Oil and independence: the disputed territory at heart of the Iraq-Kurd crisis
The region is home to 5.5 million people and became autonomous after the 1991 Gulf war over Kuwait, as Western powers intervened to protect the Kurds against an onslaught Saddam Hussein’s forces
The crisis between Iraq’s central government and the autonomous Kurdish region is rooted in a long-standing dispute over territory stretching from the Syrian border to the frontier with Iran.
The territory, located south of the provinces of Arbil, Sulaimaniyah and Dohuk, is more than 1,000km long and covers 37,000 sq km.
The three provinces in the rugged, mountainous north of Iraq form the Kurdish region, which has been autonomous since 1991.
The disputed territory also includes parts of Salaheddin, Nineveh and Diyala provinces, and the oil-rich province of Kirkuk, which is the main bone of contention between Baghdad and the Kurds.
Iraqi Kurdistan, as recognised by Baghdad, is home to 5.5 million people and covers 75,000 sq km.
It became autonomous after the 1991 Gulf war over Kuwait, as Western powers intervened to protect the Kurds against an onslaught by the forces of dictator Saddam Hussein.
