| Governorates of Iraq المحافظات العراقية (Arabic) پارێزگاکانی عێراق (Kurdish) | |
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Clickable map of Iraq exhibiting its eighteen governorates, and partially recognized Halabja. | |
| Category | Federated state |
| Location | Republic of Iraq |
| Number | 19 governorates |
| Areas | 204 km2 (78.8 sq mi) (Baghdad) – 138,500 km2 (53,476 sq mi) (Al Anbar) |
| Government | |
| Subdivisions | |
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| Constitution |
Judiciary |
 Iraq portal |
Iraq consists of 19governorates (Arabic:محافظة,romanized: muḥāfażah;Kurdish:پارێزگا,romanized: parêzgeh), also known as "provinces". Per theIraqi constitution, governorates can form afederal region.[1] Four governorates, Erbil, Sulaymaniyah, Halabja and Duhok, constitute the semi-autonomousKurdistan Region.Baghdad (which is the most populous) andBasra are the oldest governorates. The second most-populous one,Ninawa (or Nineveh) is in the upland region and has a cooler climate of the north-west.
There had been numerous calls to recognizeHalabja Governorate since 1999.[2] It was recognized as an official governorate of the Kurdistan Region in 2014,[3][2] and theCouncil of Ministers approved a bill twice in 2013,[4][5] and 2023.[6] TheCouncil of Representatives of Iraq officially approved Halabja as Iraq's 19th governorate on 14 April 2025.[7][8] On 27 April 2025,Baghdad Today reported of an ongoing government initiative to convertTel Afar District inNineveh Governorate into the 20th governorate of Iraq. The proposed name of the new governorate is Jazira.[9]
Throughout early 2014, theCouncil of Ministers of Iraq approved proposals to add the three newly proposed governorates:[10]
In 2013, activists and political parties called for the conversion ofHawija from a District into a governorate, but the Kirkuk government blocked the proposal.[14]
Shortly after the approval of the proposals, theIslamic State attacked the cities, towns and villages of the Nineveh Plains. Upon the eventual withdrawal of ISIS, the initial decision by theCouncil of Ministers was dishonored by Kurdistan, Baghdad and Iranian-connected political entities, as they began pushing security forces into different parts of the Nineveh Plains to try and lay claim to different parts of the territory, asserting that the demographics had changed due to ISIS and that the original inhabitants could no longer be representatives of their indigenous land.[15] Part of the reason for the demographic shift was that squatters were encouraged to occupy Christian homes. Without enough paperwork to prove ownership, some of those homes became extremely challenging to reclaim. Initiatives are underway to help reclaim families' homes.[16]
Another proposal exists to add a 19th governorate:Fallujah, from part of theAl Anbar.[10] This largely did not occur due to theISIS insurgency. Following the defeat of ISIS in theBattle of Fallujah (2016), the proposal may resurface or Al-Anbar may remain undivided.
