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Index / Peoples
   Iraq /
Peoples

There are two large peoples in Iraq, Arabs and Kurds. 97% are Muslims, of which more than 50% are Shi'is, the rest are Sunnis.
Arabs and arabized peoples constitute about 70% of the population. Kurds make up about 25% of the population. Other small groups are Iranian peoples living along the border to Iran.
The recent decades have seen many serious problems problems in the relationship between the Arab majority and the Kurds, who makes up the majority of the north. The Kurds have for a long time fought for their own independence, and they have an identity of their own, and speak Kurdish. However, tensions between Kurdish groups made it possible for Iraq to regain control over the region in 1996.
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By: Tore Kjeilen
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