Today, not every nation, even a large one, has its own state. In the world there are many countries where people of several nationalities live, which causes some tension in society.
The largest nation in the world with virtually no state - the Kurds. Increasingly, the news reports on these people. Many know little about them. Who are they? The article provides some information about the Kurds: religion, numbers, places of residence, etc.
About Kurds
Kurds are an ancient people who mainly live in mountainous regions (Kurdistan) and unite a lot of tribes. This region covers the territory of Syria, Iran, Turkey and Iraq. As a rule, their lifestyle is semi-nomadic. Their main occupations are agriculture and cattle breeding.
Scientists have not yet been able to establish their exact origin. Kurds are called both ancient Medes and Scythians. There are also suggestions that the Kurdish peoples are close to the Armenian, Georgian, Azerbaijani and Jewish peoples. What is the Kurdish religion? Most of them profess Islam, there are Christians, Yezidis and Jews.
The exact number is also unknown. In total, around 20-40 million live in the whole world: in Turkey - 13–18 million, in Iran - 3.5–8 million, in Syria - about 2 million, in Asia, America and Europe - about 2, 5 million (live in communities).
About the resettlement of the nation
The number of Kurds in Iraq is more than 6 million people. Their exact number is unknown, since a census has never been carried out in areas where Kurds live.
As noted above, they live in some countries of the Middle East, which includes Iraq. According to the recently adopted constitution in this country, Iraqi Kurdistan has the status of broad autonomy. It turns out that the territories are semi-independent of the Iraqi government.
But there is one contradictory example. And the Catalans in Spain thought so, but Madrid was always the main word. The country's authorities took and completely dissolved the Parliament of Catalonia, although the latter tried to prove and take something to get out of Spain. In the same position and the Kurds. We can say that they are powerless.
Iraqi Kurdistan
This republic is unrecognized, but it has its own anthem, languages (Sorani and Kurmanji), president and prime minister. Currency - Iraqi dinar.
The people, whose total number is 3.5 million people, live in an area of approximately 38, 000 square meters. km The capital of Iraqi Kurdistan is Erbil.
Ethnic Kurds in Kurdistan
The territories of Iraqi Kurdistan (2005 referendum introduced amendments) include the following areas: Suleymani, Erbil, Kirkuk, Dahuk, Khanekin (or Diyala governorate), Sinjar, Mahmur. Most of the ethnic Kurds of Iraq live in them, but there are other nationalities in them. Only 3 governorates are officially called the Kurdistan Region - Dahuk, Sulejmani and Erbil, and the rest of the land, where the Kurds also live, cannot even boast of partial autonomy.
In 2007, a planned referendum was not held in Iraqi Kurdistan. Otherwise, the ethnic group, which lives in the rest of Iraqi territories, could get at least partial independence.
Today there is an aggravation of the situation - Turkomans and Arabs living in these lands, and in considerable quantities, are more opposed to them and do not want to adopt the laws of the Kurds.
A bit from the history of Southern Kurdistan
There are some suggestions that the modern ethnic group of the Kurds was formed precisely on the territory of Iraqi Kurdistan. Originally, the Medes lived there. This is evidenced by the very first written source found near Suleimaniya, made in the Kurdish language. Parchment dates back to the 7th century. This is a small poem, the contents of which mourn the destruction of Kurdish shrines as a result of the attack of the Arabs.
After the Battle of Chaldyran in 1514, Kurdistan joined the Ottoman Empire. In general, the population of Iraqi Kurdistan has been living on the same territory for many centuries. In the Middle Ages, there were several emirates that had almost complete independence: Baban (the main city is Suleimaniya), Sinjar (the center is the city of Laleshe), Soran (the capital is Ravanduz), Bahdinan (Amadia). In the XIX century, in its first half, these emirates by Turkish troops were completely eliminated.
