Kirkuk is a miniature Iraq in about 10000 square kilometers.

? It is diverse in nationalities, sects, and religions that have lived there for hundreds of years.

? Rich in oil and home to the first oil fields in Iraq and the Middle East.

? Its diversity is the secret of its conflict, as politicians have exploited its multiple components to introduce political disputes into it, and it has always been a focal point of conflicts between the central government in Baghdad and the region in Erbil, with the disagreement always revolving around oil.