Kurdish population

Kurdish diaspora refers to the Kurdish population living outside of their Kurdish indigenous homeland commonly referred to as Kurdistan, which includes adjacent parts of Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey.^[1]

Kurdish population refers to the total number of Kurdish people in the world. The Kurds are the largest ethnic group in the world without their own state.^[2]

Distribution

Turkey

Main articles: Kurds in Turkey and Kurds of Central Anatolia

According to a report by KONDA, in 2006, out of the total population of 73 million people in Turkey there were 11.4 million Kurds living in Turkey (close to 16% of the total population).^[3] The Turkish newspaper Milliyet has reported in 2008 that the Kurdish population in Turkey is 12.6 million; although this also includes 3 million Zazas.^[4] A more recent estimate by the CIA in 2010 claims that Kurdish people make up 18% of Turkey's population (about 14 million, out of 77.8 million people).^[5]

Kurds mostly live in seven province of Southeastern Anatolia (except Gaziantep and Kilis) and in Eastern Anatolia (Ağrı Province, Bingöl Province, Bitlis Province, Hakkâri Province, Kars Province, Tunceli Province, Van Province, Ardahan Province) and Istanbul Province. And large populations be found in bigger cities of western and central Anatolia (Istanbul, Bursa, Izmit, Mugla, Manisa, Izmir, Balikesir, Antalya, Mersin, Samsun, Adana, Ankara and Konya). According to Rüstem Erkan, Istanbul has the largest Kurdish population in Turkey. And the number of Kurds who are registered in the Kurdish-dominated provinces but living outside their own provinces, is 5,627,068.^[6]

Iran

Main articles: Kurds in Iran and Kurds of Khorasan

About 4 million^{[citation needed]}) Kurdish people live in Iran mainly in the north-west region of the country which is a part of Kurdistan. A large Kurdish enclave outside Kurdistan is the Kurdish region in north Khorasan, in north-eastern Iran. Over two million^{[citation needed]} Kurds currently live in this region. These Kurds are descendants of the displaced tribes during the Safavid period and their ancestors were from western Iran. Other scattered smaller communities are found in the Alburz mountain range in northern Iran, Guilan province in northern Iran and Sistan and Baluchistan province in southeastern Iran (and also in neighboring regions in Pakistan). (See^[7]). A great number of Kurds live in Iranian cities like Tabriz and Tehran.

Syria and Iraq

Main articles: Kurds in Syria and Kurds in Iraq

In addition to the fact that these two countries include parts of Kurdistan, there are significant Kurdish communities in metropolitan areas of these countries in Aleppo, Damascus, Baghdad etc. The Kurdish population in Iraq is thought to be in the region of 5 million and about 1,8 million in Syria.^[8]

Transcaucasia

Kurds used to constitute the majority in former Kurdistan Okrug prior to mass deportations in the period 1940 - 1944. Today, most of the Kurdish communities in Kazakhstan, Russia, and Kyrgyzstan are results of these deportations. The remaining Kurds in Azerbaijan who numbered about 680,000^{[citation needed]} became refugees following Nagorno-Karabakh war. (See^[9]). Most Kurds who comprise a small portion (about 3.2%) of total population arrived in Georgia at the time of the Ottoman Empire, having fled religious repression there. They now live mainly in Tbilisi or Rustavi. Kurds are mostly urbanized and socially integrated, but preserve their ethnic identity, language, and cultural traditions. Most of them are Yazidi.^[10]

Lebanon

Main article: Kurds in Lebanon

In Lebanon, there are about 80,000 Kurds, mainly living in Beirut.^{[citation needed]}

Arab World

Central Asia

According to the last census taken in the former Soviet Union in 1989, there were 25,425 Kurds in Kazakhstan, 14,262 in Kyrgyzstan, 56 in Tajikistan, 4,387 in Turkmenistan and 1,839 in Uzbekistan.^[11]

Western Europe

In Denmark, there is a significant number of Iraqi political refugees, many of which are actually Kurds.^[12]

In Finland, most Kurds arrived in the 1990s as Iraqi refugees.^[13] Kurds in Finland have no great attachment to the Iraqi state because of their position as a persecuted minority. Thus, they feel more accepted and comfortable in Finland, many wanting to get rid of their Iraqi citizenship.^[14]

