Muthanna Governorate (Arabic: المثنى Al Muthannā) or Al Muthanna Province, is a province in Iraq, named after the 7th-century Arab general al-Muthanna ibn Haritha. It is in the south of the country, bordering Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. The provincial capital is the city of Samawah. It has the highest poverty rate in Iraq, with a rate of 52%.[3]
Muthanna Governorate
محافظة المثنى Al Muthanna Province | |
|---|---|
 Flag  Seal | |
 | |
| Coordinates: 30°12′N 45°21′E / 30.200°N 45.350°E | |
| Country |  Iraq |
| Capital | Samawah |
| Named for | Al-Muthanna ibn Haritha |
| Government | |
| • Governor | Mohannad al-Attabi |
| Area | |
| • Total | 51,740 km2 (19,980 sq mi) |
| Population (2024) | |
| • Total | 835,797[1] |
| HDI (2021) | 0.644[2] medium |
| Website | http://muthana.gov.iq/ |
History
editBefore 1976 it was part of the Diwaniya Province, which included present-day Najaf Governorate and al-Qādisiyyah Governorate.
Samawah is very close to the ancient Sumerian-Babylonian city of Uruk (Aramaic: Erech), which is possibly the source of the name Iraq. After the decline of Babylon following the Seleucid founding of Seleucia, Uruk became the largest city in southern Babylonia, and its name (Erech) came to replace Babili (Babylonia), as the city long outlived the former capital, surviving into the 7th century AD.
In February 1991 it was the location of one of the largest tank battles in history during the Persian Gulf War, the Battle of Norfolk.[4]
Demographics
edit| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | 215,600 | — | |
| 1987 | 315,815 | +3.89% | |
| 1997 | 436,825 | +3.30% | |
| 2009 | 683,126 | +3.80% | |
| 2018 | 814,371 | +1.97% | |
| |||
| Source: Citypopulation[5] | |||
Provincial government
edit- Governor: Ahmed Manfi Judeh
- Deputy Governor: Sami Al-Hassani
- Chairman of Al-Muthanna Provincial Council: Abdul Latif Al-Hassani
References
edit- ^ Citypopulation.de
- ^ "Sub-national HDI - Area Database - Global Data Lab". hdi.globaldatalab.org. Retrieved 2018-09-13.
- ^ "Poverty rate in Nineveh province nearly doubled". Kirkuknow. Retrieved 2024-01-22.
- ^ "These were the 6 most massive tank battles in US history". 16 April 2021.
- ^ "Population of Governorates". www.citypopulation.de.
