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Posted: December 20, 2006 |
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| Map: Baghdad |
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Anbar
POPULATION
1.33 million
Iraq's largest province in size, the sparsely populated Anbar province borders Syria, Saudi Arabia and Jordan. Three of the most contentious cities in the U.S. war with Iraq, Fallujah, Haditha and Ramadi, are in Anbar Province. Home to a majority Sunni population, the area has been a notoriously difficult area for coalition forces to control. In 2004, Fallujah was the site of a violent, month-long standoff between U.S. troops and insurgents loyal to Saddam Hussein. In 2006, the U.S. Government Accountability Office called the situation in Anbar Province "critical," citing a weak infrastructure and repeated occurrences of assassinations and insurgent attacks.
Arbil
POPULATION
1.39 million
A mostly agricultural province, Arbil is home to a majority Kurdish population with a smaller number of Assyrians, Arabs and Turks. The area was the site of much of Saddam Hussein's ethnic cleansing campaign against the Kurds during the 1980s and 1990s. Arbil is part of the Kurdish Autonomous Region in the north of Iraq and its capital is built on the site of an ancient Turkish fort. The province borders Turkey and Iran and lies between the Lesser Zap and Greater Zap Rivers making the fertile Arbil plain a major region of agriculture. Salahaddin University, one of Kurdistan's largest universities, is in Arbil.
Babylon
POPULATION
1.43 million
Home of the ancient ruins of Babylon, Babylon Province was formerly called Hillah Province and is now mainly populated by Shias. The capital Hillah was a major city during the Ottoman Empire and sits on the Euphrates River making it a main area of agricultural growth. In 1991, Saddam Hussein's government forces entered Hillah and executed civilians believed to have been part of an uprising against Baathist rule. Some were shot dead, while others were thrown to their deaths from the top floor of the Hillah hotel or drown in the Euphrates. In 2003, the city was the scene of fierce fighting between Saddam's Republican Guard and U.S. forces. Hillah houses one of three Iraqi Armed Forces recruiting stations.
Baghdad
POPULATION
6.55 million
Baghdad Province is Iraq's smallest but best known governate. Its capital is the city of Baghdad, Iraq's capital and largest city. Abu Ghraib prison, where U.S. soldiers were accused in 2004 of abusing Iraqi prisoners, is in Baghdad Province. Baghdad is the most developed of Iraq's provinces with a good infrastructure and bustling business areas, but it has also been the site of much of the insurgent violence and ethnic cleansing following the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. In April 2006, the U.S. Government Accountability Office said the security and stability of Baghdad, along with five other provinces, was in "serious condition."
Basra
POPULATION
1.80 million
Along with Missan and Thi-Qar, Basra Province contains about 80 percent of Iraq's oil reserves. In 2004, the three provinces, located in the oil-rich south, joined in an effort to break away from the rest of Iraq citing marginalization under the interim government. The capital, Basra, is the second largest city in Iraq and borders Iran and Kuwait. After the Persian Gulf war in 1991, Shiites in Basra tried to rise up against Saddam Hussein but the rebellion was violently quashed with mass executions carried out by Saddam's Republican Guard. A mostly Shiite province, Basra was heavily damaged during the Iran-Iraq War and was the site of violent clashes between militias loyal to Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr and British forces following the 2003 coalition invasion. Basra is considered a "highly unstable" province in terms of security, stability and infrastructure by the U.S. Government Accountability Office. In 2006, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki declared a state of emergency in the city after fighting between rival religious factions led to the deaths of 140 Iraqis.
Diyala
POPULATION
1.42 million
A mostly Sunni province east of Baghdad with a minority Shiite and Kurdish population, Diyala borders Iran. The Diyala River runs through the province making agriculture its residents' main source of industry. Dates and oranges are the main product. Baqouba is Diyala Province's capital city. In 2004, the city was the site of heavy fighting between U.S. forces and insurgents loyal to al-Qaida in Iraq leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. Al-Zarqawi is believed to have been killed by U.S. troops in a June 2006 air strike just north of the city. Also in 2004, funds were approved to build one of three of Iraq's Armed Forces recruiting stations in Baqouba.
