Basra (governorate)

البصرة al-Baṣra
Symbols
flag coat of arms
Basic data
Country	Iraq
Capital	Basra
surface	19,070 km²
Residents	1,500,000 (2008)
density	79 inhabitants per km²
ISO 3166-2	IQ-BA
Districts of the governorate

Coordinates: 30 ° 30 '  N , 47 ° 49'  E

Basra ( Arabic البصرة, DMG al-Baṣra ) is an Iraqi governorate in the south of the country. The capital is Basra , which is the main Shiite city ​​in southern Iraq. The governorate borders Kuwait to the south and Iran to the north , where the Shatt al-Arab forms the border. The area of ​​the administrative unit is 19,070 km² and the population was around 1.5 million in 2000 and is now likely to be well over 2 million.

During the Ottoman rule, the governorate still included Kuwait. After the First World War , the Vilayet Basra was amalgamated under the British with the two other Ottoman provinces of Vilayet Baghdad and Vilayet Mosul to form the British Mandate of Mesopotamia . Shortly before that, Kuwait was separated as an independent British protectorate . The Shiite population suffered long and hard under Saddam's rule. In 1991 they dared to rebel after the US promised them help and atone for this rebellion, killing thousands. In 2003 the British and American invasions began here, and with it the third Gulf War . Based on the model of the autonomous region of Kurdistan in northern Iraq, Basra wants to merge with the other governorates of Dhi Qar and Maisan to form an autonomous region.

On October 15, 2005, of 691,024 voters, 96.02% voted for the new constitution.

Subdivision

The governorate consists of the following 7 districts:

• Abu l-Chasib
• al-Basra
• al-Faw
• al-Mudaina
• al-Qurna
• Shatt al-Arab
• az-Zubair