At-Ta'mim Governorate

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Country	Iraq
At-Ta'mim Governorate

Capital	Kirkuk
Area
- Governorate	10,282 km² (3,969.9 sq mi)
Population (2003)
- Governorate	949,000
Main language(s)	Kurdish Arabic Assyrian Turkmen

Kirkuk Governorate (previously: 'Kirkuk Governorate', Kurdish: 'Garmiyan', Middle Iranian: 'Garmakan',) is one of the Governorates of Iraq located in north of the country. From 1976 to the present day (as of July 11, 2006) it has been called At-Ta'mim Arabic: التأمیم , which means state-owned and points to the national ownership of the very rich oil and natural gas reserves. Prior to 1976 it was called Kirkuk Province and also included the neighbouring As Sulaymaniyah Governorate.

The province has an area of 10,282 square kilometers (3,969.9 sq mi). In 2003 the estimated population was 949,000 people. The provincial capital is the city of Kirkuk. It is divided into four districts.

Districts of Al-Tamim

A deeply mixed province, much of the population in At-Ta'mim province are Kurdish, as well as Turkmen, Arabic, and Assyrian. Iraqi Turkmen consider Kirkuk to be their cultural center.

[edit] Elections 2005

The democratic elections of Iraq in 2005 showed that the Kurdish list (Brotherhood List of Kurdistan) won at least 62% of the Kerkuk assembly.

[edit] 2007 Referendum

A normalization process followed by a referendum on whether Kirkuk province should become part of Iraqi Kurdistan will be held on the end of 2007. The normalization process includes re-adding of four previous districts of the province separated by Baath government; the districts include: Chamchamal, Kifri, Kalar, and Touz-Khur-Mati.