Dahuk
POPULATION
472,238
Part of the Kurdish Autonomous Region in Iraq's north, Dahuk borders Turkey and is considered one of the most stable provinces in Iraq with a good infrastructure overseen by the Kurdistan Regional Government. The province is the entryway for trade between Iraq and Turkey. As part of Saddam Hussein's effort to Arabize northern Iraq, many Kurds were forced into Dahuk, Arbil and Sulaymaniyah, which remained under the control of the Kurds. Many Dahuk residents subsist on agricultural income and many live in poverty. The region is famous for harsh, snowy winters and hot, dry summers and is the smallest of the Kurdish provinces. During the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, many residents of Dahuk fled to mountainous areas of the region but returned after Saddam's ouster.
Karbala
POPULATION
787,072
Karbala Province is home to the holy city of Karbala, site of the Shiite shrine dedicated to the martyred Imam Hussein bin Ali, grandson of the Prophet Mohammed, and his brother Abbas. The city, located in central Iraq, plays host twice a year to Shiite pilgrims from around the world. The 2003 pilgrimage marked the first time since 1977 that Shiites were allowed to march freely to Karbala. Under Saddam Hussein, many Shiites were killed making the journey. In 2004, insurgents attacked a group of pilgrims making their way to the Karbala shrines. Some 85 people were killed and 230 wounded in the violence. In 2005, coalition forces transferred responsibility for security in Karbala province to the Iraqi police and army.
Missan
POPULATION
1.47 million
Missan lies next door to Iran on Iraq's eastern border. It is home to a majority Shia population and was the site of some of the worst fighting during the Iran-Iraq War. Missan saw little fighting during the U.S.-led war in Iraq in 2003 and is well known for repelling attacks from Saddam Hussein's Republican Guard during his reign. Two British camps are located in Missan near Amarah, Camp Jennings and Camp Abu Naji.
Muthanna
POPULATION
554,994
On July 13, 2006, Muthanna became the first of Iraq's 18 provinces to take control of its own security following the U.S.-led invasion in 2003. The move marked the end of coalition occupation of the state and took place due to Muthanna's largely peaceful role during the war. Almost all of the province's estimated 500,000 people are Shia. The mostly desert province borders Saudi Arabia to the south. Some 15,000 traditional Bedouin live in the Muthanna desert south of the Euphrates River.
Najaf
POPULATION
978,400
Iraq's most powerful Shiite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani lives in the holy city of Najaf, Najaf Province's capital, and the spiritual center of Shia Islam. The cleric, who rarely leaves his home, delivers edicts from the city, which Shiites all over Iraq follow. While Islamic lore states that any Muslim buried in Najaf will enter paradise, the city has been the site of some of the worst violence in Iraq. In 1999, Shiite cleric Ayatollah Mohammad Sadiq al-Sadr was assassinated in Najaf, sparking clashes between the Sunni-led government and Shiite forces. In 2003, prominent Shiite cleric Abdul Majid al-Khoei was hacked to death in Najaf outside the shrine of Imam Ali, one of the holiest sites in Shia Islam. The next year, also in the holy city of Najaf, U.S. forces battled insurgents loyal to al-Sadr's son, anti-American Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.
Ninewa
POPULATION
2.55 million
Home to the ancient ruins of the Assyrian City of Ninevah and to Iraq's third largest city, Ninewa borders Syria and was once a major center of international trade. The province is an important center for oil exploration in Iraq, with oil fields scattered along the Tigris River. Kurds, Arabs, Assyrians, Turks and Armenians make Ninewa a diverse area. Under Saddam Hussein, many Kurds were forced out of Mosul, but since 2003 have been returning to the city and surrounding areas. Mosul has been a key area of unrest since the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq and was the site of fierce battles between coalition forces and insurgents. The city is considered highly unstable with tensions between ethnic and religious groups on the rise. Several U.S. military camps are based in Mosul.
Qadisiyah
POPULATION
911,641
A majority Shia province some 100 miles south of Baghdad, Qadisiyah is considered a "moderately stable" area by the U.S. Government Accountability Office despite clashes in October 2006 between U.S. forces and forces loyal to Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. The capital city Diwaniya lies near the Euphrates River and boasts fertile lands and rich agriculture. The city is home to a large U.S. military base of about 11,000 soldiers.
Salahaddin
POPULATION
1.12 million
Saddam Hussein's ancestral home of Tikrit is located in Salahaddin as is the contentious city of Samarra, part of the famous Sunni triangle. The province is named after the 12th century Kurdish hero Salahaddin, who battled King Richard of England for control of Jerusalem. The city of Samarra was home to one of Iraq's largest chemical weapons plants, which operated from 1983 to 1991 and produced nerve agents, mustard gas and chemical agents. The facility was destroyed during the Persian Gulf war in 1991. Because of Samarra's proximity to Tikrit and its residents' loyalty to Saddam, the city has been difficult for coalition forces to control as part of the U.S. occupation of Iraq.