In France, the Iranian Kurds make up the majority of the community.^[15] However, thousands of Iraqi Kurds also arrived in the mid 1990s.^[16] More recently, Syrian Kurds have been entering France illegally^[17]

In Germany, Kurds from Turkey make up the majority of the community.^[15] However, thousands of Iraqi Kurds also arrived in the mid 1990s.^[16] Kurds in Germany are the largest community in the diaspora; 500.000 Kurds come from Turkey, 100.000 from Iraq, 15.000 from Lebanon, 4.000 to 5.000 from Iran, and 4.000 to 5.000 from Syria^[18]

In Italy, some 3.000 Kurds have come from Iraq followed by Turkey.^[19] The majority paid smugglers between $2,000 to $8,000 for passage to Italy by boat.^[19] Most of the Iraqi Kurds arrived in the mid 1990s.^[16]

In the Netherlands, Iraqi Kurds make up a large part of the community.^[20]

In Sweden, Iraqi Kurds make a large proportion of the community.^[20] There is a significant number of Iraqi political refugees, many of which are actually Kurds.^[12]

In Switzerland, there were an estimated 60,000 ethnic Kurds as of 2006.^[21]

In the United Kingdom, Kurds first began to immigrate between 1974-75 when the rebellion of Iraqi Kurds against the Iraqi government was repressed. The Iraqi government began to destroy Kurdish villages and forced many Kurds to move to barren land in the south.^[22] These events resulted in many Kurds fleeing to the United Kingdom. Thus, the Iraqi Kurds make up a large part of the community.^[15][20] In 1979, Ayatollah Khomeini came to power in Iran and installed Islamic law. There was widespread political oppression and persecution of the Kurdish community. Since the late 1970s the number of people from Iran seeking asylum in Britain has remained high.^[22] In 1988, Saddam Hussein launched the Anfal campaign in the northern Iraq. This included mass executions and disappearances of the Kurdish community. The use of chemical weapons against thousands of towns and villages in the region, as well as the town of Halabja increased the number of Iraq Kurds entering the United Kingdom.^[22] A large number of Kurds also came to the United Kingdom following the 1980 military coup in Turkey.^[22] More recently, immigration has been due to the continued political oppression and the repression of ethnic and religious minorities in Iraq and Iran.^[22] Estimates of the Kurdish population in the United Kingdom are as high as 200-250,000.^[22]

North America

In the United States, it is believed that the Kurdish population is approximately 58,000,^[23] the large majority of which come from Iran.^[24] However, estimates may vary greatly because of the lack of official census numbers accounting for Kurdish populations in the United States. It is estimated that some 23,000 Iranian Kurds are living in the United States.^[24] Iraqi Kurds also form a large part of the community in the United States.^[20] During the 1991 Persian Gulf War, about 10,000 Iraqi refugees were admitted to the United States, most of which were Kurds and Shiites who had assisted or were sympathisers of the U.S –led war.^[25] Nashville, Tennessee has the nation's largest population of Kurdish people, with an estimated 8,000-11,000. There are also Kurds in Southern California, Los Angeles, and San Diego.^[26]

In Canada, Kurdish immigration was largely the result of the Iran-Iraq War and the Gulf War. Thus, many Iraqi Kurds immigrated to Canada due to the constant wars and suppression of Kurds and Shiites by the Iraqi government.^[27]

Oceania

In Australia, Kurdish migrants first arrived in in the second half of the 1960s, mainly from Turkey.^[28] However, in the late 1970s families from Syria and Lebanon were also present in Australia.^[28] Since the second half of the 1980s, the majority of Kurds arriving in Australia have been from Iraq and Iran; many of them were accepted under the Humanitarian Programme.^[28] However, Kurds from Lebanon, Armenia and Georgia have also migrated to Australia. The majority live in Melbourne and Sydney.^[28]

