-was-a-good-idea-if-you-ask-the-kurds/274196/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Appendix B – Statement of Reasons – Ansar al-Islam (formerly Ansar al-Sunna) |isbn=978-0-642-79186-3 |date=15 June 2009 |url=https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/House_of_Representatives_Committees?url=pjcis/six%20terrorist/report/index.htm |publisher=[[Parliament of Australia]] |access-date=31 August 2019 |archive-date=3 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200803020858/https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/House_of_Representatives_Committees?url=pjcis/six%20terrorist/report/index.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> The Kurdish autonomy which had existed since 1992 was formally recognized by the new Iraqi government in 2005 in the new Iraqi constitution and the KDP- and PUK-administered areas reunified in 2006, making the Kurdistan Region into one single administration. This reunification prompted Kurdish leaders and the Kurdish President [[Masoud Barzani]] to focus on bringing the Kurdish areas outside of the Kurdistan Region into the region and building healthy institutions.<ref name="Ahmed"/>

In 2009, Kurdistan saw the birth of a new major party, the [[Gorran Movement]], which was founded because of tensions in PUK and would subsequently weaken the party profoundly. The second most important political PUK figure, [[Nawshirwan Mustafa]], was the founder of Gorran, who took advantage of sentiments among many PUK politicians critical of the cooperation with the KDP.<ref name="Ahmed" /> Gorran would subsequently win 25 seats (or 23.7% of the votes) in the [[2009 Iraqi Kurdistan parliamentary election|2009 parliamentary elections]] to the detriment of the [[Kurdistan List]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Kurdish opposition makes strong showing in Iraq regional elections |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2009-jul-27-fg-iraq-kurdistan27-story.html |access-date=31 August 2019 |work=Los Angeles Times |date=27 July 2009 |archive-date=31 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190831145942/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2009-jul-27-fg-iraq-kurdistan27-story.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In the aftermath of the elections, Gorran failed at its attempts to persuade the [[Kurdistan Islamic Group]] and [[Kurdistan Islamic Union]] to leave the Kurdistan List, provoking both KDP and PUK<!-- provoking them to do what? -->. Gorran also attempted to create goodwill with the Iraqi Prime Minister [[Nouri al-Maliki]], which only aggravated the situation in Kurdistan, and the KDP and PUK chose to boycott Gorran from politics.<ref name="Ahmed" />

===ISIL and rapprochement with Iraq (after 2014)===
In the period leading up to the [[Northern Iraq offensive (June 2014)|ISIL invasion of Iraq]] in June 2014, the Iraqi-Kurdish relations were in a decline that the war against the [[Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant]] (ISIL) only worsened. When Iraqi forces withdrew from the Syrian-Iraqi border and away from the disputed areas, the Kurdistan Region consequently had a 1,000&nbsp;km front with ISIL, which put the region into an economic stalemate. However, Kurdistan did not compromise on their stance regarding financial independence from Baghdad.<ref>{{cite book |author1=Aram Rafaat |title=Kurdistan in Iraq: The Evolution of a Quasi-State |date=2018 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=9780815393337 |page=187}}</ref> Due to the Iraqi withdrawal, Kurdish [[Peshmerga]] took control of most disputed areas, including [[Kirkuk]], [[Khanaqin]], [[Jalawla]], [[Bashiqa]], [[Sinjar]] and [[Makhmur, Iraq|Makhmur]]. The strategically important [[Mosul Dam]] was also captured by Kurdish forces.<ref name="BBC">{{cite news |date=18 October 2017 |title=Iraqi Kurds 'withdraw to 2014 lines' |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-41663350 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201220193003/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-41663350 |archive-date=20 December 2020 |access-date=31 August 2019}}</ref> However, the control was only temporary as Iraqi forces [[2017 Iraqi–Kurdish conflict|retook control]] over most of the disputed areas in October 2017, after the [[2017 Kurdistan Region independence referendum]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Infographic: Control Over Iraq's Disputed Territories |url=https://worldview.stratfor.com/article/infographic-control-over-iraqs-disputed-territories |website=Stratfor |access-date=31 August 2019 |language=en |archive-date=31 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190831152812/https://worldview.stratfor.com/article/infographic-control-over-iraqs-disputed-territories |url-status=live }}</ref> As of 2019, the Kurdistan Region and the Federal Government in Baghdad are negotiating joint control over the disputed areas as their relations have become more cordial in the aftermath of ISIL's defeat.<ref>{{cite news |title=Kurdish leaders discuss disputed areas, Erbil-Baghdad ties with US delegation |url=https://www.kurdistan24.net/en/news/95bed58c-6217-459c-ba89-605372d0e146 |access-date=31 August 2019 |work=Kurdistan24 |date=25 June 2019 |language=en |archive-date=31 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190831152811/https://www.kurdistan24.net/en/news/95bed58c-6217-459c-ba89-605372d0e146 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Exclusive: New Kurdish PM says priority is stronger Baghdad ties, rather than independence |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-iraq-kurds-exclusive/exclusive-new-kurdish-pm-says-priority-is-stronger-baghdad-ties-rather-than-independence-idUSKCN1U51IU |access-date=31 August 2019 |work=Reuters |date=10 July 2019 |archive-date=31 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190831192733/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-iraq-kurds-exclusive/exclusive-new-kurdish-pm-says-priority-is-stronger-baghdad-ties-rather-than-independence-idUSKCN1U51IU |url-status=live }}</ref>

== Geography ==
[[File:Iraq great zab.png|250px|thumb|A valley in the north of the region, through which the [[Great Zab]] flows]]
The Kurdistan region of Iraq is an autonomous region in northern [[Iraq]]. It borders [[Iran]] in the east, [[Turkey]] in the north, and [[Syria]] in the west. The region encompasses most of [[Iraqi Kurdistan]], which is the southern part of the greater geographical region of [[Kurdistan]]. The region lies between latitudes [[34th parallel north|34°]] and [[38th parallel north|38°N]], and longitudes [[41st meridian east|41°]] and [[47th meridian east|47°E]].
Most of the northern and northeastern parts of the region are mountainous, especially those bordering Turkey and Iran. The region has several high mountains and mountain ranges. Other areas of the region are hills and plains, which make up the central and most southern parts of the region.<ref>{{cite web |title=Kurdistan Region Geography |url=https://www.krgspain.org/english-geography/ |website=KRG Representation in Spain |publisher=www.krgspain.org |access-date=28 July 2022 |archive-date=31 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220731211502/http://www.krgspain.org/english-geography/ |url-status=usurped }}</ref>

Most of the precipitation there falls as rain or snow between November and April, annual precipitation ranges from about 375 to 724&nbsp;mm. From ancient times this has made cultivation of winter crops (and vegetables and fruit in the summer) and the raising of livestock possible.<ref>{{cite web |title=Geography of Iraq |url=https://fanack.com/iraq/geography-of-iraq/ |website=fanack.com |access-date=28 July 2022 |archive-date=28 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220728084018/https://fanack.com/iraq/geography-of-iraq/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[File:Iraqi Kurdish villagers in field near Turkish border.jpg|250px|thumb|right|Kurdish villagers working in a field]]
Around 1,368,388 hectares (33%) of the land is rainfed arable agricultural land and 328,428 hectares (8%) is Irrigated arable agricultural land.<ref>{{cite web |title=Agricultural lands |url=https://krso.gov.krd/en/indicator/agriculture/agricultural-lands |website=krso.gov.krd |publisher=Kurdistan Region Statistics Office |access-date=28 July 2022 |archive-date=23 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220523020531/https://krso.gov.krd/en/indicator/agriculture/agricultural-lands |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Climate ===
The climate of the Kurdistan Region is [[Semi-arid climate|semi-arid continental]]; hot and dry in summer, and cold and wet in winter. The region is cooler compared to the central and southern parts of Iraq.<ref>{{cite web |title=Kurdistan Region – Geographical characteristics and climate |url=https://presidency.gov.krd/krp/english/ndisplay.aspx?sm=5yBwBg+oqQY=#:~:text=The%20climate%20of%20the%20Kurdistan,cold%20and%20wet%20in%20winter. |website=presidency.gov.krd |publisher=Kurdistan Region Presidency |access-date=2 August 2022}}</ref>

Summers are hot and dry, with high average temperatures ranging from 35&nbsp;°C (95&nbsp;°F) in the cooler northernmost areas to blistering 40&nbsp;°C (104&nbsp;°F) in the southwest, with lows around 21&nbsp;°C (70&nbsp;°F) to 24&nbsp;°C (75&nbsp;°F). Winter is dramatically cooler than the rest of Iraq, with highs averaging between 9&nbsp;°C (48&nbsp;°F) and 11&nbsp;°C (52&nbsp;°F) and with lows hovering around 3&nbsp;°C (37&nbsp;°F) in some areas and freezing in others, dipping to −2&nbsp;°C (28&nbsp;°F) and 0&nbsp;°C (32&nbsp;°F) on average.

