The regional capital is erbil, also known as hawler. The governments of iran, iraq, turkey and syria are understandably nervous about kurdish political ambi tions. The kurds of syria have historically lived in the northern part of the country along the borders with turkey and iraq. More specifically, these maps frequently marginalized the kurds by questioning. My contention is that there has been a transformation of the kurdish national. Heydare karrar military exercises near all three iranian border crossings with kurdistan region of iraq. In all probability, the state of kurdistan will be an island of stability that is respectful of human rights. General information unbelievable kurdistan official. Map compiled by noah ringler and the isw and ctp research teams cascading crisis in iraqi kurdistan map legend.
Eastern states, mainly turkey, iran, iraq and syria. The kurdish population in amadiya is a relatively new phenomenon, when the ancient history is taken into consideration. How turkeys conflict with the pkk shapes the syrian ciil ar and iraqi kurdistan executive summary about this report with syria and iraq in flames, turkeys escalating conflict with the kurdistan workers party pkk has created yet another tinderbox. Kurds in each state, such as iraqi kurdistan northern iraq, turkish kurdistan south. Kurdistan s target audience is prominent business community visiting kurdistan. The public security situation also worsened, notably in the kurdish provinces of the southeast. Since the early 20th century, the region has been divided between turkey, iran, syria, and iraq, all of which have repressed, often brutally, their kurdish minority. Kurds live throughout turkey, but are primarily concentrated in turkish kurdistan, in the southeast of turkey. From street and road map to highresolution satellite imagery of kurdistan.
The thesis will document and explain this transformation from a one dimensional struggle to a multidimensional struggle. The united states, turkey, and the kurdish regions heinrich boll. Conflict between turkey and armed kurdish groups global. Following major social changes associated with the commercialization of agriculture since the 1950s, there were outbreaks of violence in kurdistan during the 1970s, generally linked with the activities of the revolutionary left. The turkish government has always denied to recognize the right for. Turkey has come to see some benefit in a stable and more autonomous kurdistan.
The kurds have lived in a mountainous, roughly 74,000squaremile region known as kurdistan for the past two millennia. Cartographically constructing kurdistan within geopolitical and. It roughly includes zagros and eastern taurus mountain ranges. Map of iraqi kurdistan map courtesy of maximilian do. Turkeys syria offensive explained in four maps bbc news. It has been the scene of several regional conflicts over the past 25 years. Many of these areas are ethnically mixed, and reliable data are hard to obtain. Iraqi kurdistan or the kurdistan region is an autonomous region of iraq. Turkey and iran held fourth highlevel cooperation council meeting to expand economic and energy cooperation in tehran. Kurds live in a mountainous area of eastern turkey, northern iraq, northwestern iran, and small parts of northern syria and armenia.
Atlas of the middle east cia historical maps of the middle east perrycastaneda library maps. Turkey has come a long way toward accepting kurdish identity, thanks in part to erdogans efforts, but has recently receded back into anti. At a time when rising arabkurdish tensions again threaten iraqs stability, neighbouring turkey has begun to cast a large shadow over iraqi kurdistan. Unbelievable kurdistan official tourism site of kurdistan. For many years the syrian kurds, unlike their brethren in turkey, iraq and to a lesser extent in iran, had been rarely featured in the media. Position your mouse over the map and use your mousewheel to zoom in or out. Kaya a thesis submitted to the department of international relations of the london school of economics for the degree of doctor of philosophy, london, june 2012.
What would an accurate map of kurdistan actually look like based on the land they lived in 200 years ago. Kurdistan incorporating the kurds of turkey, syria, and iran. The kurds must lose no time after the referendum in declaring their disengagement from iraq and the establishment of the independent state of kurdistan. Kurdistan, kurdish nationalism and international society by zeynep n. This has led to a complex political and military situation in each country where several political parties are defending kurdish people rights, and are controlling their own military groups. The kurds issue in turkey represents the most serious and unresolved ethnic problem in contemporary turkey and today kurds still represent the largest group of stateless people in the world. It covers large parts of eastern turkey, northern iraq, northwestern iran and smaller parts of northern syria and armenia. The conflicts are also widely influenced by the two main. After battling isis, kurds find new foe in facebook. Kurdistan which is not a recognized country but divided amount the countries listed above is an area of 230,000 square miles, an. Kurdistan maps, map, carte, maps of kurdistan kurdistan map, people map, carte of kurdistan. The road map of ocalan to solve kurdish question in the middle east. According to various estimates, they compose between 15% and 20% of the population of turkey. Ismail besikci s international colony kurdistan was originally published in 1991 and led to the imprisonment of the author in turkey.