Statistics by country

Country	Population Kurdish Institute of Paris[20]	Others	Census's	Related articles
Turkey		10[3] to 15 million[5]		Kurds in Turkey
Iraq				Kurds in Iraq
Iran				Kurds in Iran, Kurds in Khorasan
Syria				Kurds in Syria
Germany	850.000 - 950.000	650.000 (Turkish Kurds)[29][18] 200.000 (Iraqi Kurds)[18] 25.000 (Lebanese Kurds)[18] 34.000 to 35.000 (Iranian Kurds)[18] 14.000 to 15.000 (Syrian Kurds)[18]		Kurds in Germany
Azerbaijan	350.000		13.100[30]	Kurds in Azerbaijan
France	200.000 - 220.000			Kurds in France
Lebanon	180.000			Kurds in Lebanon
The Netherlands	90.000 - 95.000			Kurds in Netherlands
Switzerland	60.000 - 70.000			Kurds in Switzerland
Georgia	80.000			Kurds in Georgia
Austria	50.000 - 60.000			Kurds in Austria
Belgium	50.000 - 60.000			Kurds in Belgium
Armenia	55.000		50.620 (Yazidis) 1.519 (Kurds)[31]	Kurds in Armenia
Turkmenistan	87.000			Kurds in Turkmenistan
Sweden	145.000 - 150.000	mainly refugees from Iran and Iraq[32]		Kurds in Sweden
Great Britain	20.000 - 25.000	400,000-450,000[22] (mainly Iraqi Kurds)[15][20] 38,000 (Turkish Kurds)[33]		British Kurds
Greece	20.000 - 25.000			Kurds in Greece
United States	35.000 - 40.000	45.000.[24] 23.000 (Iranian Kurds)[24]	9,423[34]	Kurdish American
Australia		24.000[29]		Kurds in Australia
Denmark	8.000 - 10.000			Kurds in Denmark
Canada	16.000		9.205[35]	Kurds in Canada
Norway	4.000 - 5.000			Kurds in Norway
Italy	13.000 - 14.000			Kurds in Italy
Finland	2.000 - 3.000	550-800 (Iraqi Kurds)[29] 450-650 (Iranian Kurds)[29] 300-550 (Turkish Kurds)[29]		Kurds in Finland

See also

• Turkish Kurdistan
• Iraqi Kurdistan
• Iranian Kurdistan
• Syrian Kurdistan
• List of Kurdish people
• Azarbaijani Kurds

