Iraqi Kurdistan or Kurdistan Region (Kurdish: Herêmî Kurdistanî, Arabic: إقليم كردستان ) is an
autonomous Region since 1991 (de facto state) in Iraq.It borders Iran to the east, Turkey to the north, Syria to the west and the rest of Iraq to the south. Its capital is the city of Arbil , known in Kurdish as Hewlêr. The Region is officially governed by the Kurdistan Regional Government KRG.
Following the 1991 uprising of the Iraqi people against Saddam Hussein in Gulf war , many Kurds were forced to flee the country to become refugees in bordering regions of Iran and Turkey. A northern no-fly zone was established following the First Gulf War in 1991 to facilitate the return of Kurdish refugees. As Kurds continued to fight government troops, Iraqi forces finally left Kurdistan in October 1991, leaving the region to function de facto independently; however, Iraqi Kurdistan continues to view itself as an integral part of a united Iraq but one in which it administers its own affairs.
The three governorates of Duhok, Erbil (Hawler) and Sulaymaniya comprise around 40,000 square kilometers and have a population of around 5 million.Disputes remain between the central Iraqi government and the Kurdish government about predominantly Kurdish territories outside the current borders of Iraqi Kurdistan. there are also issues of Kurdish disputed "sliced off" areas that was done by Saddam between Erbil and Baghdad weather they are to annex back to KRG or stay as they are.
KRG is only waiting on 2 things before it breaks away
1. isolated areas like kerkuk,sinjar and makhmoor
2. self sufficient in food which according to a 5 year plan should be completed in 2013 .
only a seat is missing in UN otherwise KRG has all the benefits of an independence country. KRG currently has state revenue payback , travel restrictions , independent visas , independent army, own President PM and parliament, education in mother tongue, 3 international own controlled airports, own border security and check points, own flag and so much more ... i want to know any "federal region" out there somewhere in the world that has these ? Kurdistan IS NOT A FEDERAL REGION! It has all the advantages of Independence, with the revenue sharing and "international law protection" of a federal region! with Iraq.
KRG (Kurdistan regional government)
Flag
parliament
Tourism
even though Kurdistan is located in the middle east but it has mountainous and beautiful landscapes with waterfalls every where and NY times has listed it amongst other 41 places in the world to visit in 2011.
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Underground resources
KRG-controlled parts of Iraqi Kurdistan are estimated to contain around 45 billion barrels (7.2×10^9 m3) of
oil, making it the sixth largest reserve in the world and 200.83 Trillion Cubic Meters of Gas. Extraction of these reserves began in 2007. 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 1 million barrels per day (160,000 m3/d).Gas and associated gas reserves are in excess of 200 TCF.
the citadel - 6000 years old
the 1st inhabitants were the Sumerians
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Abu Shahab Restaurant
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Majidi mall
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Best inn hotel
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Skeletons of some buildings u/c
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City Center
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downtown
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FO
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By Kulka
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alan131210
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Escalator crossing bridge
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