Where are the Kurds today?
THE KURDS are sometimes called the world’s largest nation without its own independent state. Some 30m or them are scattered mostly across Iraq, Iran, Syria and Turkey. They share a culture and language, and most are Sunni Muslim.
What is the status of the Kurds in Syria?
Kurds are the largest ethnic minority in Syria, and make up between 5 and 10 percent of the Syrian population. The estimates are diluted due to the effects of the Syrian civil war and the permeability of the Syrian-Turkish border.
How many Kurds has Turkey killed?
According to Turkish government sources, between July 2015 and May 2016, 2,583 Kurdish insurgents were killed in Turkey and 2,366 in Iraq, as well as 483 members of the Turkish security forces.
What happened to the Kurds in Turkey?
There were many instances of Kurds being forcibly expelled from their villages by Turkish security forces. Many villages were reportedly set on fire or destroyed. Throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, political parties that represented Kurdish interests were banned.
Does Kurdistan exist?
Geographically, Kurdistan roughly encompasses the northwestern Zagros and the eastern Taurus mountain ranges. Iraqi Kurdistan first gained autonomous status in a 1970 agreement with the Iraqi government, and its status was re-confirmed as the autonomous Kurdistan Region within the federal Iraqi republic in 2005.
What language do the Kurds speak?
Kurdish language, a West Iranian language, one of the Indo-Iranian languages, chiefly spoken in Kurdistan. It ranks as the third largest Iranian language, after Persian and Pashto, and has numerous dialects. It is thought to be spoken by some 20–40 million people.
Is Kurdistan a rich country?
The Kurdistan region’s economy is dominated by the oil industry, agriculture and tourism….Economy of Kurdistan Region.
| Statistics | |
|---|---|
| GDP | $26.5 billion (Nominal, 2015) |
| GDP growth | |
| GDP per capita | $7,000 (Nominal, 2015) |
| GDP by sector | Petroleum industry (80% of revenues) |