Kirkuk Governorate محافظة كركوك (Arabic) | |
|---|---|
| Name transcription(s) | |
| • Arabic | محافظة كركوك (Muḥāfaẓat Karkūk) |
| • Kurdish | پارێزگای کەرکووک (Parêzgayi Kerkûk) |
| • Turkmen | Kerkük Valiliği |
| • Syriac | ܗܘܦܪܟܝܐ ܕܟܪܟܘܟ (hēwparkīyā dKarkūk) |
 Flag | |
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| Coordinates:35°22′N44°8′E / 35.367°N 44.133°E /35.367; 44.133 | |
| Country |  Iraq (Disputed territories of Northern Iraq)[1] |
| Capital | Kirkuk |
| Government | |
| • Type | Provincial government |
| Area | |
• Total | 9,679 km2 (3,737 sq mi) |
| Population (2018) | |
• Total | 1,597,876 |
| ISO 3166 code | IQ-KI |
| Official language(s) | Arabic,Kurdish,[citation needed]Syriac[citation needed] andTurkish[citation needed] |
| HDI (2018) | 0.708[2] high ·1st of 17 |
Kirkuk Governorate[a] orKirkuk Province is a governorate in northernIraq. The governorate has an area of 9,679 square kilometres (3,737 sq mi). In 2017, the estimated population was 1,259,561 people.[6] The provincial capital is the city ofKirkuk. It is divided into fourdistricts.
The province was named Kirkuk Governorate until 1976, when it was namedAt-Ta'mim Governorate, meaning "nationalization", referring to the national ownership of the regionaloil andnatural gas reserves. In 2006, the name "Kirkuk Governorate" was restored.[citation needed]
| District | Total population, 2018 |
|---|---|
| Kirkuk | 974,824 |
| Dibis | 50,241 |
| Daquq | 66,433 |
| Hawija | 120,679 |
Kirkuk Governorate borders were altered in 1976; when 4 districts were added to theSulaymaniya,Diyala andSaladin Governorates.[8] The Kirkuk Governorate received the Arab populated Zab District from the Mosul Governorate.[9]
With theArabization policies of theBa'ath party, the number of Arabs in official censuses increased fivefold within 40 years, however the most reliable data indicative of the ethnic breakdown of the governorate are those of the 1957 census.[10] The number of Kurds remained relatively constant from 1957 until 1977, decrease in their numbers coincides with the Arabization process in the 1990s.[11] The Turkmens were seriously affected by the Ba'ath changing Kirkuk borders their percentage fell from 21% to 7%.
Starting from 1977, 2,000 Christians (Assyrians) were registered as Arabs. From the end of theGulf War to 1999, about 11,000 Kurdish families were deported from Kirkuk.[12] Since the2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq, 100,000 Kurds have returned to the city of Kirkuk.[13]
Ethnic data from aLeague of Nations report from 1925 and British data from 1924, 1930 and 1931 (the province had different borders during these years):
| Ethnic data for Kirkuk Governorate (liwa) | ||||||||
| Ethnicity | 1924[14] | % | 1925[15] | % | 1930[16] | % | 1931[14] | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kurdish | 79,646 | 54.4% | 47,500 | 42.5% | 67,703 | 49.5% | 77,608 | 56.7% |
| Turkmen/Turk | 28,395 | 19.3% | 26,100 | 23.4% | 28,741 | 21% | 28,741 | 21% |
| Arab | 35,649 | 24.4% | 35,650 | 31.9% | 26,561 | 19.4% | 26,561 | 19.4% |
| Jewish | 1,703 | 1.2% | - | 6,742 | 4.9% | 2,472 | 1.8% | |
| Christian | 1,000 | 0.7% | 2,400 | 2.1% | 1,228 | 0.9% | 1,228 | 0.9% |
| Other | - | - | 192 | 0.1% | ||||
| Total | 146,393 | 111,650 | 136,705 | 136,802 | ||||
| Census results for Kirkuk Governorate[10] | ||||||||
| Mother tongue | 1947 (Ethnicity) | Percentage | 1957 | Percentage | 1977 | Percentage | 1997 | Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arabic | 109,620 | 28% | 218,755 | 45% | 544,596 | 72% | ||
| Kurdish | 151,575[17] | 53% | 187,593 | 48% | 184,875 | 38% | 155,861 | 21% |
| Turkish | 83,371 | 21% | 80,347 | 17% | 50,099 | 7% | ||
| Syriac | 1,605 | 0.4% | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | ||
| Hebrew | 4,042[18] | 1.05% | 123 | 0.003% | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Other | 6,545 | 1.77% | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | ||
| Total | 285,900[17] | 388,829 | 483,977 | 752,745 | ||||
A report by theInternational Crisis Group points out that figures from 1977 and 1997 censuses "are all considered highly problematic, due to suspicions of regime manipulation" because Iraqi citizens were only allowed to indicate belonging to either the Arab or Kurdish ethnic groups;[19] consequently, this skewed the number of other ethnic minorities, such as Iraq's third largest ethnic group – theTurkmen.[19]
The following is the results of the2018 Iraqi parliamentary election in the Kirkuk governorate. Election results are often used to estimate the demographics of the region. However, Iraqi citizens do not necessary vote for parties based on its ethnic affiliation.
| Party | Total vote[20] | Percentage | Seats | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patriotic Union of Kurdistan | 183,283 | 37.8% | 6 | |
| Arab Alliance of Kirkuk | 84,102 | 17.4% | 3 | |
| Turkman Front of Kirkuk | 79,694 | 16.4% | 3 | |
| Victory Coalition | 24,328 | 5% | 0 | |
| Conquest Alliance | 18,427 | 3.8% | 0 | |
| National Coalition | 14,979 | 3.1% | 0 | |
| Nishtiman coalition Movement for Change Coalition for Democracy and Justice Kurdistan Islamic Group | 14,118 | 2.9% | 0 | |
| New Generation Movement | 13,096 | 2.7% | 0 | |
| Chaldean Coalition Reserved Christian Seat | 4,864 | 1% | 1 | |
| Kurdistan Islamic Group | 4,631 | 1% | 0 | |
| Chaldean Syriac Assyrian Popular Council | 3,810 | 0.8% | 0 | |
| Others | 39,286 | 8.1% | 0 | |
| Total | 484,618 | 100% | 12(+1) | |
Archeological sites in the governorate includeArrapḫa,Nuzi andLubdu, which all date back several thousand years. Arrapha is located within the modern city of Kirkuk, Nuzi is identified with the site ofYorghan Tepe and the location of Lubdu isn't certain, but considered to be atTall Buldagh.[21]
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