Sulaymaniyah
POPULATION
1.72 million
Sulaymaniyah is in the northern part of Iraq bordering Iran for hundreds of miles and is considered a stable area with a working infrastructure and economy. It is the capital of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan and is the region's second largest city. Many residents of the capital live in poverty and have been forced to make homes out of the bombed out buildings destroyed by years of war.
Tamim
POPULATION
854,470
Previously known as Kirkuk, this province is home to Iraq's Turkmen population as well as Kurds, Arabs, Armenians and Assyrians. The province was once a predominantly Kurdish area but ethnic shifts under Saddam Hussein forced many of the Kurds out. The capital Kirkuk is the site of one of Iraq's largest oil fields which produces up to 1 million barrels of oil a day, nearly half of total Iraq exports. Both the Kurdish Democratic Party and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, the two main rival Kurdish groups that control much of northern Iraq, claim the city as their own. Along with Hillah and Baqouba, Kirkuk is home to one of three major Iraqi Armed Forces recruiting stations.
Thi-Qar
POPULATION
1.47 million
Thi-Qar is located in southern Iraq and is a mainly agricultural province with most trade taking place in the capital city of Nasiriyah. The Tigris River flows through Thi-Qar and the province is home to part of Iraq's famed marshlands. The province is considered one of the safest in Iraq and many Iraqis displaced from their homes during the most recent war fled to Nasiriyah and surrounding areas. In 2003, Nasiriyah became the site of a bloody battle between U.S. forces and Iraqi insurgents. Eleven U.S. soldiers died in the fighting and six were captured, including Army Private Jessica Lynch who became nationally known when her rescue was captured on video.
Wasit
POPULATION
971,280
Wasit is a relatively stable province bordering Iran on Iraq's eastern front. The capital, Kut, is best known as a port city and center of agricultural trade. The city lies between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers and is part of Iraq's extensive marshlands. In October 2006, Wasit Province received approval from the Iraqi Supreme Rebuilding Council for a $50 million infrastructure upgrade to schools, roads and the provinces water-sewage systems.
Sources: Globalsecurity.org, BBC, Multinational Force Iraq, Kurdistan Development Corporation, International Organization for Migration, Population statistics as of 2004: UNDP
Baghdad
Iraq's capital dates back to the eighth century when it was founded as part of the Ottoman Empire. Spread along the banks of the Tigris River, the city boasts religious shrines, historical sites and cultural artifacts. Several wars, including the Persian Gulf War in 1991 and the U.S.-led war in 2003, have left many sites destroyed and artifacts lost.
The city, home to 5 million people as of November 2006, is divided into nine districts and 89 neighborhoods. For decades, Sunni and Shiite Muslims, Kurds and Christians all lived in Baghdad, making it one of Iraq's most diverse and cosmopolitan cities.
Like many cities, Baghdad's residential areas range from posh neighborhoods to slums; it has bustling business districts and industrial areas. The major business district is located in central Baghdad. Many residents make the daily commute from areas around the city into central Baghdad for work. One of Iraq's largest oil refineries, as well as several smaller industrial plants, is also based in the city. Prime properties are found along the banks of the Tigris. Neighborhoods such as Karrada and Mansour boast upscale country clubs, high-end restaurants and a lively nightlife.
Under Saddam Hussein, some neighborhoods were segregated by religion and ethnicity, but many others were mixed, with Sunnis, Shiites and Christians living and working together. Following the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, sectarian violence has divided many of those neighborhoods, and minority groups have been forced to flee their homes or have been ousted as part of an ethnic cleansing campaign.
Adhamiyah
A majority Sunni area on the eastern side of the Tigris River, A'dhamiyah is home to the shrine of Imam Abu Hanifa, an eighth century Sunni scholar, and the Imam al Adham mosque, built above the shrine and for whom A'dhamiyah is named. Under Saddam Hussein, A'dhamiyah was considered one of the most affluent neighborhoods in Baghdad, home to political leaders, professionals and business people. During the first days of the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003, Saddam Hussein was believed to be hiding in A'dhamiyah before heading north to his hometown of Tikrit. Today, A'dhamiyah still is considered a middle class Sunni neighborhood, with minority Shiites being rapidly expelled. And, despite the establishment of a neighborhood patrol, attacks are frequently carried out on Iraqi security forces and American troops in the area.
