Wasit Governorate

Wasit Governorate
محافظة واسط
Flag of Wasit Governorate
Official seal of Wasit Governorate
Location of Wasit Governorate
Coordinates: 32°40′N 45°45′E / 32.667°N 45.750°E / 32.667; 45.750
Country Iraq
CapitalKut
GovernorMohammed Jameel al-Miyahi
Area
 • Total17,153 km2 (6,623 sq mi)
Population
 (2015)[1]
 • Total1,149,059
HDI (2021)0.656[2]
medium

Wasit Governorate (Arabic: واسط, romanizedWāsit) is a governorate in eastern Iraq, south-east of Baghdad and bordering Iran. Prior to 1976 it was known as Kut Province. Major cities include the capital Al-Kut, Al-Hai and Al-Suwaira. The governorate contains the Mesopotamian Marshes of Shuwayja, Al-Attariyah, and Hor Aldelmj. Its name comes from the Arabic word meaning "middle", as the former city of Wasit lay along the Tigris about midway between Baghdad and Basra. Wasit city was abandoned after the Tigris shifted course.

  1. ^ a b "Wassit Governorate Profile" (PDF). NGO Coordination Committee for Iraq (NCCI). December 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 January 2021. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
  2. ^ "Sub-national HDI - Area Database - Global Data Lab". hdi.globaldatalab.org. Retrieved 2018-09-13.