Erbil Governorate (; ) is a governorate of Iraq in the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region. Its administrative centre is Erbil, which is its most important city. Erbil is also the most populated and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, with the citadel being recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Government

  • Omid Khoshnaw, Governor of Erbil
  • Hemin Ali Faki, Deputy Governor of Erbil
  • Dr Ali Rashid, Provincial Council Chairman of Erbil

Demographics

{| class="wikitable"

|+Population development

!Year

!Population

|-

|1977

|541,500

|-

|1987

|770,439

|-

|1997

|1,095,992

|-

|2009

|1,532,081

|-

|2024

|2,517,534

|}

Districts

thumb|right|250px|Districts of the Erbil Governorate

{| class="wikitable sortable"

|-

! District !! Population <br>(2009)!! Number of <br>households

|-

| Erbil (Hewlêr) ||align="right"| 792,981 ||align="right"| 152,899

|-

| Deştî Hewlêr ||align="right"| 186,346 ||align="right"| 34,264

|-

| Mexmûr (disputed) ||align="right"| 173,801 ||align="right"| 30,678

|-

| Soran ||align="right"| 154,945 ||align="right"| 27,707

|-

| Şeqlawe ||align="right"| 124,628 ||align="right"| 23,420

|-

| Koye ||align="right"| 95,246 ||align="right"| 18,727

|-

| Xebat ||align="right"| 93,442 ||align="right"| 16,015

|-

| Mêrgesor (partially disputed) ||align="right"| 44,661 ||align="right"| 9,711

|-

| Çoman ||align="right"| 23,730 ||align="right"| 4,749

|-

| Rewandiz ||align="right"| 21,280 ||align="right"| 4,235

|-

| Total ||align="right"| 1,713,461 ||align="right"| 322,719

|}

Cities and towns

{| class="wikitable"

|+

! English Name !! Kurdish Name

|-

| Erbil (Hewlêr) ||

|-

| Soran ||

|-

| Koye ||

|-

| Shaqlawa ||

|-

| Rawandiz ||

|-

| Khabat ||

|-

| Makhmur ||

|-

| Ankawa ||

|-

| Bnaslawa ||

|-

| Choman ||

|-

| Mergasor ||

|-

| Khalifan ||

|-

| Harir ||

|-

| Sidekan ||

|-

| Pirmam (Salahaddin) ||

|-

| Kasnazan ||

|-

| Bahirka ||

|-

| Shawes ||

|-

| Qasre ||

|-

| Piran ||

|}

<gallery>

File:كهف_شاندر.jpg|Shanidar Cave

File:Banoka Village.jpg|Benoke village

File:Pendroo-jalalmajid1968.jpg|Pêndro in 1968

File:Hawler Castle.jpg|Aerial view of the Citadel of Erbil, surrounded by the modern city

</gallery>

Academic establishments

  • Salahaddin University: Founded in 1958 in Sulaymaniya and transferred to Erbil in 1981.
  • Hawler Medical University: Founded in 2005.
  • University of Kurdistan Hewlêr: Public English-medium university.
  • Tishk International University (Previously called Ishik University): Private university that was established in 2008 in Erbil.
  • Cihan University: Private university, founded in 2007.
  • SABIS University: Private university.
  • Soran University, KRG-Iraq governmental university founded in 2009.
  • Knowledge University, KRG-Iraq Private university founded in 2009.
  • Catholic University in Erbil, Private non-profit university founded in 2015.

Banking

thumb|Erbil Governorate Building

There are many national and international banks operating in Erbil offering citizens and visitors services, including:

  • Kurdistan Central Bank
  • Kurdistan International Bank for Investment and Development
  • Trade Bank of Iraq (TBI)
  • Byblos Bank
  • Bank of Beirut and Arab Countries (BBAC)
  • Intercontinental Bank of Lebanon (IBL)
  • BLOM Bank

See also

  • The archaeological hills in Erbil
  • Shanidar Cave
  • Lake Felaw

References

  • largest cities and towns and statistics of their population in Arbil
  • Iraq Inter-Agency Information & Analysis Unit Reports, Maps and Assessments of Iraq's Governorates from the UN Inter-Agency Information & Analysis Unit