This article shows a list of largest cities and towns in Iraq .
This article shows a list of largest cities and towns in Iraq .
This list includes the 80 most populous cities, towns, and sub-districts of Iraq, as of the most recent population estimate in 2018.
| Rank | City or Town | Governorate | 1987 Census | 2009 Estimate | 2018 Estimate [1] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Baghdad | Baghdad | 3,841,268 | 5,521,242 | 6,719,477 |
| 2 | Mosul | Nineveh | 664,221 | 1,136,990 | 1,361,819 |
| 3 | Basra | Basra | 406,296 | 1,091,627 | 1,340,827 |
| 4 | Kirkuk | Kirkuk | 418,624 | 782,143 | 972,272 |
| 5 | Erbil | Erbil | 485,968 | 725,356 | 879,071 |
| 6 | Najaf | Najaf | 309,010 | 617,125 | 747,261 |
| 7 | Karbala | Karbala | 296,705 | 588,283 | 711,530 |
| 8 | Sulaymaniyah | Sulaymaniyah | 364,096 | 559,685 | 676,492 |
| 9 | Nasiriyah | Dhi Qar | 265,937 | 455,721 | 558,446 |
| 10 | Amarah | Maysan | 208,797 | 428,804 | 527,472 |
| 11 | Hillah | Babil | 268,834 | 373,063 | 455,741 |
| 12 | Diwaniyah | Qādisiyyah | 196,519 | 332,124 | 403,796 |
| 13 | Kut | Wasit | 183,183 | 312,610 | 389,376 |
| 14 | Dohuk | Dohuk | 280,137 | 340,871 | |
| 15 | Zubayr | Basra | 244,855 | 300,751 | |
| 16 | Baqubah | Diyala | 227,785 | 279,133 | |
| 17 | Fallujah | Anbar | 203,451 | 250,884 | |
| 18 | Ramadi | Anbar | 192,556 | 181,264 | 223,525 |
| 19 | Samawah | Muthanna | 179,140 | 221,743 | |
| 20 | Zakho | Duhok | 174,197 | 211,964 | |
| 21 | Abu Al-Khaseeb | Basra | 165,102 | 203,155 | |
| 22 | Al-Shatrah | Dhi Qar | 148,664 | 182,175 | |
| 23 | Tal Afar | Nineveh | 143,982 | 172,453 | |
| 24 | Kufa | Najaf | 141,472 | 171,305 | |
| 25 | Kalar | Suleymaniyah | 120,099 | 145,164 | |
| 26 | Samarra | Saladin | 119,022 | 144,771 | |
| 27 | Shatt Al-Arab | Basra | 108,277 | 132,995 | |
| 28 | Soran | Erbil | 100,512 | 131,813 | |
| 29 | Suq al-Shuyukh | Dhi Qar | 107,373 | 131,576 | |
| 30 | Al-Shamal | Nineveh | 106,875 | 128,007 | |
| 31 | Al-Qurnah | Basra | 102,936 | 126,434 | |
| 32 | Al-Wahda | Baghdad | 91,071 | 110,836 | |
| 33 | Tikrit | Saladin | 89,584 | 108,964 | |
| 34 | Tuz Khurmatu | Saladin | 84,323 | 102,565 | |
| 35 | Al-Mahmudiyah | Baghdad | 83,336 | 101,421 | |
| 36 | Iskandariya | Babil | 82,366 | 100,619 | |
| 37 | Al-Mejar Al-Kabir | Maysan | 76,365 | 93,937 | |
| 38 | Ranya | Suleymaniyah | 76,111 | 91,995 | |
| 39 | Hamza | Qādisiyyah | 71,346 | 86,743 | |
| 40 | Al-Rumaitha | Muthanna | 69,528 | 86,063 | |
| 41 | Al-Hay | Wasit | 68,640 | 85,496 | |
| 42 | Al-Hindiya | Karbala | 69,504 | 84,065 | |
| 43 | Baiji | Saladin | 68,170 | 82,918 | |
| 44 | Al-Qasim | Babil | 66,713 | 81,498 | |
| 45 | Muqdadiyah | Diyala | 65,038 | 79,699 | |
| 46 | Al-Suwaira | Wasit | 61,954 | 77,168 | |
| 47 | Al-Rifa'i | Dhi Qar | 60,885 | 74,609 | |
| 48 | Al-Qa'im | Al Anbar | 60,055 | 74,056 | |
| 49 | Qaladiza | Suleymaniyah | 61,182 | 73,951 | |
| 50 | Simele | Duhok | 58,808 | 71,557 | |
| 51 | Bekreco | Suleymaniyah | 59,108 | 71,444 | |
| 52 | An Numaniyah | Wasit | 56,988 | 70,982 | |
| 53 | Fayda | Nineveh | 57,610 | 69,001 | |
| 54 | Akre | Erbil | 55,691 | 68,093 | |
| 55 | Halabja | Halabja | 55,588 | 67,190 | |
| 56 | Hit | Al Anbar | 54,055 | 66,657 | |
