Region at a Glance

General Information

The name Kurdistan literally means Land of the Kurds. In the Iraqi Constitution, it is referred to as the Kurdistan Region. Iraqi Kurdistan or the Kurdistan Region is an autonomous region of Iraq. It borders Turkey to the north, Syria to the west, Iran to the east and the rest of Iraq to the south. The region is officially governed by the Kurdistan Regional Government, often abbreviated as the "KRG".

With a population of 6 million and increasing, the three governorates of Erbil, Duhok and Slemani cover approximately 40.643 square kilometers. The regional capital is Erbil, also known as Hawler.

There are 11 public and numeraous private universities, several of which teach in English, and a returning diaspora provide a skilled workforce with English as a second language.

Investment Climate

The liberal investment law, ratified in July 2006, offers foreign investors incentives including customs relief, tax holidays and the freedom to repatriate profits. A regulated banking & finance sector providing basic banking services.

The KRG offers attractive investment opportunities in agriculture, banking, communication, construction, education & training, energy, healthcare, professional services, oil & gas and tourism.

The Kurdistan Region has successfully attracted a host of leading oil and gas companies from more than 30 countries. With over $30 billion invested in the growth of the Region and significant oil and gas deposits fueling speculation of massive revenue, the Kurdistan Region has become a recognized and strategic location for international development.

Culture & Heritage

Kurdish heritage is rooted in one of the world's oldest cultures. The earliest known evidence of a unified and distinct culture of the inhabitants of the Kurdish mountains dates back to the Halaf culture of 5400 - 6000 B.C.

There are many different ethnic groups across the Kurdistan region, including Kurds, Assyrians, Turkmen, Armenians and Arabs. Each of these groups has its own culture, clothing and dialect belonging to their district.

There are more than 3500 archaeological sites in the Kurdistan region of Iraq. Some of them are significant in terms of tourism, such as the citadels of Erbil, Khanzaf, Dere, Sartika, Akre, Amedi, Rwandiz, Sherwana, Barzinja and others. Other historic sites in Kuridstan include Shandar cave, where nine Neanderthal skeletons, dating back to 60 thousand B.C., have been found.