Baghdadal
Called New Baghdad in English, Baghdad al-Jadida was created in the 1950s under a land expansion program and was populated by mainly middle class, working Baghdadis. Residents were salaried bureaucrats, many educated and working for the government. Today, Baghdad al-Jadida is a mixed Shiite-Sunni area with a Shiite majority and a small population of Christians. The area is residential, lightly industrial with family-owned businesses that cater to the neighborhood. Residents typically bus to central Baghdad for work. The neighborhood, considered relatively safe, was the site of a suicide bombing at a crowded gas station in February 2006 that killed 23 people and wounded 51.
Dora
Famous for housing one of the largest oil refineries in Iraq, Dora is a mixed Sunni, Christian neighborhood with a Shiite minority. Since 2005, Sunni extremists have worked to expel Shiites from the neighborhood, drawing retaliation from armed Shiites who entered the neighborhood from other Shiite strongholds to provide protection. One of the main areas of conflict in Baghdad, Dora has been the site of bloody clashes between insurgents and American troops. The area also has seen a slew of abductions, bombings and assassinations.
Hurriya City
Hurriya City is mainly Shiite with a small Sunni population that is quickly disappearing. The area, like Shu'la and Sadr City, is a stronghold of rebel Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi Army. Socioeconomic conditions are poor as is the infrastructure. Hurriya is a lower middle-class, residential neighborhood that along with Sadr City and Shu'la comprises nearly half of Baghdad's population.
Kadhimiyah
Kadhimiyah is considered one of the safest and most peaceful areas of Baghdad. The shrine of Imam Musa al-Kadhim located here is heavily protected and the neighborhood is home to a large American military base. A mostly residential area, Kadhimiyah is second only to the holy cities of Najaf and Karbala to Shiites. According to Iraqis living in Baghdad, few outsiders venture into Kadhimiyah because of its location to the north, its relatively small size and generations of families helping keep it safe. In August 2005, the bridge connecting Kadhimiyah to Adhamiyah across the Tigris River was the scene of a deadly stampede that killed an estimated 1,000 people. Once a highly cosmopolitan area of the city with predominantly Shiites and some Sunni professionals living harmoniously, few Sunnis remain.
Karrada
One of Baghdad's most upscale neighborhoods, Karrada sits in the southeastern part of Baghdad where the Tigris River bends and forms a horseshoe before heading south. The neighborhood is almost fully surrounded by the river and has infrastructure in good condition, some office buildings, banks and stores, along with some of the best restaurants and nightlife in Baghdad. Considered a culturally mixed, cosmopolitan area with a variety of writers, artists and intellectuals, Karrada is home to mostly Shiites, many Sunnis and pockets of Christians, but also foreigners. Though thought of as a generally safe area, the neighborhood has witnessed several car bombings, and in March 2004 was the site of a deadly bombing at the Jabal Lebanon hotel that killed 27 people.
Mansour
Saddam Hussein's son, Uday Hussein, lived in the Mansour district, an upper class area of Baghdad. In the 1990s, Uday was known to cruise the streets of the neighborhood scouting for young women. An attempt was made on Uday's life in 1996 -- his Porche was riddled with bullets and he was shot 17 times -- some say at the hands of the family of a young girl he had raped. Others say residents of Dujail, a town north of Baghdad where 148 Shiites were massacred in 1982, were the would-be assassins. Under Saddam, Mansour was home to artists, writers, business people and military officers. In 2003, during the toppling of Baghdad, the Al Jazeera news network accused the U.S. military of protecting the Ministry of Oil, located in Mansour, while letting other parts of the city burn. Today, parts of Mansour lie in the coalition-controlled Green Zone, and the area, once home to foreign embassies, boasts the best infrastructure in Baghdad.