{{Weather box
|metric first = Yes
|single line = Yes
|location = [[Erbil]]
|collapsed=
|Jan record high C = 20
|Feb record high C = 27
|Mar record high C = 30
|Apr record high C = 34
|May record high C = 42
|Jun record high C = 44
|Jul record high C = 48
|Aug record high C = 49
|Sep record high C = 45
|Oct record high C = 39
|Nov record high C = 31
|Dec record high C = 24
|Jan high C = 12.4
|Feb high C = 14.2
|Mar high C = 18.1
|Apr high C = 24.0
|May high C = 31.5
|Jun high C = 38.1
|Jul high C = 42.0
|Aug high C = 41.9
|Sep high C = 37.9
|Oct high C = 30.7
|Nov high C = 21.2
|Dec high C = 14.4
|Jan mean C = 7.4
|Feb mean C = 8.9
|Mar mean C = 12.4
|Apr mean C = 17.5
|May mean C = 24.1
|Jun mean C = 29.7
|Jul mean C = 33.4
|Aug mean C = 33.1
|Sep mean C = 29.0
|Oct mean C = 22.6
|Nov mean C = 15.0
|Dec mean C = 9.1
|Jan low C = 2.4
|Feb low C = 3.6
|Mar low C = 6.7
|Apr low C = 11.1
|May low C = 16.7
|Jun low C = 21.4
|Jul low C = 24.9
|Aug low C = 24.4
|Sep low C = 20.1
|Oct low C = 14.5
|Nov low C = 8.9
|Dec low C = 3.9
|Jan record low C = −4
|Feb record low C = −6
|Mar record low C = −1
|Apr record low C = 3
|May record low C = 6
|Jun record low C = 10
|Jul record low C = 13
|Aug record low C = 17
|Sep record low C = 11
|Oct record low C = 4
|Nov record low C = −2
|Dec record low C = −2
|rain colour = green
|Jan rain mm=111
|Feb rain mm=97
|Mar rain mm=89
|Apr rain mm=69
|May rain mm=26
|Jun rain mm=0
|Jul rain mm=0
|Aug rain mm=0
|Sep rain mm=0
|Oct rain mm=12
|Nov rain mm=56
|Dec rain mm=80
|Jan rain days=9
|Feb rain days=9
|Mar rain days=10
|Apr rain days=9
|May rain days=4
|Jun rain days=1
|Jul rain days=0
|Aug rain days=0
|Sep rain days=1
|Oct rain days=3
|Nov rain days=6
|Dec rain days=10
|Jan snow days=1
|Feb snow days=0
|Mar snow days=0
|Apr snow days=0
|May snow days=0
|Jun snow days=0
|Jul snow days=0
|Aug snow days=0
|Sep snow days=0
|Oct snow days=0
|Nov snow days=0
|Dec snow days=0
|Jan humidity=74.5
|Feb humidity=70
|Mar humidity=65
|Apr humidity=58.5
|May humidity=41.5
|Jun humidity=28.5
|Jul humidity=25
|Aug humidity=27.5
|Sep humidity=30.5
|Oct humidity=43.5
|Nov humidity=60.5
|Dec humidity=75.5
|source 1= ''Climate-Data.org'',<ref name="Climate-Data.org">{{cite web|title=Climate: Arbil – Climate graph, Temperature graph, Climate table|url=http://en.climate-data.org/location/4976/|publisher=Climate-Data.org|access-date=13 August 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131110185410/http://en.climate-data.org/location/4976/|archive-date=10 November 2013|url-status = live|df=dmy-all}}</ref> ''My Forecast'' for records, humidity, snow and precipitation days<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.myforecast.com/bin/climate.m?city=66293&metric=true |title=Irbil, Iraq Climate |publisher=My Forecast |access-date=14 July 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131004215139/http://www.myforecast.com/bin/climate.m?city=66293&metric=true |archive-date=4 October 2013 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all }}</ref>
|source 2= ''What's the Weather Like.org'',<ref>{{cite web|title=Erbil climate info|url=http://www.whatstheweatherlike.org/iraq/erbil.htm|publisher=What's the Weather Like.org|access-date=14 July 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131004215222/http://www.whatstheweatherlike.org/iraq/erbil.htm|archive-date=4 October 2013|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref> ''Erbilia''<ref>{{cite web|title=Erbil Weather Forecast and Climate Information|url=http://www.erbilia.com/erbil-info/weather/|publisher=Erbilia|access-date=14 July 2013|url-status = usurped|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130709000508/http://www.erbilia.com/erbil-info/weather/|archive-date=9 July 2013}}</ref>
}}

=== Biodiversity ===
Vegetation in the region includes ''[[Abies cilicica]]'', ''[[Quercus calliprinos]]'', ''[[Quercus brantii]]'', ''[[Quercus infectoria]]'', ''[[Quercus ithaburensis]]'', ''[[Quercus macranthera]]'', ''[[Cupressus sempervirens]]'', ''[[Platanus orientalis]]'', ''[[Pinus brutia]]'', ''[[Juniperus foetidissima]]'', ''[[Juniperus excelsa]]'', ''[[Juniperus oxycedrus]]'', ''[[Salix alba]]'', ''[[Olea europaea]]'', ''[[Ficus carica]]'', ''[[Populus euphratica]]'', ''[[Populus nigra]]'', ''[[Crataegus monogyna]]'', ''[[Crataegus azarolus]]'', [[Prunus cerasifera|cherry plum]], [[rose hip]]s, [[pistachio tree]]s, [[Pyrus elaeagrifolia|pear]] and ''[[Sorbus graeca]]''. The desert in the south is mostly [[steppe]] and would feature [[xeric]] plants such as [[Arecaceae|palm trees]], [[tamarix]], [[date palm]], [[fraxinus]], [[poa]], [[white wormwood]] and [[chenopodiaceae]].<ref>Village on the Euphrates: From Foraging to Farming at Abu Hureyra, by A. M. T Moore, G. C. Hillman and A. J. Legge, Published 2000, Oxford University Press</ref><ref>A Dictionary of Scripture Geography, p 57, by John Miles, 486 pages, Published 1846, Original from Harvard University</ref>

Animals found in the region include the [[Syrian brown bear]], [[wild boar]], [[gray wolf]], [[golden jackal]], [[Indian crested porcupine]], [[red fox]], [[goitered gazelle]], [[Eurasian otter]], [[striped hyena]], [[Persian fallow deer]], [[onager]], [[Mangar (fish)|mangar]] and the [[Euphrates softshell turtle]].<ref>Al-Sheikhly, O.F.; and Nader, I.A. (2013). ''[http://www.otterspecialistgroup.org/Bulletin/Volume30/AlSheikhly_Nadar_2013.pdf The Status of the Iraq Smooth-coated Otter Lutrogale perspicillata maxwelli Hayman 1956 and Eurasian Otter Lutra lutra Linnaeus 1758 in Iraq.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170807153350/http://www.otterspecialistgroup.org/Bulletin/Volume30/AlSheikhly_Nadar_2013.pdf|date=2017-08-07}}'' IUCN Otter Spec. Group Bull. 30(1).</ref>

Bird species include, the [[see-see partridge]], [[Menetries's warbler]], [[western jackdaw]], [[Red-billed chough]], [[hooded crow]], [[European nightjar]], [[rufous-tailed scrub robin]], [[masked shrike]] and the [[pale rockfinch]].<ref>C.Michael Hogan. 2009. [http://www.globaltwitcher.com/artspec_information.asp?thingid=26307 Hooded Crow: ''Corvus cornix''. GlobalTwitcher.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101126090957/http://www.globaltwitcher.com/artspec_information.asp?thingid=26307|date=2010-11-26}} ed. N.Stromberg</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Iraq's Marshes Show Progress toward Recovery|url=http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/good-iraqimarshes.html#cr|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100509195006/http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/good-iraqimarshes.html#cr|archive-date=9 May 2010|access-date=7 August 2010|publisher=Wildlife Extra|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

==Government and politics==
{{main|Politics of Kurdistan}}
The Kurdistan Region is a multi-party, [[democracy|democratic]] and [[parliamentary republic]]<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20220310133518/https://unpo.org/article/538?id=538 Constitution of Kurdistan Region–Article 1]</ref> and has a [[presidential system]] wherein the President is elected by Parliament for a four-year term. In case of extensions of parliament's term, the president's term is also automatically extended.<ref>{{cite web|date=11 September 2020|title=Amendment of Presidency Law, 2019|url=https://www.parliament.krd/media/2462/%D9%8A%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%A7%D9%89-%D9%83%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%83%D8%B1%D8%AF%D9%86%D8%A9%D9%88%D8%A9%D9%89-%D8%B3%D8%A9%D8%B1%D8%A4%D9%83%D8%A7%D9%8A%D8%A9%D8%AA%D9%8A%D9%8A-%D9%87%D8%A9%D8%B1%D9%8A-%D9%85.pdf|website=Kurdistan Parliament|access-date=11 September 2020|archive-date=4 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210704191811/https://www.parliament.krd/media/2462/%D9%8A%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%A7%D9%89-%D9%83%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%83%D8%B1%D8%AF%D9%86%D8%A9%D9%88%D8%A9%D9%89-%D8%B3%D8%A9%D8%B1%D8%A4%D9%83%D8%A7%D9%8A%D8%A9%D8%AA%D9%8A%D9%8A-%D9%87%D8%A9%D8%B1%D9%8A-%D9%85.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> The current President is [[Nechirvan Barzani]], who assumed office on 1 June 2019.<ref>{{cite news |title=Nechirvan Barzani elected president of Kurdistan Region of Iraq |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-iraq-kurds/nechirvan-barzani-elected-president-of-kurdistan-region-of-iraq-idUSKCN1SY0TE |access-date=31 August 2019 |work=Reuters |date=28 May 2019 |language=en |archive-date=31 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190831160403/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-iraq-kurds/nechirvan-barzani-elected-president-of-kurdistan-region-of-iraq-idUSKCN1SY0TE |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[Kurdistan Parliament]] has 111 seats and are held every fifth year. Traditionally, the two major parties in Kurdistan Region are [[Kurdistan Democratic Party]] (KDP) and the [[Patriotic Union of Kurdistan]] (PUK).