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| Governorate | Postal code | ISO code | Total area in square miles | Total area in km2 | Population 1 July 2018[17] | Population Density in square miles | Population Density in km2 | Capital |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Al-Anbar | 31 | AN | 53,476 | 138,501 | 1,771,656 | 29.1 | 11.2 | Ramadi |
| Babil | 51 | BB | 1,976 | 5,603 | 2,065,042 | 921.4 | 324.9 | Hillah |
| Baghdad | 10 | BG | 78.8 | 204.2 | 8,126,755 | 103,131.4 | 39,798 | Baghdad |
| Basra | 61 | BA | 7,360 | 19,070 | 2,908,491 | 344.0 | 132.7 | Basra |
| Dhi Qar | 64 | DQ | 5,000 | 12,900 | 2,095,172 | 367.2 | 142.3 | Nasiriyah |
| Al-Qadisiyyah | 58 | QA | 3,148 | 8,153 | 1,291,048 | 360.3 | 139.1 | Al Diwaniyah |
| Diyala | 32 | DI | 6,828 | 17,685 | 1,637,226 | 211.3 | 81.6 | Baqubah |
| Duhok | 42 | DA | 2,530 | 6,553 | 1,292,535 | 445.5 | 172.2 | Duhok |
| Erbil | 44 | AR | 5,820 | 15,074 | 1,854,778 | 277.0 | 106.9 | Erbil |
| Karbala | 56 | KA | 1,944 | 5,034 | 1,218,732 | 548.6 | 211.8 | Karbala |
| Kirkuk | 36 | KI | 3,737 | 9,679 | 1,597,876 | 373.4 | 144.1 | Kirkuk |
| Maysan | 62 | MA | 6,205 | 16,072 | 1,112,673 | 156.5 | 60.4 | Amarah |
| Muthanna | 66 | MU | 19,980 | 51,740 | 814,371 | 35.9 | 13.8 | Samawah |
| Najaf | 54 | NA | 11,129 | 28,824 | 1,471,592 | 115.5 | 44.5 | Najaf |
| Nineveh | 41 | NI | 14,410 | 37,323 | 3,729,998 | 226.9 | 87.6 | Mosul |
| Salah Al-Din | 34 | SD | 9,556 | 24,751 | 1,595,235 | 147.3 | 56.8 | Tikrit |
| Sulaymaniyah | 46 | SU | 6,573 | 17,023 | 2,053,305 | 285.8 | 110.3 | Sulaymaniyah |
| Wasit | 52 | WA | 6,623 | 17,153 | 1,378,723 | 182.7 | 70.5 | Kut |
| Halabja | HA | 343 | 889 | 140,000 | 408.2 | 157.5 | Halabja |
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| Governorate | Today part of |
|---|---|
| Mosul | Ninawa Governorate Duhok Governorate |
| Diwaniya | Al-Qādisiyyah Governorate Muthanna Governorate Najaf Governorate |
| Dulaim (−1962) Ramadi (1962–1976) | Al Anbar Governorate |
| Muntafiq (−1976) | Dhi Qar Governorate |
| Amara (−1976) | Maysan Governorate |
| Kut (−1976) | Wasit Governorate |
| Baghdad | Baghdad Governorate Saladin Governorate |
| Kirkuk (−1976) At-Ta'mim (1976–2006) | Kirkuk Governorate |
| Kuwait Governorate (Military occupation between 1990 and 1991) | State of Kuwait |
| Flag | Use | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Flag ofAl Anbar Governorate[18] | Ratio: 2:3 | |
 | Flag ofBabil Governorate | Ratio: 2:3 |
| Flag ofBaghdad Governorate[19][20] | Ratio: 2:3 | |
 | Flag ofBasra Governorate[21] | Ratio: 2:3 |
 | Flag ofDiyala Governorate[22] | Ratio: 2:3 |
| Flag ofDhi Qar Governorate | Ratio: 2:3 | |
| Flag ofDuhok Governorate | Ratio: 2:3 | |
| Seal ofErbil Governorate[23] | Ratio: 2:3 | |
| Emblem ofKarbala Governorate | Ratio: 2:3 | |
| Seal ofMaysan Governorate[24] | Ratio: 2:3 | |
| Flag ofMuthanna Governorate | Ratio: 2:3 | |
| Seal ofNajaf Governorate[25] | Ratio: 2:3 | |
 | Flag ofNineveh Governorate[26] | White flag charged with the emblem of the governorate. The emblem depicts the leaning minaret of theGreat Mosque of al-Nuri, Mosul surrounded by olive branches. Ratio: 2:3 |
 | Flag ofSaladin Governorate[27][28] | Ratio: 2:3 |
 | Flag ofKirkuk Governorate[29] | Ratio: 2:3 |
| Flag ofAl-Qādisiyyah Governorate[30] | Ratio: 2:3 | |
| Flag ofSulaymaniyah Governorate[31] | Ratio: 1:2 | |
| Flag ofWasit Governorate | Ratio: 2:3 |
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