| 57 | Kasnazan | Erbil | 54,391 | 65,917 | |
| 58 | Chamchamal | Suleymaniyah | 54,003 | 65,274 | |
| 59 | Balad Ruz | Diyala | 52,122 | 63,871 | |
| 60 | Al Nasr Wal Salam | Baghdad | 52,245 | 63,584 | |
| 61 | Al Khalis | Diyala | 51,003 | 62,500 | |
| 62 | Jalawla | Diyala | 50,690 | 62,117 | |
| 63 | Koy Sanjaq | Erbil | 51,196 | 62,046 | |
| 64 | Said Sadiq | Suleymaniyah | 50,995 | 61,638 | |
| 65 | Balad | Saladin | 49,281 | 59,943 | |
| 66 | Al Midhatiya | Babil | 48,672 | 59,458 | |
| 67 | Bnaslawa | Erbil | 48,035 | 58,214 | |
| 68 | Al-Shamiya | Qādisiyyah | 47,711 | 58,007 | |
| 69 | Musayyib | Babil | 46,934 | 57,335 | |
| 70 | Qahtaniyah | Nineveh | 47,385 | 56,755 | |
| 71 | Qasrok | Duhok | 46,357 | 56,407 | |
| 72 | Al-Aziziyah | Wasit | 44,868 | 55,886 | |
| 73 | Al-Shirqat | Saladin | 44,912 | 54,629 | |
| 74 | Haji Awa | Suleymaniyah | 44,440 | 53,714 | |
| 75 | Daretu | Erbil | 44,308 | 53,697 | |
| 76 | Qalat Sukkar | Dhi Qar | 43,551 | 53,367 | |
| 77 | Şoriş | Suleymaniyah | 42,703 | 51,615 | |
| 78 | Khanaqin | Diyala | 42,057 | 51,538 | |
| 79 | Al-Nasr | Dhi Qar | 41,698 | 51,097 | |
| 80 | Umm Qasr | Basra | 40,531 | 49,783 |
| Rank | Name | Governorate | Municipal pop. | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Baghdad  Mosul | 1 | Baghdad | Baghdad Governorate | 6,719,476 |  Basra  Kirkuk | ||||
| 2 | Mosul | Nineveh Governorate | 1,361,819 | ||||||
| 3 | Basra | Basra Governorate | 1,340,827 | ||||||
| 4 | Kirkuk | Kirkuk Governorate | 972,272 | ||||||
| 5 | Erbil | Erbil Governorate | 879,071 | ||||||
| 6 | Najaf | Najaf Governorate | 747,261 | ||||||
| 7 | Karbala | Karbala Governorate | 711,530 | ||||||
| 8 | Sulaymaniyah | Sulaymaniyah Governorate | 676,492 | ||||||
| 9 | Nasiriyah | Dhi Qar Governorate | 558,446 | ||||||
| 10 | Amarah | Maysan Governorate | 527,472 | ||||||
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq and the second-largest city in the Arab world after Cairo. It is located on the Tigris river. In 762 AD, Baghdad was chosen as the capital of the Abbasid Caliphate, and became its most notable major development project. Within a short time, the city evolved into a significant cultural, commercial, and intellectual center of the Muslim world. This, in addition to housing several key academic institutions, including the House of Wisdom, as well as a multi-ethnic and multi-religious environment, garnered it a worldwide reputation as the "Center of Learning".
Kirkuk is a city in Iraq, serving as the capital of the Kirkuk Governorate, located 238 kilometres north of Baghdad. The city is home to a diverse population of Kurds, Iraqi Turkmens and Arabs. Kirkuk sits on the ruins of the original Kirkuk Citadel which sits near the Khasa River.
Ramadi is a city in central Iraq, about 110 kilometers (68 mi) west of Baghdad and 50 kilometers (31 mi) west of Fallujah. It is the capital and largest city of Al Anbar Governorate which touches on Syria, Jordan and Saudi Arabia. The city extends along the Euphrates which bisects Al Anbar. Founded by the Ottoman Empire in 1879, by 2018 it had about 223,500 residents, near all of whom Sunni Arabs from the Dulaim tribal confederation. It lies in the Sunni Triangle of western Iraq.