The [[Carnegie Middle East Center]] wrote in August 2015 that:<ref>{{cite web|url=http://carnegie-mec.org/2015/08/17/kurdistan-s-politicized-society-confronts-sultanistic-system/ieta|title=Kurdistan's Politicized Society Confronts a Sultanistic System|publisher=Carnegie Middle East Center|date=2015-08-18|access-date=2016-06-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160608123726/http://carnegie-mec.org/2015/08/17/kurdistan-s-politicized-society-confronts-sultanistic-system/ieta|archive-date=2016-06-08|url-status = live}}</ref>
{{Blockquote|text=The Kurdistan region of Iraq enjoys more stability, economic development, and political pluralism than the rest of the country. And public opinion under the Kurdistan Regional Government demands rule-of-law-based governance. But power is concentrated in the hands of the ruling parties and families, who perpetuate a nondemocratic, sultanistic system. These dynamics could foster instability in Kurdistan and its neighborhood, but could also provide a rare window of opportunity for democratization.}}

===Disputed areas===
{{main|Disputed territories of Northern Iraq}}
[[File:Iraqi Civil War map (2014–present).svg|thumb|{{legend|#e3da75|Present territory controlled by the Kurdistan Region in the context of the [[Iraqi conflict]]}}]]
The Committee for implementing article 140 defines the disputed territories as those areas Arabised and whose border modified between 17 July 1968 and 9 April 2003. Those areas include parts of four [[Governorates of Iraq|governorates]] of pre-1968 borders.<ref>{{cite news |title=نبذة عن اللجنة |url=http://www.com140.com/paper.php?source=akbar&mlf=copy&sid=5 |access-date=31 August 2019 |work=com140.com |page=ar |archive-date=4 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304124841/http://www.com140.com/paper.php?source=akbar&mlf=copy&sid=5 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Disputed internal Kurdish–Iraqi boundaries have been a core concern for Arabs and Kurds, especially since US invasion and political restructuring in 2003. Kurds gained territory to the south of Iraqi Kurdistan after the [[2003 invasion of Iraq|US-led invasion]] in 2003 to regain what land they considered historically theirs.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Bartu |first=Peter |title=Wrestling With the Integrity of A Nation: The Disputed Internal Boundaries in Iraq |journal=International Affairs |year=2010 |volume=86 |issue=6 |pages=1329–1343 |series=6|doi=10.1111/j.1468-2346.2010.00946.x }}</ref>

===Foreign relations===
{{main|Foreign relations of Kurdistan Region}}
Despite being landlocked, the Kurdistan Region pursues a proactive foreign policy, which includes strengthening diplomatic relations with [[Iran]], [[Russia]], [[United States]] and [[Turkey]]. Twenty nine countries have a [[List of diplomatic missions in Kurdistan Region|diplomatic presence in the Kurdistan Region]], while the Kurdistan Region has [[representative office]]s in [[List of diplomatic missions of Kurdistan Region|14 countries]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Department of Foreign Relations Kurdistan Regional Government |url=https://dfr.gov.krd/p/p.aspx?p=40&l=12&s=020100&r=364 |website=dfr.gov.krd |access-date=31 August 2019 |archive-date=27 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190727162600/https://dfr.gov.krd/p/p.aspx?p=40&l=12&s=020100&r=364 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Administrative divisions==
[[File:Kurdistan governorates 2015.png|thumb|250px|Governorates of Kurdistan Region<ref name="ad" >{{cite web |url=http://www.krso.net/Default.aspx?page=article&id=1142&l=1 |title=Map of area of Kurdistan Region & its Governorates |publisher=www.krso.net |access-date=2016-01-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160119181438/http://www.krso.net/Default.aspx?page=article&id=1142&l=1 |archive-date=2016-01-19 |url-status = live}}</ref>]] 
The Kurdistan Region is divided into four governorates ({{langx|ku|پارێزگا|links=no}}, {{lang|ku-Latn|Parêzga}}): the governorates of [[Erbil Governorate|Erbil]], [[Sulaymaniyah Governorate|Sulaymaniyah]], [[Duhok Governorate|Duhok]], and [[Halabja Governorate|Halabja]]. Each of these governorates is divided into districts, for a total of 26 districts. Each district is also divided into sub-districts. Each governorate has a capital city, while districts and sub-districts have 'district centers'.<ref name="ad" />

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! class="unsortable" colspan="2" | Governorate
! Population<br />(2020)
! Area<br />(km<sup>2</sup>)
! Area<br />(mi<sup>2</sup>)
|-	
| [[Erbil Governorate|Erbil]] || style="direction:rtl" | {{lang|ku|هەولێر}} || align="right"| 2,932,800 || align="right"|  14,873 || align="right" | 5,743
|-
| [[Sulaymaniyah Governorate|Sulaymaniyah]] || style="direction:rtl" | {{lang|ku|سلێمانی}} || align="right"| 2,250,000 || align="right"|  20,144 || align="right" | 7,778
|-
| [[Duhok Governorate|Duhok]] || style="direction:rtl" | {{lang|ku|دهۆک}} ||  align="right"| 1,292,535 || align="right"|  10,956 || align="right" | 4,230
|-
| [[Halabja Governorate|Halabja]] || style="direction:rtl" | {{lang|ku|هەڵەبجە}} || align="right"|  109,000 || align="right"|  889 || align="right" | 343 
|-
|-style="background: #eee;" | class="sortbottom"
| '''Total''' ||  ||align="right"|  6,584,335 ||align="right"|  46,862 || align="right" | 18,094
|}

==Economy==
{{Pie chart
 | caption=Economy by sector ([[GDP]], 2013)<ref name="diversification" />
 | other = yes
 | label1 = [[Oil]]
 | value1 = 80 | color1 = silver
 | label2 = [[Agriculture]]
 | value2 = 10 | color2 = #008
 | label3 = [[Tourism]]
 | value3 = 4 | color3 = #08f
 }}
{{main|Economy of Kurdistan Region}}
The Kurdistan Region has the lowest poverty rates in Iraq<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna30849286 |title=Nearly 25 percent of Iraqis live in poverty |publisher=NBC News |date=2009-05-20 |access-date=2010-12-28 |archive-date=2014-02-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140204013302/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/30849286/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and the stronger economy of the Kurdistan Region attracted around 20,000 workers from other parts of Iraq between 2003 and 2005.<ref>{{cite journal | first1 = HJ |last1= Barkey |first2= E |last2= Laipson |title= Iraqi Kurds And Iraq's Future |journal=Middle East Policy |volume= 12 | issue = 4 |year=2005 |pages=66–76 [68] |doi= 10.1111/j.1475-4967.2005.00225.x}}</ref>  The number of millionaires in the city of Sulaymaniyah grew from 12 to 2,000 in 2003, reflecting the economic growth.<ref>{{cite web |title=Iraqi President Talabani's Letter to America |url=http://defendamerica.mil/articles/sept2006/a092206pc1.html |access-date=31 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070215031201/http://defendamerica.mil/articles/sept2006/a092206pc1.html |archive-date=15 February 2007 |date=22 September 2006}}</ref> According to some estimates, the debt of the Kurdish government reached $18 billion by January 2016.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Zaman |first1=Amberin |title=Is the KRG heading for bankruptcy? |url=http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2016/01/turkey-iraq-kurds-cash-crisis-derail-battle-against-isis.html |access-date=31 August 2019 |work=Al-Monitor |date=20 January 2016 |language=en |archive-date=6 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210306093431/https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2016/01/turkey-iraq-kurds-cash-crisis-derail-battle-against-isis.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2022 the [[International Labour Organization]] published a report called the Iraqi Labour Force Survey, according to which the unemployment rates in Kurdistan Region's three governorates: Erbil, Sulaymaniyah (including Halabjah), and Duhok stood at 17.7%, 11.9% and 24.1%, respectively.<ref>{{cite report |author=<!-- not stated --> |date=2022 |title=Iraq Labour Force Survey |url=https://www.ilo.org/sites/default/files/wcmsp5/groups/public/@arabstates/@ro-beirut/documents/publication/wcms_850359.pdf |work= |location=Beirut |publisher=International Labour Organisation |access-date=29 May 2025}}</ref> According to news reports citing official statistics, the unemployment rate in Kurdistan Region surged to over 24% in 2024.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://theinsightinternational.com/iraqi-kurdistan-unemployment-2024-12-24|title=Iraqi Kurdistan unemployment hits 25% amid ongoing salary crisis: data|publisher=The Insight International}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://nrttv.com/detail/44198|title=نزیکەى ٢٥٪ى خەڵکى هەرێمى کوردستان بێکارن|publisher=[[NRT News]]|language=ku}}</ref>