The states outlined in red are two kurdish states named hakkiari and mosul in this 1902 map. The krg is now turkeys secondbiggest export market after germany and an increasing source of oil for turkeys economy. Im an assyrian who has roots to both northern iraq and southern turkey all located in lands they claim to be kurdistan. Turkey and syria took a dispute over boundaries, as well as the inflow of water from the euphrates, where turkey has built a dam. Iran, turkey, and the arab states will never support the independence of kurdistan. Turkey and iraq were cooperating in case of the kurds. A number of complicated situations in turkeys surrounding regionincluding those involving syria, libya, and eastern mediterranean energy exploration near cypruscould affect its foreign relationships, as turkey seeks a more independent role on regional and global matters. But, as the existence of a kurdish project for territorial autonomy has no place within the turkish political imaginary, a real dialogue between the kurdish community. Their armies could come 30 km inside kurdish lands. Spanning portions of where the nationstates of iraq, iran, turkey, and syria. Keep track of the latest developments on the center for preventive actions global conflict tracker. Project each months pdf on your promethean or smart board to read articles together.
See the articles on turkey, western iran and syria for information regarding the other regions of kurdistan. Visit the kurdish projects interactive map to explore this turkish kurdistan. Both turkey and iraqs kurdistan regional government krg, a. Turkeys military launched a crossborder operation against kurdishled forces in syria in early october, after us troops who had been allied to the kurds withdrew. Ok, im going to post a map of northern kurdistan, with a guy giving a peace sign and saying glory to northern kurdistan. Turkey has a long history of discrimination and injustice committed against the kurdish people. Kurdistan which is not a recognized country but divided amount the countries listed above is an area of 230,000 square miles, an area about as big as texas. Kurdistan, it may not have enough leverage to prevent such an outcome, although the iraqi central government could complicate the kurdish drive for independence. Attacks in turkey and clashes with kurdish groups significantly increased in 2016.
Kurdistan or greater kurdistan is a roughly defined geocultural historical region wherein the. The proximity of the turkish border has resulted in amadiya being home to an unofficial turkish military presence even though the small city is located in iraqi kurdistan. The area indicated as kurdistan in the map roughly coincides. Turkey a region referred to as kurdistan by ethnic kurds and their supporters.
Turkey northern kurdistan, northern syria rojava or western kurdistan. The region is officially governed by the kurdistan regional government. Kurdistan is a geocultural region wherein the kurds have historically formed a prominent majority population, and kurdish culture, language, and national identity have historically been based. Kurdistan is not a country, but the map of the kurdish region includes the geographical region in the middle east wherein the kurdish people have historically established a prominent population and unified cultural identity. Includes location map, graphs showing agriculture and rainfall, col.
In the years 1981 1986 turkey bombed iraqi kurdistan many times. Kurdistans target audience is prominent business community visiting kurdistan. The kurds, an ethnic group numbering around 30 million people, is widely recognized to be the. This map does not display areas of political or military control and should not be. The region has seen heavy migration and multiple government e. Iraqi kurds kurdistan region and kurdish territorial demands. Throughout their history they have remained under the thumb of various conquerors and nations. In june 2015, a kurdishbacked political party, the peoples democratic party hdp, threatened the islamist grip on turkey and redrew the political map of the turkish society. Trip planning, top tourist sites, offline viewing, and much more, for free.
Kurds in turkey refers to people born in or residing in turkey who are of kurdish origin. Map depicting various territorial claims of kurdistan. Governance, diversity, and conflicts by harriet allsopp and wladimir van wilgenburg ib tauris, 2019. This section holds copies of original general maps more than 70 years. The kurdish areas of syria are fragmented into three principal parts, which form territorial outgrowths of. The kurds are the largest ethnic minority in turkey. Turkeykurdish regional government relations after the u. The kurdish region of turkey has rich culture, history and values. Pdf the political geography of kurdistan researchgate. A turkish progressive and prokurdish political party. A stable and prosperous iraqi kurdistan region could also serve as a counterweight to the emergence of an autonomous kurdish. U5 available also through the library of congress web site as a raster image.