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cities, and a 2011 study by an American consulting firm found that
Baghdad had the worst quality of life of 221 major cities worldwide.
M
OSUL
The second-largest city in Iraq is Mosul, located in the northern
part of the country near the Kurdish region. For thousands of years
Mosul has been known for textile exports. More recently, it served
as an important center for oil refining, because it is near Iraq’s
northern oil fields, which are among the richest in the world.
In June 2014, the Islamic State captured Mosul from the Iraqi
Army. It is the largest Iraqi city held by the Islamic State. The city
had a population of about 1.8 million in 2008, but it is believed that
more than half a million people fled Mosul after its capture. Most of
them were Kurds, Shiite Muslims, or Christians, leaving Sunni
Muslim Arabs as the predominant residents of Mosul. The Islamic
State has maintained control of the city, although there have been
problems like frequent power outages, as well as the execution
without trial of many people that group deemed to be enemies. In
January 2015, the United States launched airstrikes against
Islamic State strongholds in Mosul, in support of a Kurdish effort
to recapture the city.
The city of Tikrit, located near Mosul, is notable as the birth-
place of both the 12th-century Islamic leader Saladin and Saddam
Hussein.
B
ASRA
Basra, in southeastern Iraq, is
the country’s principal port and
one of its largest cities. It is
located on the Shatt al Arab,
about 75 miles (121 km) from
the Persian Gulf. Basra is one of
C
OMMUNITIES
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Did You Know?
The most famous Kurd in history was Saladin
(1137–1193), who was born in the area that is
now Iraq. Saladin was a great military leader
who battled the European forces during the
Crusades, reconquering Jerusalem in 1187.