The economy of Kurdistan is dominated by the [[oil industry]].<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.economist.com/news/middle-east-and-africa/21565678-iraqi-kurds-and-western-oil-firms-have-outfoxed-government-baghdad | newspaper=The Economist | title=The Kurdish opening | date=2012-11-03 | access-date=2017-09-01 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170923002726/https://www.economist.com/news/middle-east-and-africa/21565678-iraqi-kurds-and-western-oil-firms-have-outfoxed-government-baghdad | archive-date=2017-09-23 |url-status = live}}</ref> However, Kurdish officials have since the late 2010s attempted to diversify the economy to mitigate a new economic crisis like the one which hit the region during the fight against ISIL.<ref name="diversification" >{{cite journal |last1=Pankaj |first1=D. |last2=Ramyar |first2=R.A. |title=Diversification Of Economy–An Insight into Economic Development with Special Reference to Kurdistan" s Oil Economy and Agriculture Economy |journal=Russian Journal of Agricultural and Socio-Economic Sciences |date=22 January 2019 |volume=85 |issue=1 |pages=395–404 |doi=10.18551/rjoas.2019-01.48|doi-access=free }}</ref> Major oil export partners include [[Israel]], [[Italy]], [[France]] and [[Greece]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Israel turns to Kurds for three-quarters of its oil supplies |url=https://www.ft.com/content/150f00cc-472c-11e5-af2f-4d6e0e5eda22 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221211181256/https://www.ft.com/content/150f00cc-472c-11e5-af2f-4d6e0e5eda22 |archive-date=11 December 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |access-date=31 August 2019 |work=Financial Times |date=23 August 2015 }}</ref>

===Petroleum and mineral resources===
[[Kurdistan Regional Government|KRG]]-controlled parts of Iraqi Kurdistan contain 4 billion barrels of proven oil reserves. However, the KRG has estimated that the region contains around {{convert|45|Goilbbl}} of unproven oil resource.<ref>[http://www.eia.gov/countries/cab.cfm?fips=iz U.S. Energy Information Administration] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141223032658/http://www.eia.gov/countries/cab.cfm?fips=iz |date=2014-12-23 }} Retrieved 2014-12-23.</ref><ref>[https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-11-13/iraq-kurds-cabinet-approves-plan-for-starting-oil-company.html Bloomberg] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150111180634/http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-11-13/iraq-kurds-cabinet-approves-plan-for-starting-oil-company.html |date=2015-01-11 }} Retrieved 2014-12-23.</ref><ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/new-oil-pipeline-boosts-iraqi-kurdistan-the-region-made-of-three-northern-provinces/2014/06/12/50635600-ef30-11e3-bf76-447a5df6411f_story.html New oil pipeline boosts Iraqi Kurdistan] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171012130446/https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/new-oil-pipeline-boosts-iraqi-kurdistan-the-region-made-of-three-northern-provinces/2014/06/12/50635600-ef30-11e3-bf76-447a5df6411f_story.html |date=2017-10-12 }}, Washingtonpost. Retrieved 2014-12-23</ref><ref>[https://edition.cnn.com/2014/06/24/world/meast/iraq-kurds-oil-sale/ Will Kurds use oil to break free from Iraq?] , CNN. Retrieved 2014-12-23</ref> Extraction of these reserves began in 2007.

In November 2011, Exxon challenged the Iraqi central government's authority with the signing of oil and gas contracts for exploration rights to six parcels of land in Kurdistan, including one contract in the disputed territories, just east of the [[Kirkuk Field|Kirkuk mega-field]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.westernzagros.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/121126_operator_activity_EXTERNAL.pdf|title=westernzagros.com Oil Map|url-status = dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131109173803/http://www.westernzagros.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/121126_operator_activity_EXTERNAL.pdf|archive-date=2013-11-09}}</ref>  This act caused Baghdad to threaten to revoke Exxon's contract in its southern fields, most notably the West-Qurna Phase 1 project.<ref>{{cite news|title=Exxon's Kurdistan |url=http://www.zawya.com/story/ZAWYA20120304053739/ |newspaper=Zawya |date=3 April 2012 |url-status = dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140202112429/http://www.zawya.com/story/ZAWYA20120304053739/ |archive-date=February 2, 2014 }}</ref> Exxon responded by announcing its intention to leave the West-Qurna project.<ref>{{cite news|title=Iraq says expects Exxon to finish West Qurna Sale by December |url=https://news.yahoo.com/iraq-says-expects-exxon-finish-west-qurna-sale-104523440--finance.html |agency=Reuters }}{{dead link|date=June 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>

As of July 2007, the Kurdish government solicited foreign companies to invest in 40 new oil sites, with the hope of increasing regional oil production over the following 5 years by a factor of five, to about {{convert|1|Moilbbl/d|m3/d}}.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.iraqupdates.com/p_articles.php/article/19228 |title=Iraqi Kurds open 40 new oil sites to foreign investors |publisher=Iraq Updates |date=2007-07-09 |access-date=2011-05-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110424200700/http://www.iraqupdates.com/p_articles.php/article/19228 |archive-date=2011-04-24 |url-status = live}}</ref> Notable companies active in Kurdistan include [[Exxon]], [[TotalEnergies]], [[Chevron Corporation|Chevron]], [[Talisman Energy]], [[DNO ASA|DNO]], [[MOL Group]], [[Genel Energy]], [[Hunt Oil]], [[Gulf Keystone Petroleum]], and [[Marathon Oil]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Kurdistan Oil and Gas Activity Map |url=http://www.westernzagros.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/121126_operator_activity_EXTERNAL.pdf |publisher=Western Zagros |access-date=2012-12-31 |url-status = dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131109173803/http://www.westernzagros.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/121126_operator_activity_EXTERNAL.pdf |archive-date=2013-11-09 }}</ref>

Other mineral resources that exist in significant quantities in the region include [[coal]], [[copper]], [[gold]], [[iron]], [[limestone]] (which is used to produce [[cement]]), [[marble]], and [[zinc]]. The world's largest deposit of rock sulfur is located just southwest of [[Erbil]].<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20071012180933/http://kurdistancorporation.com/Oil_and_gas.htm Official statements on the oil and gas sector in the Kurdistan region]}}, Kurdistan Development Corporation.</ref>

In July 2012, Turkey and the Kurdistan Regional Government signed an agreement by which Turkey would supply the KRG with refined petroleum products in exchange for crude oil.<ref>{{cite web |title=First Shipment of Kurdistan Crude Arrives in Turkey |url=http://www.brightwire.com/news/229205-first-shipment-of-kurdistan-crude-arrives-in-turkey |publisher=BrightWire |url-status = dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130118132757/http://www.brightwire.com/news/229205-first-shipment-of-kurdistan-crude-arrives-in-turkey |archive-date=2013-01-18 }}</ref> However, in March 2023 the International Chamber of Commerce ruled that this agreement was illegal, causing the pumping of petroleum products through the [[Kirkuk–Ceyhan Oil Pipeline]] between the Kurdistan Region and Turkey to cease.<ref>{{cite news |title=Iraq halts northern crude exports after winning arbitration case against Turkey |date=2023-03-25 |first1=Ahmed |last1=Rasheed |first2=Rowena |last2=Edwards |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/iraq-halts-northern-crude-exports-after-winning-arbitration-case-against-turkey-2023-03-25/}}</ref> The closure of the pipeline left much of the Kurdistan Region's petroleum output with no legal outlet, causing a rise in illegal smuggling of oil to Iran via tanker trucks.<ref>{{cite news |title=Kurdish oil smuggling to Iran flourishes |date=2024-07-11 |first=Timour |last=Azhari |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/kurdish-oil-smuggling-iran-flourishes-2024-07-11/}}</ref>

==Demographics==
Due to the lack of a proper [[census]], the exact population and demographics of Kurdistan Region are unknown, but the government has started to publish more detailed figures. The population of the region is notoriously difficult to ascertain, as the Iraqi government has historically sought to minimize the importance of the Kurdish minority while Kurdish groups have had a tendency to exaggerate the numbers.<ref name="StansfieldJomo2003">{{cite book|author1=Gareth R. V. Stansfield|author2=Jomo|title=Iraqi Kurdistan: Political Development and Emergent Democracy|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FB4ErXPRRd0C&pg=PA32|date=29 August 2003|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-134-41416-1|pages=32–|access-date=16 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171014042258/https://books.google.com/books?id=FB4ErXPRRd0C&pg=PA32|archive-date=14 October 2017|url-status = live|df=dmy-all}}</ref> Based on available data, Kurdistan has a young population with an estimated 36% of the population being under the age of 15.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.krg.org/p/p.aspx?l=12&s=020000&r=304&p=214|title=The people of the Kurdistan Region|website=www.krg.org|access-date=2012-11-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121106100500/http://www.krg.org/p/p.aspx?l=12&s=020000&r=304&p=214|archive-date=2012-11-06|url-status = live}}</ref>

