History of the Kurdistan Region
The Kurdistan Region of Iraq dates back to the March 1970, when agreement was signed between the Kurdish opposition and the Iraqi government. However, throughout the Iran-Iraq war during the 1980s and the Anfal genocide campaign, the Iraqi army devastated the population and nature of Kurdistan.
Following the 1991 uprising of the Kurdish people against Saddam Hussein, the Kurds were forced to flee the country to become refugees in bordering regions of Iran and Turkey. After the creation of the northern no-fly zone following the First Gulf War in 1991 to facilitate the return of Kurdish refugees, Kurdistan has been de facto independent.
The 2003 invasion of Iraq by joint coalition and Kurdish forces and the subsequent political changes in post-Saddam Iraq led to the ratification of the new Iraqi constitution in 2005. The new Iraqi constitution stipulates that Iraqi Kurdistan is a federal entity recognized by Iraq and the United Nations.
Kurdistan is a parliamentary democracy with a national assembly that consists of 111 seats. The current president is Massoud Barzani who was elected during the Iraqi Kurdistan 2005 elections that are held every four years.
The three governorates of Dohuk, Erbil and Sulamaini accumulate a territory of around 40,000 square kilometers and a population between 4 and 6.5 million.