Alqosh is a town in the Nineveh Plains of northern Iraq, a sub-district of the Tel Kaif District situated 45 km north of the city of Mosul.
Fallujah is a city in Al Anbar Governorate, Iraq. Situated on the Euphrates River, it is located roughly 69 kilometres (43 mi) to the west of the capital city of Baghdad.
Al Anbar Governorate, or Anbar Province, is the largest governorate in Iraq by area. Encompassing much of the country's western territory, it shares borders with Syria, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia. The population is mostly Sunni Arabs. The provincial capital is Ramadi; other important cities include Fallujah, Al-Qa'im and Haditha.
Al Diwaniyah, also spelt Diwaniya, is the capital city of Iraq's Al-Qādisiyyah Governorate. In 2014 the population was estimated at 700,000.
Kadhimiya or Kadhimayn is a northern neighbourhood of the city of Baghdad, Iraq. It is about 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) from the city's center, on the west bank of the Tigris. 'Kadhimiya' is also the name of one of nine administrative districts in Baghdad. As the place of al-Kadhimiya Mosque, even before its inception into the urban area of Baghdad, it is regarded as a holy city by Twelver Shia muslims.
Zakho, also spelled Zaxo is a city in the Kurdistan Region, at the centre of the Zakho District of the Dohuk Governorate, located a few kilometers from the Ibrahim-Khalil border. Zakho is known for its celebrations of Newroz.
Khanaqin is the central city of Khanaqin District in Diyala Governorate, Iraq, near the Iranian border (8 km) on the Alwand tributary of the Diyala River. The town is populated by Kurds who speak the Southern Kurdish dialect. Khanaqin is situated on the main road which Shia pilgrims use when visiting holy Islamic cities. The city is moreover rich in oil and the first Iraqi oil refinery and oil pipeline was built nearby in 1927. The main tribes of Khanaqin include Kalhor, Feyli, Zand, Malekshahi Suramiri, Arkavazi and Zangana.
Ankawa is a suburb of Erbil in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. It is located 8 kilometres (5 mi) northwest of downtown Erbil. The suburb is predominantly populated by Christian Assyrians, most of whom adhere to the Chaldean Catholic Church.
Sinjar is a town in the Sinjar District of the Nineveh Governorate in northern Iraq. It is located about five kilometers south of the Sinjar Mountains. Its population in 2013 was estimated at 88,023, and is predominantly Yazidi.
Musayyib is an increasing majority Shia Arab town in the Babil Province, Iraq. As of 2018, its population was 57,300. Musayyib sits on both the east and west banks of the Euphrates River, which splits into the Hindiya and Hilla branches just south of the city. Musayyib's municipal government has heavy representation from the Office of the Martyr Sadr, the political wing of Moqtada Sadr's Militia. There is a small minority representation by the Badr Corps as well.
Al-Shatrah is a town in southern Iraq, located northeast of Nasiriyah. It is the administrative capital of the al-Shatrah District, a part of the Dhi Qar Governorate. Al-Shatrah is situated along the Gharraf Canal at the intersection with Highway 7. It lies 22.35 km west of the ancient city of Lagash. In 2009, it had a population estimated 254,000.
Erbil, also called Hawler, is the capital and most populated city in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. The city is in the Erbil Governorate.
Tel Keppe is a town in northern Iraq. It is located in the Nineveh Governorate, less than 8 mi (13 km) northeast of Mosul.
Nasiriyah is a city in Iraq. It is on the lower Euphrates, about 360 km south-southeast of Baghdad, near the ruins of the ancient city of Ur. It is the capital of the Dhi Qar Governorate. Its population in 2018 was about 558,000, making it the tenth-largest city in Iraq. It had a diverse population of Muslims, Mandaeans and Jews in the early 20th century; today its inhabitants are predominantly Shia Muslims.
The Battle of Hit, code named Operation Desert Lynx by Iraqi forces, was an offensive launched by the Iraqi Government during the Anbar offensive, with the goal of recapturing the town of Hīt and the Hīt District from ISIL. After the Iraqi forces recaptured the city of Ramadi, Hīt and Fallujah were the only cities still under the control of ISIL in the Al Anbar Governorate. Iraqi Forces fully recaptured of Hīt and the rest of the Hīt District on 14 April 2016.
The town of Qal'at Saleh is the district centre of Qal'at Saleh District, Maysan Governorate, southern Iraq. It is located along the road that links Basra to Amarah, a mere 40 km away. Qalat Saleh’s nearest towns are the district centres of Al-Majar Al Kabeer, Al Kahlaa, and Al Azeer. The town is surrounded by agricultural villages and rural communities: Sulaymaniyah village, Abu Samih village, and Beit Khaled village.
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