References

1. ^ Osmanczyk, Edmund J. Encyclopedia of the United Nations and International Agreements, 2002^{[page needed]}
2. ^ Cooper, Allan D. The geography of genocide, 2009^{[page needed]}
3. ^ ^{a b} KONDA 2006, 18.
4. ^ Milliyet. "Türkiye'deki Kürtlerin sayısı!". http://www.milliyet.com.tr/default.aspx?aType=SonDakika&ArticleID=873452. Retrieved 2010-11-13. 
5. ^ ^{a b} Central Intelligence Agency. "The World Factbook: Turkey". https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/tu.html. Retrieved 2010-11-13. 
6. ^ "En Büyük Şehri, İstanbul", Time Türk, March 25, 2010.
7. ^ http://modersmal.skolutveckling.se/nordkurdiska/kurdmap/pages/Geographic%20Distribution%20of%20Kurdish%20and%20other%20Iranic%20Languages_jpg_gif.htm
8. ^ [1]
9. ^ http://modersmal.skolutveckling.se/nordkurdiska/kurdmap/pages/Kurds%20in%20the%20Ethnic%20Context%20of%20the%20Caucasus_gif_gif.htm
10. ^ Forced migration online
11. ^ Демоскоп Weekly. "Всесоюзная перепись населения 1989 года. Национальный состав населения по республикам СССР". http://demoscope.ru/weekly/ssp/sng_nac_89.php?reg=0. Retrieved 2010-11-13. 
12. ^ ^{a b} Fadloullah 1994, 36.
13. ^ Wahlbeck 2005, 1004.
14. ^ Safran 2009, 86.
15. ^ ^{a b c d} McDowall 2000, 457.
16. ^ ^{a b c} Miller 2000, 101.
17. ^ France24. "Illegal migrants sent to mainland". http://www.france24.com/en/20100123-corsica-refugee-syria-kurd-france. Retrieved 2010-11-14. 
18. ^ ^{a b c d e f} Ammann 2005, 1012.
19. ^ ^{a b} Koslowski 2000, 179.
20. ^ ^{a b c d e f} Kurdish Institute of Paris. "The Kurdish Diaspora". http://www.institutkurde.org/en/kurdorama/. Retrieved 2010-11-08. 
21. ^ Council of Europe (2006)
22. ^ ^{a b c d e f g} Museum of London. "Belonging: Voices of London's Refugees". http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/English/EventsExhibitions/Community/Belonging/Facts/Timeline.htm. Retrieved 2010-11-20. 
23. ^ http://www.wnpt.org/productions/nextdoorneighbors/kurds/fourwaves.html
24. ^ ^{a b c d} Izady 1992, 100.
25. ^ Powell 2005, 151.
26. ^ Kelley, Friedlander & Colby 1993, 156
27. ^ Powell 2005, 152.
28. ^ ^{a b c d} Jupp 2001, 550.
29. ^ ^{a b c d e} Hamline University. "The Kurdish Diaspora". http://www.hamline.edu/cla/academics/international_studies/diaspora/kurds/paper.html. Retrieved 2010-11-08. 
30. ^ The State Statistical Commuttee of Azerbaijan. "Population by ethnic groups". http://www.azstat.org/statinfo/demoqraphic/en/007.shtml#s7. Retrieved 2010-11-08. 
31. ^ Armenian Statistical Service of Republic of Armenia. "De Jure Population (Urban, Rural) by Age and Ethnicity". http://docs.armstat.am/census/pdfs/51.pdf. Retrieved 2010-11-08. 
32. ^ Berry 2006, 35.
33. ^ Issa 2005, 19.
34. ^ US Census Bureau. "The Arab Population: 2000". http://www.census.gov/prod/2003pubs/c2kbr-23.pdf. Retrieved 2010-11-14. 
35. ^ Canada's National Statistical Agency. "Statistics Canada". http://www12.statcan.ca/english/census06/data/topics/RetrieveProductTable.cfm?ALEVEL=3&APATH=3&CATNO=&DETAIL=0&DIM=&DS=99&FL=0&FREE=0&GAL=0&GC=99&GK=NA&GRP=1&IPS=&METH=0&ORDER=1&PID=92333&PTYPE=88971&RL=0&S=1&ShowAll=No&StartRow=1&SUB=801&Temporal=2006&Theme=80&VID=0&VNAMEE=&VNAMEF=. Retrieved 2010-11-09. 
36. ^ ^{a b c d e f g} European Network of Economic Policy Research Institutes, Balkandide: Study on the Social Dimention in the Candidate Countries - Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia and Turkey, Country Report for Turkey, 2006, s. 16. 'The share of the population of Kurdish ethnic origin in Turkey is between 13% and 15%'.
37. ^ 4,4 milion (23%), Martha Honey, Tom Barry, Global focus: U.S. foreign policy at the turn of the millennium, Palgrave Macmillan, 2000, p. 242.
38. ^ 6,5 milion (10%), Martha Honey, Tom Barry, Global focus: U.S. foreign policy at the turn of the millennium, p. 242.
39. ^ BBC. "Mass trial of Kurdish activists starts in Turkey". http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-11565813. Retrieved 2010-12-08.  'Kurds make up up to a fifth (20%) of the population of Turkey'.
40. ^ The Economist. "A special report on Turkey". http://www.economist.com/node/17276440?story_id=17276440&fsrc=rss. Retrieved 2010-12-08.  'Turkey’s Kurds, who make up 14% of the population'.
41. ^ The New York Times. "Turkey Links Suicide Bomber in Istanbul to Kurdish Separatists". http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/04/world/europe/04turkey.html. Retrieved 2010-12-08.  'Kurds, the nation’s largest minority — now more than 12 million people out of a population of 78 million' (15.5%).
42. ^ The Wall Street Journal. "Turkey Links Suicide Bomber in Istanbul to Kurdish Separatists". http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704141104575588232526714348.html?mod=googlenews_wsj. Retrieved 2010-12-08.  'Up to one-fifth (20%) of Turkey's population are ethnic Kurds'.
43. ^ 1,1 million (8%), Martha Honey, Tom Barry, Global focus: U.S. foreign policy at the turn of the millennium, p. 242.

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