Dhi Qar Governorate

Dhi Qar Governorate ذي قار Dhi Qar Province
Governorate
Coordinates: 31°14′N 46°19′E / 31.233°N 46.317°ECoordinates: 31°14′N 46°19′E / 31.233°N 46.317°E
Country	Iraq
Capital	Nasiriyah
Governor	Yahia Nasseri
Area
• Total	12,900 km^2 (5,000 sq mi)
Population (2012 [1])
• Total	2,000,000

Dhi Qar Governorate (Arabic: ذي قار Dhī Qār‎‎) is a governorate in southern Iraq. The provincial capital is Nasiriyah. Prior to 1976 the governorate was known as Muntafiq Governorate. Dhi Qar was the heartland of the ancient Iraqi civilization of Sumer, and includes the ruins of Ur, Eridu, Lagash, Larsa, Girsu, Umma, and Bad-tibira. The southern area of the governorate is covered by Mesopotamian Marshes.

Ancient history

Government

• Governor: Yahya Mohammed Baqir al- Nasseri
• Deputy Governor: Ahmed al-Sheik Taha
• Governorate Council Chairman (GCC): Ihsan Al-Taei

Modern Dhi Qar

The governorate includes the towns of al-Rifai, Qalat Sukkar, Ash Shatrah, al-Gharraf, Suq al-Shuyouk, Khamisiyah and al-Chibayish

In the mid 1990s the governor was Tahir Jalil Habbush al-Tikriti, who later became police chief of the country, and in 1999, director of the Iraqi Intelligence Service.^[2]

An Nasiriyah witnessed some of the heaviest fighting and some of the stiffest resistance against invading U.S. forces in 2003.

Demographics

The population is approximately 2,000,000, predominately Shia Arab. The southern marshes have traditionally been home to many Marsh Arabs.

As of 2007, the area is very poor, with an unemployment rate of 31% and poverty rate of 32%.^[3]

Districts

• Al-Chibayish
• Al-Rifa'i
• Shatrah
• Nasiriyah
• Suq Al-Shuykh

See also

• Sumer
• Cradle of civilization
• Battle of Dhi Qar

References

1. Citypopulation.de
2. excerpt from Suskind's book, on Suskind's webpage
3. http://www.iau-iraq.org/gp/thi-qar/default.asp

External links

• Iraq Inter-Agency Information & Analysis Unit Reports, Maps and Assessments of Iraq's Governorates from the UN Inter-Agency Information & Analysis Unit