===Ethnic data (1917–1947)===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: right;"
|+
'''Population of Mosul Province (1917–1947)'''<ref name="data">{{cite book|author1=Fuat Dundar |title=British Use of Statistics in the Iraqi Kurdish Question (1919–1932) |date=2012 |page=45 |url=https://www.brandeis.edu/crown/publications/papers/pdfs/cp7.pdf |access-date=12 November 2019 |archive-date=31 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200531173837/https://www.brandeis.edu/crown/publications/papers/pdfs/cp7.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! rowspan="2" | Ethnic<br />group
! colspan="2" | British data 1917
! colspan="2" | British data 1921
! colspan="2" | British data 1930
! colspan="2" | British data 1947
|-bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! Number
! %
! Number
! %
! Number
! %
! Number
! %
|-
|align="left"|[[Kurds]]
|{{nts|401000}} ||{{pct|401000|737026|1}}
|{{nts|454720}} ||{{pct|454720|785468|1}}
|{{nts|393000}} ||{{pct|393000|714430|1}}
|{{nts|804240}} ||{{pct|804240|1274290|1}}
|-
|align="left"|[[Arabs]]
|– ||–
|{{nts|185763}} ||{{pct|185763|785468|1}}
|– ||–
|– ||–
|-
|align="left"|[[Turkmens]]
|– ||–
|{{nts|65895}} ||{{pct|65895|785468|1}}
|– ||–
|– ||–
|-
|align="left"|[[Assyrian people|Assyrians]], [[Armenians]]
|– ||–
|{{nts|62225}} ||{{pct|62225|785468|1}}
|– ||–
|– ||–
|-
|align="left"|[[Jews]]
|– ||–
|{{nts|16865}} ||{{pct|16865|785468|1}}
|– ||–
|– ||–
|-
|align="left"|Other, unknown, not stated
|{{nts|336026}} ||{{pct|336026|737026|1}}
|– ||–
|{{nts|321430}} ||{{pct|321430|714430|1}}
|{{nts|470050}} ||{{pct|470050|1274290|1}}
|-
! align="left"|'''Total'''
! colspan="2" |737,026
! colspan="2" |785,468
! colspan="2" |714,430
! colspan="2" |1,274,290
|-
|}

===Religion===
{{Further|Religion in Kurdistan}}

Kurdistan has a religiously diverse population. The dominant religion is [[Islam]], which is professed by the majority of Kurdistan Region's inhabitants. These include Kurds, Iraqi Turkmen, and Arabs, belonging mostly to the [[Shafi'i]] school of [[Sunni]] Islam. There is also a small number of [[Shia]] [[Feyli Kurds]].<ref name=masara/>

In 2015, the Kurdistan Regional Government enacted a law to formally protect religious minorities. [[Christianity in Iraq|Christianity]] is professed by [[Assyrian people|Assyrians]] and [[Armenians]].

[[Yazidis]] make up a significant minority, with some 650,000 in 2005,<ref>{{cite web |title=Iraq's Yezidis: A Religious and Ethnic Minority Group Faces Repression and Assimilation |date=September 25, 2005 |url=http://www.aina.org/reports/yezidiscpt.pdf |archive-date=January 9, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060109010438/http://www.aina.org/reports/yezidiscpt.pdf }}</ref> or 560,000 as of 2013,<ref name="masara">{{cite web |title=Minorities in Iraq: Memory, Identity and Challenges |date=2013 |url=http://masaratiraq.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Minorities-in-Iraq.pdf |archive-date=March 1, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140301203627/http://masaratiraq.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Minorities-in-Iraq.pdf }}</ref> The [[Yarsan]] (Ahl-e Haqq or Kakai) religion numbers around 200,000 adherents respectively.<ref name=masara/> In 2020, it was reported that 60 Zoroastrian families live in Iraqi Kurdistan.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.kurdistan24.net/en/story/22656-Kurdistan-welcomes-US-State-Department-report-on-religious-freedom|title=Kurdistan welcomes US State Department report on religious freedom|access-date=2021-08-02|archive-date=2021-06-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210602212502/https://www.kurdistan24.net/en/story/22656-Kurdistan-welcomes-US-State-Department-report-on-religious-freedom|url-status=live}}</ref> The first Zoroastrian temple was opened in the city of [[Sulaymaniyah]] (Silêmanî) in September 2016.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rudaw.net/english/kurdistan/210920163 |title=Hopes for Zoroastrianism revival in Kurdistan as first temple opens its doors |website=rudaw.net |date=21 September 2016 |access-date=6 February 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180207005338/http://www.rudaw.net/english/kurdistan/210920163 |archive-date=7 February 2018 |url-status = live|df=dmy-all }}</ref>

A tiny ethno-religious community of [[Mandaeans]] also exists within the semi-autonomous region. The National Association of Jews from Kurdistan in Israel stated there is a small number of expatriate Jews in the Kurdistan Region, but no Jews remaining from original Jewish communities.<ref>{{cite press release|publisher=National Association of Jews from Kurdistan in Israel|title=Regarding Jewish status, and lack of populations in the Kurdistan Region |url=https://docs.google.com/document/d/1O7JJ_94H8tw8HZq2BUnor2aaSGF-bub_kvAP9ouxQuE/|access-date=28 December 2020|date=17 November 2020|df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Ben Solomon|first=Ariel|url=https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/use-of-jewish-issue-by-krg-official-may-cause-confusion-and-damage-436499|access-date=28 December 2020|date=7 December 2015|website=jpost.com|title=Publicity seeking Kurdish official brings back memories of Jewish Kurd aliya fiasco|publisher=The Jerusalem Post|archive-date=11 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210211034144/http://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/Use-of-Jewish-issue-by-KRG-official-may-cause-confusion-and-damage-436499|url-status=live}}</ref>

<gallery class="center">
File:Hewler Old Minaret.jpg|[[Mudhafaria Minaret]] in the Minare Park, Erbil
File:Chaldean Catholic Cathedral of Saint Joseph 2005 (Ankawa, Erbil, Iraq).jpg|[[Chaldean Catholic Church|Chaldean Catholic]] Mar Yousif Cathedral in [[Ankawa]]
File:مطحنة قرية عزة في أربيل.jpg|[[Azza village mill]] in Erbil
</gallery>

===Immigration===
Widespread economic activity between the Kurdistan Region and Turkey has given the opportunity for [[Kurds in Turkey]] to seek jobs in the Kurdistan Region. A Kurdish newspaper based in the Kurdish capital estimates that around 50,000 Kurds from Turkey are now living in the Kurdistan Region.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.economist.com/world/mideast-africa/displaystory.cfm?story_id=13145898 |newspaper=The Economist |title=An unusual new friendship |date=February 19, 2009 |access-date=May 25, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090226142359/http://www.economist.com/world/mideast-africa/displaystory.cfm?story_id=13145898 |archive-date=February 26, 2009 |url-status = live|df=mdy-all }}</ref>

===Refugees===
{{See also|Refugees of the Syrian Civil War|Internally displaced persons in Iraq}}
The Kurdistan Region is hosting 1.2 million displaced Iraqis who have been displaced by the ISIS war, as of early December 2017. There were about 335,000 in the area prior to 2014 with the rest arriving in 2014 as a result of unrest in Syria and attacks by the [[Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant|Islamic State]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/iraq/220220183/ |work=Rudaw |title=Urgent reconstruction needed for returning Iraqi refugees: IOM |date=February 22, 2018 |access-date=February 22, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180222172345/http://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/iraq/220220183 |archive-date=February 22, 2018 |url-status = live|df=mdy-all }}</ref>

==Education==
{{See also|List of universities in Kurdistan Region}}

Before the establishment of the Kurdistan Regional Government, primary and secondary education was almost entirely taught in Arabic. Higher education was always taught in Arabic. This however changed with the establishment of the Kurdistan Autonomous Region. The first international school, the [[International School of Choueifat]] opened its branch in the Kurdistan Region in 2006. Other international schools have opened and [http://www.bis-kurdistan.co.uk British International Schools in Kurdistan] is the latest with a planned opening in Suleimaniah in September 2011.

