Diyala Governorate محافظة ديالى | |
|---|---|
 Flag | |
 | |
| Coordinates:33°53′N45°4′E / 33.883°N 45.067°E /33.883; 45.067 | |
| Country |  Iraq |
| Capital | Baqubah |
| Governor | Adnan al-Shimmari |
| Area | |
• Total | 17,685 km2 (6,828 sq mi) |
| Population (2018) | |
• Total | 1,637,226 |
| • Density | 92.577/km2 (239.77/sq mi) |
| ISO 3166 code | IQ-DI |
| HDI (2021) | 0.695[1] medium |
Diyala Governorate (Arabic:محافظة ديالىMuḥāfaẓat Diyālā) orDiyala Province is agovernorate in northeasternIraq.
Diyala Governorate extends to the northeast ofBaghdad as far as theIranian border. Itscapital isBaqubah. It covers an area of 17,685 square kilometres (6,828 sq mi).
A large portion of the province is drained by theDiyala River, a major tributary of theTigris. Because of its proximity to two major sources of water, Diyala's main industry is agriculture, primarilydates grown in large groves. The province also contains one of the largestolive groves in the Middle East.[3] It is also recognized as theorange capital of the Middle East. TheHamrin Mountains pass through the governorate.
The governorate is home to a diverse population ofArabs,Kurds andTurkmen.[4] According to the latest statistics, the number of inhabitants is approximately 1,6 million.[5]
Diyala is home toDiyala SC that plays inIraq Stars League, the highest division of the Iraqi football league system, following promotion fromIraqi Premier Division League in 2024. The club is based inBaqubah andBa'quba Stadium is its home stadium.
Diyala Governorate comprises seven districts, listed below with their areas[6] and populations as estimated in 2003:[7]
| District | Name in Arabic | Area in sq. km | Population in 2003 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ba'quba | بعقوبة | 1,630 | 467,895 |
| Al-Muqdadiya | المقدادية | 1,033 | 198,583 |
| Khanaqin | خانقين | 3,512 | 160,379 |
| Al-Khalis | الخالص | 2,994 | 255,889 |
| Kifri | كفري | 1,139 | 42,010 |
| Balad Ruz | بلد روز | 6,280 | 99,601 |
| Mandali | مندلي | 47,796 | |
| Total | 17,685 | 1,272,154 |
The Diyala Province boasts the Diyala Media Center which has one of the Middle East's tallest radio and television antennas at 349 metres (1,047 ft). The Diyala Media Center was built under contract by a Japanese architectural firm in 1989. It is one of Iraq's few independent radio and television stations that offer local television and radio news coverage as well as rebroadcasting state-run television.
There is evidence thatAl-Qaeda in Iraq moved its base of operations fromAnbar province to Diyala in 2006 and during late 2006, Baqubah and majority of the Diyala province were reported to have come under Sunni insurgent control.[9]This insurgent control is reported to have continued through 2007 and into early 2008.[10]
On May 11, 2007, Army Maj. Gen.Benjamin Mixon, commander of theMulti-National Division North said he needed more troops in order to contain the current level of violence in the Diyala province, this coming in the recent wake of atroop "surge",involuntary recalls by the U.S. military, and thepublic debate about thelevel of commitment from the U.S. government.[11]By mid-2007 theIslamic State of Iraq, already holding Baqubah and most of the province under its control, declared its capital to beBaqubah. The Sunni insurgent groupJamaat Ansar al-Sunna was also active in the region around this time.
In June 2007, US forces launchedOperation Arrowhead Ripper with night air assaults inBaqubah. By August 19, Baqubah was largely secured, although some insurgent presence remained in the city and surrounding areas.[citation needed] Fighting continued in theDiyala River valley but by the beginning of October, US and Iraqi forces held most of the province while the insurgents were in retreat to the north and west. On October 27 the Islamic State of Iraq attacked a police base in Baqubah, killing 28 Iraqi policemen and police recruits, showing that insurgent cells still remain in the province.[citation needed]
In January 2008Operation Phantom Phoenix was launched in an attempt to eradicate the remaining insurgents following theDiyala campaign between 2006 and 2007.
Mid-2008 saw many changes in Diyala province with an increased effort by U.S. Forces and a substantial Iraqi Army presence, and in the Baqubah region,Islamic State of Iraq's activity was dramatically hampered, and theSons of Iraq program served only to further weaken Islamic State in Iraq.
In December 2011, the governing council in Diyala province declared itself a semi-autonomous region within Iraq.[12] This comes two months afterSaladin Governorate made a similar declaration. The council in Diyala, usingArticle 119 of the Iraqi Constitution as justification, made the declaration because of suspicion of theShi'a-dominated government ofPrime MinisterNouri al-Maliki. UnlikeSalah ad Din province however, Diyala province is more ethnically and religiously mixed, and such an announcement led to the outbreak of protests in the province.[13]
 | ||
| National | |
|---|---|
| Geographic | |
| Other | |
