Iraqi governorates, found on the map
Learn all nineteen governorates, including Halabja, federally recognised in 2025. Zoom in around Baghdad and Halabja. Administrative areas do not show current security control or resolve disputed territories.
19 to find, 8 a run.
3 rounds, 6 of 8 to pass each. Pass one and its places are yours.
Every one on the map
Every place listed below can be asked in this game. Places you find in a passed round drop out of your remaining pool.
- Al-Muthanna
- Al-Qadisiyah
- Anbar
- Babil
- Baghdad
- Basra
- Dhi Qar
- Diyala
- Duhok
- Erbil
- Halabja
- Karbala
- Kirkuk
- Maysan
- Najaf
- Nineveh
- Salah al-Din
- Sulaymaniyah
- Wasit
What the map tells you about each one
The paragraph the game shows when you find each one. Reading them first is not cheating.
- Anbar
- Ramadi is its capital. The Euphrates crosses a governorate that also contains extensive desert.
- Karbala
- Karbala is a major Shia pilgrimage city. Lake Razazah lies west of the city.
- Najaf
- Najaf is associated with the Imam Ali Shrine and religious scholarship. Desert extends southwest from its settled northeast.
- Babil
- Babylon lies in this governorate, whose modern administrative capital is Hillah.
- Baghdad
- The Tigris crosses Iraq’s capital. The governorate is smaller than the large desert and border governorates.
- Al-Qadisiyah
- Diwaniyah is its capital. Farming and river irrigation shape this part of the southern plain.
- Al-Muthanna
- Samawah is the capital. The governorate extends from the Euphrates plain into a large desert area.
- Dhi Qar
- Ur and parts of the southern marsh landscape lie in Dhi Qar. Nasiriyah stands on the Euphrates.
- Basra
- Basra stands beside the Shatt al-Arab. Ports and energy exports connect the governorate with the Gulf.
- Maysan
- Amarah is the capital. The Tigris and the Hawizeh marsh landscape are important geographical features.
- Wasit
- Kut stands on the Tigris. The name recalls a historic Islamic city farther south.
- Nineveh
- Mosul, Hatra, ancient Nineveh and Lalish belong to this diverse region. Borders do not describe present security control.
- Duhok
- Duhok and the plateau town of Amedi lie among northern hills and mountains. Duhok is part of the Kurdistan Region.
- Salah al-Din
- Tikrit is the capital. Samarra and Ashur connect the area with Abbasid and Assyrian history.
- Diyala
- Baqubah is the capital. The Diyala River connects the eastern foothills with the Tigris.
- Kirkuk
- Kirkuk is associated with oil production and diverse communities. Administrative boundaries do not resolve disputed status or territorial control.
- Erbil
- Erbil is the seat of the Kurdistan Regional Government. The governorate extends from plains into the Zagros mountains.
- Sulaymaniyah
- Sulaymaniyah is associated with Kurdish literature and museums. Halabja is shown separately following federal recognition in 2025.
- Halabja
- Halabja received federal recognition as Iraq’s nineteenth governorate in 2025. The 1988 chemical attack remains central to its modern history.
How this one works
How many governorates are on the map?
19. Every one of them is on the map, and a run asks 8 of them. Pass a round and the places you found in it drop out of the pool, so the next run is what you have left.
What is a round?
A run of 8 questions, and 6 right passes it. 3 rounds cover the whole map, and the counter at the top of the Iraq page counts the ones behind you. Passing is what banks a round's finds: miss the mark and nothing is taken off the map, so every place that round asked about is still there to be asked again. A round is always the places you have not found yet, and when fewer than five are left it is topped up with a few you have found as review, so the last round is never one or two questions. Three quarters of it passes it.
Can I start the map over?
Yes. "Reset this map" under the counter puts all 19 back in the pool and sets the rounds to zero the moment you press it, so the whole map is there to be found again from nothing. It clears this map only; the other maps of Iraq keep their progress.
Do I need an account?
No. The game plays in the page, and a guest's progress is kept in their own browser. Signing in carries it between devices and earns XP for a run.
What happens when I get one wrong?
The map names what you actually hit, then lights up the right answer in green and tells you something about the place. Missing one is how most of this map gets learned.
The other maps of Iraq
Egypt has the same map in Egyptian governorates. Jordan has the same map in Governorates of Jordan. Lebanon has the same map in Governorates of Lebanon. Oman has the same map in Governorates of Oman. Palestine has the same map in Governorates of Palestine. Syria has the same map in Governorates of Syria. Tunisia has the same map in Tunisian governorates. Yemen has the same map in Governorates and capital of Yemen. All three together on the Iraq atlas page, the country itself on the Iraq guide, and the other two hundred on the world map.