Sadr City
A Shiite slum of some 2 million people in the northwest section of Baghdad, Sadr City, once called Saddam City, was renamed for a prominent Shiite religious family after the dictator's fall. The area was built in the late 1950s, part of a scheme carried out by Iraq's first dictator Abdul Karim Qasim. At that time, poverty-stricken residents were given tents as homes. They served as the labor force for the rest of Baghdad. The area was once the headquarters of the Sadr Foundation, a religious organization headed by Grand Ayatollah Muhammad al Sadr, father of rebel Shiite cleric Muqtada al Sadr. The organization ran hospitals and provided services for the poor. Today, Sadr City residents, who still live in extreme poverty, have concrete homes and running water but little in the way of infrastructure -- the worst in Baghdad, according to many. The area is the stronghold of Muqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi Army. In November 2006, Sadr City was the scene of one of the worst bombings in Iraq's history. The bombings -- a series of attacks that killed more than 200 people -- led to a five-day curfew.
Shu'la
Shu'la is another Shiite enclave that has witnessed the mass expulsion of its small Sunni population. Like Sadr City and Hurriya, Shu'la is controlled by Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi Army. The area is poor and considered a slum by most Baghdad residents. In Iraq's first election since Saddam Hussein's ouster, residents of Shu'la voted largely for the Shiite-led United Iraqi Alliance in 2005.
Sources: globalsecurity.org; Adeed Dawisha, Miami University of Ohio; Zeyad, healingiraq.blogspot.com; Robert Worth, The New York Times; Thabit Abdullah, York University, Toronto
Green Zone
In central Baghdad lies the internationally controlled Green Zone, surrounded by a concrete wall topped with barbed wire and heavily guarded security checkpoints. The area, once part of Saddam Hussein's presidential complex, houses the headquarters of the international coalition as well as the seat of Iraq's newly formed government. The U.S. Embassy, one of the largest American embassies in the world, also lies inside the Green Zone.
14th of July Monument
Built to commemorate the July 14, 1958 overthrow of the British-backed government led by King Faisal II, the July 14th Monument lies in Baghdad's Tahrir Square east of the parade grounds. In 2004, an effort by Iraq's cultural ministry was undertaken to refurbish the monument, soiled by garbage, graffiti and years of neglect, back to its original state. Many in Iraq, mostly Shiites, believe the monument, which also commemorates the Baath Party's rise to power, should have been destroyed after Saddam's defeat.
Ba'ath Party Headquarters
Formerly the headquarters for Saddam Hussein's Baath Party, in 2005 and 2006 this newly renovated site was used as the courtroom in which Saddam was tried and sentenced to death for the massacre of 140 men and boys in the Shiite town of Dujail.
Council of Ministers
The offices of Iraq's Cabinet are in this building. Cabinet members are appointed by the president and approved by the National Assembly. They serve as the president's executive advisers. Under Saddam Hussein, the Cabinet had 41 members including Saddam and his vice president. Under the new Iraqi constitution ratified in 2005, 37 cabinet members assist the president, who regularly attends Cabinet meetings.
Unknown Soldier Monument
Measuring nearly 140 feet in diameter, the Monument to the Unknown Soldier is said to memorialize a martyred Iraqi soldier killed during the Iran-Iraq War. The giant saucer-like structure is said to be the warrior's shield falling from his hands as he dies. To the west of the monument, Baghdad's parade grounds and victory arches rise nearly 150 feet high and feature two giant, concrete replicas of Saddam Hussein's forearms creating an arch of swords, a monument to Saddam's imagined victory in the Iran-Iraq War.
Convention Center
Iraq's National Parliament meets in the Baghdad Convention Center. Similar to the U.S. Congress in its duties, the National Parliament is elected by the Iraqi people and serves as Iraq's lawmaking body. In November 2006, in an attempt to assassinate the Parliament speaker, a car bomb belonging to the speaker detonated wounding an American soldier guarding the building.
Rashid Hotel
Famous for CNN broadcasts from its roof during the 1991 Gulf War, the Rashid Hotel in Baghdad is a favorite among journalists. For years, the hotel's foyer floor was graced by a tiled mosaic of the face of former President George Bush, Sr., over which Iraqis would walk to get through the lobby. U.S. forces destroyed the taunting mosaic following the 2003 invasion. An October 2003 bombing of the hotel killed one U.S. soldier and wounded 15 others.
U.S. Embassy (formerly Presidential Palace)
Formerly the offices of Saddam Hussein, this domed palace now houses the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad. The embassy, one of the world's largest and most protected, serves as offices to over 1,700 staffers. When it opened in June 2004, the mission became the first U.S. embassy in Iraq since the Gulf War ended in 1991. In 2005, President Bush appointed Zalmay Khalilzad U.S. Ambassador to Iraq.
Sources: Library of Congress, globalsecurity.org, middleeastonline.com, CNN, The New York Times
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