The Kurdistan Region's official universities are listed below, followed by their English acronym (if commonly used), internet domain, establishment date and latest data about the number of students.
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Institute !! Internet domain !! Established !! Students
|- valign=top
| nowrap align="left" |[[University of Sulaimani]] (UOS)
|[http://univsul.edu.iq/ univsul.edu.iq]
| style="text-align:center;"|1968||25,900 (2013)
|- valign=top
| nowrap align="left" |[[Salahaddin University]] (SU)
|[http://www.su.edu.krd/ www.su.edu.krd]
| style="text-align:center;"|1970 || 20,000 (2013)
|- valign=top
| nowrap align=left|[[University of Duhok]]
|[http://www.uod.ac/ www.uod.ac]
| align=center|1992 || 19,615 (2017)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://web.uod.ac/about/|title=About The University of Duhok|access-date=2017-11-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171117013126/http://web.uod.ac/about/|archive-date=2017-11-17|url-status = live}}</ref>
|- valign=top
| nowrap align=left|[[University of Zakho]]
|[http://www.uoz.edu.krd/ www.uoz.edu.krd]
| align=center|2010 || 2,600 (2011)<ref>{{Cite web|url =http://www.uoz-krg.org/node/330|title =Opening Ceremony of The 1st International Scientific Conference – UOZ 2013|access-date =2014-11-27|url-status = dead|archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20141205194409/http://www.uoz-krg.org/node/330|archive-date =2014-12-05}}</ref>
|- valign=top
| nowrap align=left|[[University of Koya]] (KU)
|[http://www.koyauniversity.org/ www.koyauniversity.org]
| align=center|2003|| 4260 (2014)
|- valign=top
| nowrap align=left|[[University of Kurdistan Hewler]] (UKH)
|[http://www.ukh.edu.krd/ www.ukh.edu.krd]
| align=center|2006 || 400 (2006)
|- valign=top
| nowrap align=left|[[The American University of Iraq – Sulaimani]] (AUIS)
|[http://www.auis.edu.krd/ www.auis.edu.krd]
| align=center|2007|| 1100  (2014)
|- valign=top
| nowrap align=left|[[American University Duhok Kurdistan]] (AUDK)
|[http://www.audk.edu.krd/ www.audk.edu.krd]
| align=center|2014 || 
|- valign=top
| nowrap align=left|[[Hawler Medical University]] (HMU)
|[http://www.hmu.edu.krd/ www.hmu.edu.krd]
| align=center|2006 || (3400) (2018)
|- valign=top
| nowrap align=left|[[Business & Management University]] (BMU)
|[https://web.archive.org/web/20160304120806/http://lfu.edu.krd/index.php www.lfu.edu.krd/index.php]
| align=center|2007|| 
|- valign=top
| nowrap align=left|[[Lebanese French University]]
|[https://lfu.edu.krd/ www.lfu.edu.krd]
| align=center|2007 || 2,600 (2022)
|- valign=top
| nowrap align=left|[[Cihan University]]
|[https://cihanuniversity.edu.iq/home-university/ www.cihanuniversity.edu.iq]
| align=center|2007 || 
|- valign=top
| nowrap align=left|[[Komar University of Science and Technology]] (KUST)
|[http://www.komar.edu.iq www.komar.edu.iq]
| align=center|2012||
|- valign=top
| nowrap align=left|[[Ishik University]] (IU)
|[http://www.ishik.edu.krd/ www.ishik.edu.krd] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180809084927/http://ishik.edu.krd/ |date=2018-08-09 }}
| align=center|2008 || 1,700 (2012)
|- valign=top
| nowrap align=left|[[Soran University]]
|[http://www.soran.edu.iq/ www.soran.edu.iq]
| align=center|2009||2200 (2011)
|- valign=top
| nowrap align=left|[[Nawroz University]]
|[http://web.nawroz.edu.krd// web.nawroz.edu.krd/]
| align=center|2004|| 
|- valign=top
| nowrap align=left|[[University of Human Development]] (UHD/Qaradax)
| [http://www.uhd.edu.iq/en/index.php www.uhd.edu.iq] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170308233615/http://www.uhd.edu.iq/en/index.php |date=2017-03-08 }}
| align=center|2008|| 
|- valign=top
| nowrap align=left |[[Sulaimani Polytechnic University]] (SPU)
| [http://spu.edu.iq/en/ www.http://spu.edu.iq]
| style="text-align:center;"|1996||13000 (2013)
|- valign=top
| nowrap align="left" |[[Knowledge University]] (KNU)
|[https://knu.edu.iq/ knu.edu.iq]
| style="text-align:center;"|2009||2800 (2021)
|- valign=top
| nowrap align="left" |[[Catholic University in Erbil]] (CUE)
|[https://cue.edu.krd/ cue.edu.krd]
| style="text-align:center;"|2015||271 (2022)
|}

=== Human resources ===
Iraqi Kurdistan has been investing in the growth of its human capital in general.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Maher|first1=Asaad Hamdi|date=30 June 2017|title=Trends in human capital formation in the Kurdistan Region – Iraq|journal=Journal of University of Human Development|volume=3|issue=2|pages=333|doi=10.21928/juhd.v3n2y2017.pp333-353|doi-access=free}}</ref> Public sector employees are often enrolled in local training programmes or sent overseas to participate in training courses, technical classes, and professional development programmes.<ref name="Khodr 2013">{{cite journal|last1=Khodr|first1=Hiba|last2=Zirar|first2=Araz Abdullah|date=December 2013|title=International briefing 30: training and development in Iraqi Kurdistan |journal=International Journal of Training and Development|volume=17|issue=4|pages=295–309|doi=10.1111/ijtd.12014}}</ref> However, factors such as the lack of a practical and formal HRD framework specific to the KRG's public sector, the absence of evaluation process, inadequate civil service training institutions, and corruption have hampered effective and efficient professional development and training in the public sector.<ref name="Khodr 2013"/> Therefore, an assessment of such programmes and their outcomes is needed to identify any misuse of public funds, as well as to assist in the reducing of administrative and political corruption and to make policy recommendations. The government's policies for the public sector have also had an impact on the private sector. However, the government has played a much smaller role in the private sector.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Ahmad|first1=A.B.|last2=Shah|first2=M.|date=2016|title=The rise of private higher education in Kurdistan|journal=A Global Perspective on Private Higher Education|pages=219–228|editor1-last=Shah |editor1-first=M. |editor2-last=Nair |editor2-first=C.S. |publisher=Chandos Publishing |doi=10.1016/B978-0-08-100872-0.00013-6|isbn=9780081008720}}</ref> In Iraqi Kurdistan, the [[Ministry of Planning (Iraq)|Ministry of Planning]] has primarily concentrated on activating training in the public sector, with the goal of expanding opportunities and improving the efficiency of the training process.<ref name="Khodr 2013"/> In the long run, this will have an effect on private sector training and growth.

According to the 2024 nationwide population census conducted by the Iraqi Ministry of Planning, Kurdistan Region's illiteracy rate was 16.23%, higher than the rest of Iraq (15.31%).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pukmedia.com/EN/Details/77653|title=Illiteracy Rate in Kurdistan Region is Higher Than in Iraq, Statistics Show|publisher=PUKmedia}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://ina.iq/eng/38495-planning-ministry-announces-key-census-results-population-reaches-46-million-118-thousand.html|title=Planning Ministry Announces Key Census Results|publisher=Iraqi News Agency}}</ref>

==Human rights==
In 2010 [[Human Rights Watch]] reported that journalists in the Kurdistan Region who criticize the regional government have faced substantial violence, threats, and lawsuits, and some have fled the country.<ref name="ref22">{{cite web|url=https://www.hrw.org/en/news/2010/10/28/iraqi-kurdistan-journalists-under-threat|title=Iraqi Kurdistan: Journalists Under Threat|work=Human Rights Watch|date=29 October 2010|access-date=1 May 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140818124242/http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2010/10/28/iraqi-kurdistan-journalists-under-threat|archive-date=18 August 2014|url-status = live|df=dmy-all}}</ref> Some journalists faced trial and threats of imprisonment for their reports about corruption in the region.<ref name=ref22/>

In 2009 Human Rights Watch found that some health providers in Iraqi Kurdistan had been involved in both performing and promoting misinformation about the practice of female genital mutilation. Girls and women receive conflicting and inaccurate messages from media campaigns and medical personnel on its consequences.<ref name="urlAbusing Patients | Human Rights Watch">{{cite web |url=https://www.hrw.org/en/world-report-2010/abusing-patients |title=Abusing Patients &#124; Human Rights Watch (Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) section) |date=20 January 2010 |access-date=2011-02-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110308194957/http://www.hrw.org/en/world-report-2010/abusing-patients |archive-date=2011-03-08 |url-status = live}}</ref> The Kurdistan parliament in 2008 passed a draft law outlawing the practice, but the ministerial decree necessary to implement it, expected in February 2009, was cancelled.<ref>{{cite book|chapter-url=https://www.hrw.org/en/node/87714|title=Iraq|chapter=Iraq: Events of 2009 |publisher=Human Right Watch|date=20 January 2010|access-date=1 May 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150520000259/http://www.hrw.org/en/node/87714|archive-date=20 May 2015|url-status = live|df=dmy-all}}</ref> <!--In the "Gender-Based Violence" Section--> As reported to the Centre for Islamic Pluralism by the non-governmental organization, called as Stop FGM in Kurdistan, the Kurdistan Regional Government in northern Iraq, on 25 November, officially admitted the wide prevalence in the territory of female genital mutilation (FGM). Recognition by the KRG of the frequency of this custom among Kurds came during a conference program commemorating the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fgmnetwork.org/gonews.php?subaction=showfull&id=1292628292&archive=&start_from=&ucat=1&|title=IRAQ: Iraqi Kurdistan Confronts Female Genital Mutilation|access-date=1 May 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305142653/http://www.fgmnetwork.org/gonews.php?subaction=showfull&id=1292628292&archive=&start_from=&ucat=1&|archive-date=5 March 2016|url-status = live|df=dmy-all}}</ref> On 27 November 2010, the Kurdish government officially admitted to violence against women in Kurdistan and began taking serious measures.<ref>[http://www.rudaw.net/english/kurds/3318.html Rudaw in English The Happening: Latest News and Multimedia about Kurdistan, Iraq and the World – Kurdistan Takes Measures Against Gender-Based Violence<!--Bot-generated title-->] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110902233631/http://www.rudaw.net/english/kurds/3318.html|date=2011-09-02}}</ref> 21 June 2011 The Family Violence Bill was approved by the Kurdistan Parliament, it includes several provisions criminalizing the practice.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ekurd.net/mismas/articles/misc2011/7/state5293.htm|title=Human Rights Watch lauds FGM law in Iraqi Kurdistan|website=[[Ekurd.net]]|access-date=1 May 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160315215910/http://ekurd.net/mismas/articles/misc2011/7/state5293.htm|archive-date=15 March 2016|url-status = live|df=dmy-all}}</ref> A 2011 Kurdish law criminalized FGM practice in Iraqi Kurdistan and law was accepted four years later.<ref name="almonitorfgm">{{cite news|title=KRG looks to enhance protection of women, children|url=http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2015/04/iraq-kurdistan-draft-amendment-violence-women-law.html#|access-date=26 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304104536/http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2015/04/iraq-kurdistan-draft-amendment-violence-women-law.html|archive-date=4 March 2016|url-status = dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Human Rights Watch lauds FGM law in Iraqi Kurdistan|url=http://ekurd.net/mismas/articles/misc2011/7/state5293.htm|website=[[Ekurd.net]]|access-date=8 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307021736/http://ekurd.net/mismas/articles/misc2011/7/state5293.htm|archive-date=7 March 2016|url-status = live|df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref name="hrw.org">[https://www.hrw.org/news/2012/08/29/iraqi-kurdistan-law-banning-fgm-not-being-enforced Iraqi Kurdistan: Law Banning FGM Not Being Enforced] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170409021855/https://www.hrw.org/news/2012/08/29/iraqi-kurdistan-law-banning-fgm-not-being-enforced |date=2017-04-09 }} Human Rights Watch, August 29, 2012</ref> The studies have shown that there is a trend of general decline of FGM.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Stop FGM in Kurdistan|url=http://www.stopfgmkurdistan.org/html/english/fgm_e.htm|website=www.stopfgmkurdistan.org|access-date=2016-01-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160123112322/http://stopfgmkurdistan.org/html/english/fgm_e.htm|archive-date=2016-01-23|url-status = live}}</ref>

