Kirkuk

Kirkuk (Kurdish: Kerkûk; Turkish: Kerkük; Syriac: ܟܪܟܘܟ kerkūk; Arabic: كركوك kirkūk) is the capital and second most populous city of the Kurdistan Autonomous Region, after Erbil. In 2020 it has a population of 1.15 million and a metropolitan population of nearly 2 million. Located on the River Khasa, Kirkuk is one of the world's most ancient settlements, possibly dating to prehistoric times as a Neanderthal settlement.