Diyala

ديالى Diyālā
Basic data
Country	Iraq
Capital	Baquba
surface	17,685 km²
Residents	1,271,000 (as of 2003)
density	72 inhabitants per km²
ISO 3166-2	IQ-DI
Districts of the governorate

Coordinates: 34 ° 0 '  N , 45 ° 0'  E

Diyala ( Arabic ديالى, DMG Diyālā ) is one of the 18 Iraqi governorates . The capital is Baquba . The governorate begins northeast of Baghdad and extends to the Iranian border.

Location and population

Diyala covers an area of ​​17,685 km². In 2003, the estimated population was 1,271,000, mostly Sunni Arabs . The governorate is crossed by the Diyala river of the same name , one of the main tributaries of the Tigris . Date and orange plantations are typical of the region .

Administrative structure

The governorate is divided into six districts:

• al-Khalis
• al-Muqdadiyya
• Baquba
• Baladruz
• Chanaqin
• Kifri

The Kurdish part is partly ruled by the Kurdistan Autonomous Region .

On October 15, 2005, 51.27% of 476,980 voters voted yes for the new constitution.

Since July 2006, the newly established 5th Infantry Division of the Iraqi Army as part of the Multinational Armed Forces in Iraq has also been responsible for the security of the governorate and the border with Iran .

Web links

• TAZ: US withdrawal from Iraq - "It only takes a spark"