British lawmaker [[Robert Halfon]] sees the Kurdistan Region as a more progressive Muslim region than the other Muslim countries in the Middle East.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ekurd.net/mismas/articles/misc2011/1/state4526.htm|title=British MP hails Iraqi Kurdistan as regional leader in religioustolerance|website=[[Ekurd.net]]|access-date=1 May 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307092845/http://ekurd.net/mismas/articles/misc2011/1/state4526.htm|archive-date=7 March 2016|url-status = live|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

Although the Kurdish regional parliament has officially recognized ethnic minorities such as [[Assyrian people|Assyrians]], [[Iraqi Turkmen|Turkmen]], [[Arabs]], [[Armenians]], [[Mandaeans]], [[Shabaks]] and [[Yazidis]], there have been accusations of Kurdish discrimination against those groups. The Assyrians have reported Kurdish officials' reluctance in rebuilding Assyrian villages in their region while constructing more settlements for the Kurds affected during the [[Anfal campaign]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Al-Ali |last2=Pratt |first1=Nadje |first2=Nicola |title=What kind of liberation?: women and the occupation of Iraq |year=2009 |publisher=University of California Press |isbn=978-0-520-25729-0 |page=109 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7KnoG_52Jh8C&pg=PA109 |access-date=2015-10-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160107174842/https://books.google.com/books?id=7KnoG_52Jh8C&pg=PA109 |archive-date=2016-01-07 |url-status = live}}</ref> After his visit to the region, Dutch politician [[Joël Voordewind]] noted that the positions reserved for minorities in the Kurdish parliament were appointed by Kurds as the Assyrians for example had no possibility to nominate their own candidates.<ref name="voordewind">{{cite book |last=Voordewind |first=Joël |title=Religious Cleansing in Iraq |year=2008 |publisher=nowords, ChristenUnie |url=http://www.assyriacouncil.eu/resources/irak+report+2008+eng+170908_.pdf |url-status = dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090411092008/http://www.assyriacouncil.eu/resources/irak+report+2008+eng+170908_.pdf |archive-date=2009-04-11 }}</ref>

The Kurdish regional government has also been accused of trying to [[Kurdify]] other regions such as the [[Nineveh Plains]] and [[Kirkuk]] by providing financial support for Kurds who want to settle in those areas.<ref>{{cite book |last=Hashim |first=Ahmed |title=Insurgency and counter-insurgency in Iraq |year=2005 |publisher=Cornell University Press |isbn=978-0-8014-4452-4 |page=223 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=C6pHkXuYNw4C&pg=PT251 |access-date=2015-10-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160107174842/https://books.google.com/books?id=C6pHkXuYNw4C&pg=PT251 |archive-date=2016-01-07 |url-status = live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Taneja |first=Preti |title=Assimilation, exodus, eradication: Iraq's minority communities since 2003 |year=2007 |publisher=Minority Rights Group International |page=20 |isbn=9781904584605 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=P2otAQAAIAAJ |access-date=2015-10-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160107174842/https://books.google.com/books?id=P2otAQAAIAAJ&q |archive-date=2016-01-07 |url-status = live}}</ref>

While Kurdish forces held the city of [[Kirkuk]], Kurdish authorities attempted to Kurdify the city. Turkmen and Arab residents in Kirkuk experienced intimidation, harassment and were forced to leave their homes, in order to increase the Kurdish demographic in Kirkuk and bolster their claims to the city. Multiple [[Human Rights Watch]] reports detail the confiscation of Turkmen and Arab families' documents, preventing them from voting, buying property and travelling. Turkmen residents of Kirkuk were detained by Kurdish forces and compelled to leave the city. Kurdish authorities expelled hundreds of Arab families from the city, demolishing their homes in the process.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Iraq: Kirkuk Security Forces Expel Displaced Turkmen|url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2017/05/07/iraq-kirkuk-security-forces-expel-displaced-turkmen|website=Human Rights Watch|date=7 May 2017|access-date=27 October 2020|archive-date=14 October 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221014050211/https://www.hrw.org/news/2017/05/07/iraq-kirkuk-security-forces-expel-displaced-turkmen|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=KRG: Kurdish Forces Ejecting Arabs In Kirkuk|url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2016/11/03/krg-kurdish-forces-ejecting-arabs-kirkuk|website=Human Rights Watch|date=3 November 2016|access-date=27 October 2020|archive-date=25 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201025031842/https://www.hrw.org/news/2016/11/03/krg-kurdish-forces-ejecting-arabs-kirkuk|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Iraq: Arab's homes destroyed in Kirkuk|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7ykOzhXU58 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211219/W7ykOzhXU58 |archive-date=2021-12-19 |url-status=live|website=Human Rights Watch| date=2 November 2016 }}{{cbignore}}</ref>

[[United Nations]] reports since 2006 have documented that Kurdish authorities and Peshmerga militia forces were illegally policing Kirkuk and other disputed areas, and that these militia have abducted Turkmen and Arabs, subjecting them to torture.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Uncertain Refuge, Dangerous Return: Iraq's Uprooted Minorities|url=https://minorityrights.org/wp-content/uploads/old-site-downloads/download-710-Download-full-report.pdf|website=Minority Rights Group International|access-date=2020-10-27|archive-date=2021-07-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210704191807/https://minorityrights.org/wp-content/uploads/old-site-downloads/download-710-Download-full-report.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>

In April 2016, [[Human Rights Watch]] wrote that the Kurdish security force of KRG, the [[Asayish (Kurdistan Regional Government)|Asayish]], blocked the roads to [[Erbil]] to prevent [[Assyrian people|Assyrians]] from holding a protest. According to demonstrators, the reason for the blocked protest was that Kurds in the [[Nahla, Iraq|Nahla Valley]], mainly populated by Assyrians, encroached on [[Assyrian homeland|land owned by Assyrians]], without any action by courts or officials to remove the structures the Kurds built there.<ref>{{cite news|title=Iraqi Kurdistan: Christian Demonstration Blocked|url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2016/04/22/iraqi-kurdistan-christian-demonstration-blocked|access-date=23 April 2016|publisher=Human Rights Watch|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160423121645/https://www.hrw.org/news/2016/04/22/iraqi-kurdistan-christian-demonstration-blocked|archive-date=23 April 2016|url-status = live|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

In February 2017, Human Rights Watch said [[Kurdistan Regional Government]] (KRG) forces are detaining men and boys who have fled the fighting in [[Mosul]] even after they have passed security checks. Detainees were held for up to four months without any communication with their families. Relatives of these men and boys said that KRG and [[Iraq]]i forces didn't inform them of the places of their detained relatives and didn't facilitate any contact with them.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2017/02/26/iraq/kurdistan-region-men-boys-who-fled-isis-detained|title=Iraq/Kurdistan Region: Men, Boys Who Fled ISIS Detained|date=2017-02-26|publisher=Human Rights Watch|access-date=2017-02-28|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170301011601/https://www.hrw.org/news/2017/02/26/iraq/kurdistan-region-men-boys-who-fled-isis-detained|archive-date=2017-03-01|url-status = live}}</ref>

[[Human Rights Watch]] reported that [[Kurdistan Regional Government]] security forces and local police detained 32 unarmed protesters in Erbil on March 4, 2017, at a [[Demonstration (protest)|peaceful demonstration]] against recent clashes in [[Sinjar clashes (2017)|Sinjar.]] 23 of them were released at the same day and 3 more within four days, but 6, all foreign nationals, are still being held. A police chief ordered one protester who was released to permanently leave [[Erbil]], where he was living. While in detention, protesters were not allowed to contact with anyone or have access to a [[lawyer]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2017/03/16/kurdistan-region-iraq-32-arrested-peaceful-protest|title=Kurdistan Region of Iraq: 32 Arrested at Peaceful Protest|date=2017-03-16|work=Human Rights Watch|access-date=2017-03-23|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170324001224/https://www.hrw.org/news/2017/03/16/kurdistan-region-iraq-32-arrested-peaceful-protest|archive-date=2017-03-24|url-status = live}}</ref>

In 2017, Assyrian activists [[Juliana Taimoorazy]] and Matthew Joseph accused the Kurdistan Regional Government of issuing threats of violence against Assyrians living in the area who protested its independence referendum. These accusations were later confirmed when the KDP-controlled provincial council of [[Alqosh]] issued a statement warning residents that they would face consequences for protesting the referendum.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/kurdish-referendum-may-imperil-christian-and-minority-safe-haven-in-iraq | title = Kurdish Referendum May Imperil Christian and Minority Safe Haven in Iraq | last = Smith | first = Jesserer | date = October 3, 2017 | website = National Catholic Register | access-date = July 15, 2020 | archive-date = August 3, 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200803004656/https://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/kurdish-referendum-may-imperil-christian-and-minority-safe-haven-in-iraq | url-status = live }}</ref>

In 2010, it was reported that passing of a new law in Iraqi Kurdistan, guaranteeing “gender equality”, has deeply outraged some local religious community, including the minister of endowments and religious affairs and prominent imams, who interpreted the phrase as "legitimizing homosexuality in Kurdistan".<ref name=rudaw>[http://www.rudaw.net/english/culture_art/3374.html ''Homosexuality Fears Over Gender Equality in Iraqi Kurdistan''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120124162204/http://www.rudaw.net/english/culture_art/3374.html |date=2012-01-24 }}</ref> Kamil Haji Ali, the minister of endowments and religious affairs, said in this regard that the new law would “spread immorality” and “distort” Kurdish society.<ref name=rudaw/> Following an outrage of religious movements, the KRG held a press conference, where the public were assured that gender equality did not include giving marriage rights to homosexuals, whose existence is effectively invisible in Iraq due to restrictive traditional rules.<ref name=rudaw/>

In the [[#Disputed areas|disputed areas]] of [[Sinjar]] and the [[Nineveh Plains]], the Kurdistan Regional Government has been accused by the native Assyrian<ref name="commission">{{cite web | url = https://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/Reine%20Hanna-%20Assyrian%20Policy%20Institute.pdf | title = Testimony for the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom Religious Minorities' Fight to Remain in Iraq | last = Hanna | first = Reine | date = September 26, 2019 | website = United States Commission on International Religious Freedom | access-date = June 27, 2020 | archive-date = June 26, 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200626191500/https://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/Reine%20Hanna-%20Assyrian%20Policy%20Institute.pdf | url-status = live }}</ref> and Yazidi<ref name="yazidi" /><ref name="favored" /> inhabitants of forcefully disarming them with the guarantee of protection in order to justify the Peshmerga's presence in those regions.<ref name="yazidi">{{cite web|date=June 15, 2016|title="They came to destroy": ISIS Crimes Against the Yazidis|url=https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/HRBodies/HRCouncil/CoISyria/A_HRC_32_CRP.2_en.pdf|access-date=June 27, 2020|page=6|archive-date=June 12, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200612055319/https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/HRBodies/HRCouncil/CoISyria/A_HRC_32_CRP.2_en.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2014, when the Islamic State invaded Northern Iraq, the Peshmerga abandoned their posts in these areas without notifying the locals.<ref name="favored">{{cite web|last=van den Toorn|first=Christine|date=August 17, 2014|title=How the U.S.-Favored Kurds Abandoned the Yazidis when ISIS Attacked|url=https://auis.edu.krd/iris/staff-publications/how-us-favored-kurds-abandoned-yazidis-when-isis-attacked|access-date=June 27, 2020|website=Institute of Regional & International Studies|archive-date=June 27, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200627185938/https://auis.edu.krd/iris/staff-publications/how-us-favored-kurds-abandoned-yazidis-when-isis-attacked|url-status=dead}}</ref>

{{Reflist|group=nb}}

==Infrastructure and transportation==
===Infrastructure===
Due to the devastation of the campaigns of the Iraqi army under Saddam Hussein and other former Iraqi regimes, the Kurdistan Region's infrastructure was never able to modernize. After the 1991 safe haven was established, the Kurdistan Regional Government began projects to reconstruct the Kurdistan Region. Since then, of all the 4,500 villages that were destroyed by Saddam Husseins' regime, 65% have been reconstructed by the KRG.<ref name="krg.org">{{cite web |url=http://www.krg.org/a/d.aspx?s=03010300&l=12&a=23911&r=140&s=010000 |title=Kurdistan Regional Government |publisher=KRG |access-date=2014-05-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140405062301/http://www.krg.org/a/d.aspx?s=03010300&l=12&a=23911&r=140&s=010000 |archive-date=2014-04-05 |url-status = live}}</ref>

===Transportation===
{{multiple image
| footer    = Airports of Sulaimaniyah and Erbil
| direction = vertical
| width     = 200

| image1    = 44929 The Sulayamaniyah International Airport in 2007.jpg
| alt1      = Sulaimaniyah International Airport

| image2    = Erbil International Airport terminal building.JPG
| alt2      = Erbil International Airport
|align = right}}
Iraqi Kurdistan can be reached by land and air. By land, Iraqi Kurdistan can be reached most easily by Turkey through the [[Ibrahim Khalil border crossing|Habur Border Gate]] which is the only border gate between Iraqi Kurdistan and Turkey. This border gate can be reached by bus or taxi from airports in Turkey as close as the [[Mardin Airport|Mardin]] or [[Diyarbakir Airport|Diyarbakir]] airports, as well as from [[Istanbul]] or [[Ankara]]. Iraqi Kurdistan has two border gates with Iran, the [[Haji Omeran|Haji Omaran border gate]] and the [[Bashmaq, Marivan|Bashmeg border gate]] near the city of [[Sulaymaniyah]]. Iraqi Kurdistan has also a border gate with Syria known as the [[Faysh Khabur]] border gate.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.upi.com/Energy_Resources/2008/06/13/Iraq-federal-Kurd-region-oil-chiefs-informally-agree-on-exports/UPI-47301213371522/ |title=Iraq federal, Kurd region oil chiefs informally agree on exports |publisher=UPI.com |access-date=2010-12-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131110184030/http://www.upi.com/Energy_Resources/2008/06/13/Iraq-federal-Kurd-region-oil-chiefs-informally-agree-on-exports/UPI-47301213371522/ |archive-date=2013-11-10 |url-status = live}}</ref> From within Iraq, the Kurdistan Region can be reached by land from multiple roads.

Two international airports are located in the region; [[Erbil International Airport]] and [[Sulaimaniyah International Airport]], which both operate flights to [[Middle East]]ern and [[Europe]]an destinations. The KRG spent millions of dollars on the airports to attract international carriers, and currently [[Turkish Airlines]], [[Austrian Airlines]], [[Lufthansa]], [[Etihad]], [[Royal Jordanian]], [[Emirates (airline)|Emirates]], [[Gulf Air]], [[Pegasus Airlines]], [[Egyptair]], [[Middle East Airlines]], [[Fly Baghdad]], [[Atlas Jet]], [[Iraqi Airways]], [[Wizz Air]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Wizzair Flights to Erbil |url=https://wizzair.com/en-gb/flights/erbil }}</ref> [[Flynas]]<ref>{{Cite web |last=flynas |title=Office Locations {{!}} flynas |url=https://www.flynas.com/en/contact-us/office-locations |access-date=2024-02-25 |website=flynas.com |language=en-gb}}</ref> and [[Fly Dubai]] all service the region. There are at least 2 military airfields in Iraqi Kurdistan.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.milaircomms.com/iraq_maps.html |title=Military Comms Monitoring. HF VHF UHF |publisher=Milaircomms.com |access-date=2010-12-28 |url-status = dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120913051654/http://www.milaircomms.com/iraq_maps.html |archive-date=2012-09-13 }}</ref>

{{anchor|Geography|Climate}}

== Languages ==
Kurdistan Region is a multilingual region with several languages and dialects. The majority of the people speak [[Kurdish languages|Kurdish]] in its various dialects. The two main Kurdish dialects in the region are [[Central Kurdish]] (Sorani) and [[Northern Kurdish]] (Kurmanji), other Kurdish dialects and languages spoken in the region by small communities are [[Gorani language|Hawrami Kurdish]], [[Southern Kurdish]], [[Arabic]], [[Suret language|Assyrian]], [[Armenian language|Armenian]], and [[Turkmen language|Turkmen]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Gobierno Regional del Kurdistán {{!}} Language |url=http://www.krgspain.org/english-language/ |website=krgspain.org |access-date=31 July 2022 |archive-date=31 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220731205947/http://www.krgspain.org/english-language/ |url-status=usurped }}</ref>

== See also ==
{{Portal|Kurdistan|Iraq|Asia
}}
* [[List of populated places in Kurdistan Region]]
* [[List of archaeological sites in Erbil Governorate]]
* [[Lake Felaw]]
* [[Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria|Rojava]]

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Subdivisions of Iraq]]
[[Category:Federal regions of Iraq]]
[[Category:Kurdistan Region (Iraq)| ]]
[[Category:Iraqi Kurdistan|*]]
[[Category:Autonomous regions]]
[[Category:Kurdistan]]
[[Category:States and territories established in 1992]]